White Walls Say Nothing finishes filming
After months of filming, we are very happy to announce that we have completed the first stage of production for our feature documentary White Walls Say Nothing.
It has been an intense and incredible experience. With a small crew of five people from three different countries, we conducted over 50 interviews and shot hundreds of hours of footage.
We started filming with a clear idea of who we wanted to speak to, and what we wanted to capture. Having spent several years researching art and activism we felt confident about the story and how to capture it. But despite all of our preparation, we were surprised to find that the project quickly took on a life of its own.
We interviewed artists we’ve worked with for years, many of whom are close friends. Without exception, every single interview brought us something new and unexpected. Sometimes it was a story we’d never heard, other times it was a perspective we hadn’t considered. Every interview opened up new lines of investigation.
The film gave us the opportunity to speak to a number of artists and activists from a variety of different backgrounds, and who have been active during different periods in history. On many occasions we were left in awe of the lives people have led and the actions they have taken. We began to see connections between artists and activists separated by generation and discipline. It became clear that even though the methods used and the context may be very different, there was a common motivating factor behind people’s actions.
We were very grateful for the wealth of knowledge that leading academics and historians shared with us. They gave us invaluable insights into the traditions which influence the relationship between action, protest, painting and public space, and helped us see how all the different elements in the story fit together.
In between interviews we explored the barrios and provinces of Buenos Aires. We captured the stark contrasts between the elegant neighbourhoods whose architecture and well heeled inhabitants inspire comparisons to European cities, and the complex yet vibrant barrios whose haphazard construction and eclectic personality represent a different side to this modern Latin American city. We looked to the streets for inspiration, to public space and the public themselves, whose faces and anecdotes provided enough material for a film of its own.
We are incredibly grateful to everyone who took part, who shared their time and their lives with us, and who supported the production of the film. We are certain that something incredible is going to come out of this and we are very excited to share it.
We are currently working our way through the hundreds of hours of material for the first stage of editing. We captured so much more than we anticipated that the film has already taken on another dimension. This is a story about art and activism in Argentina. But perhaps more importantly it is a story about resistance and the power of expression.
