María va a la escuela, María Jerez and Edurne Rubio

María va a la escuela, María Jerez and Edurne Rubio, Spain, Belgium, 2017, 38’

DIALOGUES WITH Herri bat behar da mendi bat altxatzeko (It takes a village to raise a mountain)

Presentation and discussion: María Jerez

María va a la escuela, María Jerez, Spain, Belgium, 2017, 38’

Artist María Jerez has designed the exhibition Herri bat behar da mendi bat altxatzeko for the new edition of Situ-akzioak. We at the Tabakalera cinema wished to invite the artist to present the film she made in 2017 to understand her work in a more profound way, and speak with her about her cinematographic practice. 

Synopsis

The children of the V-tex school in Kortrijk, Belgium are teaching María Jerez Dutch. The roles and economy of education change: 32 children teach an adult to learn.

However, while the roles are flipped, the focus is not on the symmetric transfer of power, but rather the establishment of a fragile situation for all parties. It is about establishing a space where no one knows. This documentary pays attention to the moments that we name something for the first time; the thought behind language; politics intrinsic to learning processes; collaborative teaching methods; misunderstandings as spaces for opportunity; a relationship with someone who comes from another world; a sort of alien landing at the school.