The airport. People fly to and from it, but many don’t actually consider it a destination. It is not really a place to be. Like the middle of a highway, a railway station, or a hacked path in the middle of a jungle, it is deemed more of a “non-place” rather than an actual place, as one merely passes through it.
Spanish architect and indie filmmaker Guzmán De Yarza Blache explores the subject in Eternal Sunrise, a documentary about his travels to 16 airports in 25 days. He and his companion started off in Madrid then flew to Rio de Janeiro, Santiago de Chile, Miami, Mexico DF, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Honolulu, Sydney, Singapore, Tokyo, Beijing, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, London, and back to Madrid without ever leaving an airport. In this unusual journey, the artist interviewed various members of the airport workforce including heads of security, as well as flight attendants and fellow travelers. He was able to post curious questions like “What leads people to travel?” or “Where do we come from?” or “Where are we now?” and “Where are we going?” He was also able to observe interesting points such as “citizens always having to prove their innocence” in airports.
Eternal Sunrise opened Aug. 12 at The Office of Culture and Design or The OCD in The Collective in Makati, with a film-showing accompanied by an exhibition of travel photos taken by Guzmán De Yarza Blache. The exhibit also features a “souvenir cemetery” where guests can unload unwanted souvenirs on a large world map and exchange them with an object they consider worth keeping. This connects with another subject explored by the film: “souvenir culture.” That is, “the business of needing something to remember a place by,” and why a country and its culture should not be reducible to a fetish like a figurine one displays on top of a furnace.
Through the Eternal Sunrise Project: Five Cool Ways to Market an Independent Film, The OCD suggests ways of making an indie film showing different by going beyond the usual movie poster and typical movie theater scene with a silent audience. For example, the photo exhibit and souvenir installation are extra features alongside the actual showing that promote audience participation.
Aside from the actual showing of the film, the Eternal Sunrise exhibit showcases 385 of the artist’s travel photos in an installation designed by The OCD in collaboration with Filipino sign-painter, Jambo.
* * *
The Project is supported by Samsung, Kameraworld, Instituto Cervantes - Manila, Philippine Independent Filmmakers Multi-purpose Cooperative or IFC, The Living Room (Carlos Celdran) and Eclectic Living (Joby Belmonte), and will be on view until October 30 at The Office of Culture and Design located at 7274 Malugay Street, Makati City.