IN THE REALM OF THE GARDEN
short non-fiction
In production; 16mm
In the Realm of the Garden (working title), examines spaces of historic California missions as contested sites of historical mythmaking. Over many years, mission spaces were carefully restored and reconstructed to project a romanticized interpretation of their colonial past. While they are formally presented as historical structures, these environments in large part form fictional spaces. The film engages critically with these deceptive layers of representation through archival footage, historical home movies and original present day images. Shot on 16mm, this essay film in part employs experimental analog techniques in an attempt to restore these spaces through cinematic means.