Artist Mihail Chemiakin photographs discarded paper, dead leaves,
cigarette butts, spots of paint, cracks, traces of dog urine, plantain
tree bark, and spots on the wall in nocturnal Paris, then draws
with pastel and ink on matte prints of the photographs, creating a
tremendous range of imagery. Thus inventing a new technique in
drawing and a new and totally unexpected view of the riches hidden
in the humble, ignored world under our feet. Trottoirs de Paris
documents the artist’s method in wordless, hypnotizing narrative
style, following Chemiakin through Paris, on bicycle rides in central
France and walks in the woods, then back to the studio. Some of
the film’s most arresting sequences are those that demonstrate
the transformation of trash and dirt into fantastic characters and
dramatic scenes.
Director/editor Andrei Zagdansky, DoP Vladimir Guyevsky, sound Borys Peter, foley artist Victor Shcheglov
