Rebel Bocage
Working with Lichun Tseng, who shot in 16mm, I made the decision to edit as we went, so no cutting in post production. Time through the lens feels different than that of the screen, so it was a complicated exercise.
Nearby the ecokathedraal was where the 17th century Labadist anarcho-christians used to live, but their communal residence was destroyed long ago. This community became a key area of research in the project, and the text in the film responds to the only documents that remain of the groups lodgings. These maps were drawn by the architect Johann Graff, a banished member of the group who was accused of not being able to share the communities ‘non-hierarchical lifestyle’ and was quickly kicked out. He spent months circling the site in an attempt to communicate with his family.
The structures at Le Roy Tuin are also reminiscent of the terf stacks of the peat diggers that used to be a big industry in the area. Many peat diggers also supported an anti-authoritarian borderline anarchic sentiment, with an anti-marriage movement. These ideas were communicated through educational community plays advocating for the rights of the worker and the land.