De La Espada has opened the doors to its factory for the first time to tell the story of its craft, through the eyes and skilful hand of acclaimed Dutch filmmaker, Juriaan Booij.
Shot on location in Mira, Portugal, the film http://delaespada.com/more/newsexhibitions/film-de-la-espada-factory/ opens at the Silver Coast, and journeys into the forest to the De La Espada factory. Booij captures the texture and activity of the factory through arresting imagery and a lingering camera lens- the careful study of timber planks, the calculated movements of the CNC machinery, the skilful movements of the craftspersons' hands.
The score by award-winning composer, Andy Simms offers thoughtful, classic instrumentals layered with ambient sounds picked from the factory floor. The clicks of the machinery or the creak of the tightening clamps are repeated to build an engaging rhythm that pulls the viewer closer to the action.
Booij has already proven his mastery for capturing the poetry of craft in compelling films including a three screen installation for the Power of Making exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum last year, and a narrative film which tracks the production of an Industrial Facility Branca chair. He brings the same adroitness to this film which includes all aspects of the manufacturing process from the initial selection of timber to the machining, joinery, assembly and hand finishing, as well as all the textures, sounds and movements that accompany them.
“We were excited when Juriaan, who has filmed a wide range of manufacturing processes, came to our factory. We love how modern craftsmanship is about skilfully blending man with a new generation of machines that are driven by computers...a blend of the analogue and digital worlds,” Luis De Oliveira, managing director, De La Espada.
ABOUT JURIAAN BOOIJ
Born and raised in The Netherlands, Juriaan Booij has been working as a filmmaker in London for the past five years. Recent work includes conceptualising, writing, and directing commercials, content, music videos, mini-docs and short films for clients such as Onitsuka Tiger, The Victoria & Albert museum, Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, Burberry, Industrial Facility, and the Design Museum.
ABOUT ANDY SIMMS
Andy Simms is an award-winning composer for TV and Film. Recent commissions include scores for film, TV, commercials, and preparing and conducting arrangements for string quartets, horn sections, big band and orchestra, collaborating with artists as diverse as Michael Nyman (with whom Andy shared the 2010 East End Film Festival Best Score Award), Barry Adamson, and Nick Cave.
http://delaespada.com/more/newsexhibitions/film-de-la-espada-factory/
