THE WORK OF DAYS
105 min, documentary, Quebec, Canada, 2014Directed byBruno Baillargeon
Produced byLes vues du jardin
LanguagesFrench
Film details
Synopsis
A huis clos shot in the intimacy of the artists’ studio, the film spans two years, during which time we get to observe them as they go about their daily work. We never leave the studio, unless it is to make our way to another studio, an extension of their own. There, we find the nitric acid baths and presses used by Paule Mainguy, a long-time collaborator who trained under François-Xavier, to make the etchings. This marks our initiation to the art and gestures of copper etching, a centuries-old craft handed down from master to student in the secret space of the workshop. Here, the artist’s work is that of a craftsman whose gestures, repeated thousands of time over, seek to give shape to a work that, it is hoped, will transcend them. These daily, prosaic gestures aspire to capture an absolute and a beauty that it is impossible to describe in words. They are the expression of a quest for both the other and oneself, a quest that is perhaps found at the heart of all artists’ work.
Credits
Cinematography, Sound recording, Research : Bruno Baillargeon
Editing : René Roberge
Sound editing and Mix: Clovis Gouaillier
Written, Directed and Produced by : Bruno Baillargeon
Financial partners
Le conseil des arts et des Lettres du Québec (CALQ)
Aide au cinéma indépendant du Canada / ONF
BeeBop Studios
CIBL
Canal SAVOIR
Direction
Bruno Baillargeon
Bruno Baillargeon has a Phd in comparative litterature. He has been producing, editing, writing and directing fiction and documentary films since 1991.
Filmography
The Work of Days (2014 / 104 min)
A Garden Under the Lines (2008 / 117 min)
La formation pas à pas (2008 / 22 min)
Spécial cas (2008 / 45 min)
La santé au travail, une histoire de coeur (2007 / 35 min)
6 fictions sur un thème de Gilles Groux (2006 / 6 X 3 min)
Orage sur le Bellavista (2005 / 190 min)
Les chercheurs d’or (2002 / 70 min)
Le Beau top (2001 / 11 min)
Jacques Forgues, chauffeurs dramaturge (2000 / 12 min)
Le Prix de la vie (1998/ 52 min)
Les Galeries Wilderton (1992 / 12 min)