This short documentary is an oddly endearing portrait of Torrington, a hamlet in Alberta, Canada, and the institution at its heart: the World Famous Gopher Hole Museum. Opened in 1996, the tourist attraction features taxidermied Richardson’s ground squirrels assembled into hand-crafted dioramas that recreate scenes from the town’s past – including its many shops and gathering places. The film’s guide is Dianne Kurta, the museum’s long-time curator, who at the time of filming was stepping back due to health issues. As she showcases dioramas depicting a Torrington that no longer exists, the film shifts from a quirky small-town portrait into a bittersweet meditation on the struggle to remember and be remembered, and the inevitability of change.

videoArt

A puppeteer makes sense of an overwhelming world by shrinking it down to size

5 minutes

videoKnowledge

An Indigenous myth and a geological survey elicit two ways of knowing one place

4 minutes

videoFamily life

Fifty years ago, a train collided with Jack and Betty’s car. Here’s how they remember it

9 minutes

videoAnimals and humans

There’s a gentle artistry to a museum taxidermist’s craft

8 minutes

videoEcology and environmental sciences

Life in one of Canada’s northernmost villages, where the land is sinking into the sea

24 minutes

videoTechnology and the self

In the town once named Asbestos, locals ponder the voids industry left in its wake

16 minutes

videoFood and drink

Is a ‘gastronomic society’ dinner the height of decadence, or an act of artistry?

11 minutes

videoAnimals and humans

A gentle stroll through an owl sanctuary might just restore your faith in humanity

28 minutes

videoArt

Long before internet posts of cute animals, there were Victorian taxidermy tableaux

19 minutes