Song for the Price of a Goat 1
2000

In these films of dialogue, Els Dietvorst delves into the shadow zones between reality and appearance. During one of her walks in Brussels, the artist met Luigi, who tends sheep and goats on the banks of the Brussels-Charleroi Canal. The film captures an old man from southern Italy who is trying to lead the idyllic shepherd’s life an almost surreal setting, the messy banks along the canal that lies on in the shadow of Brussels.

Song for the Price of a Goat 1, 2000, 00:10:00, color, sound, mini DV.
Copyright Els Dietvorst.

Most of my work starts with an encounter. An encounter in a place where I live, where I pass by every day, where I see the seasons change, where I smell the air. In these encounters I take the time to look at my chosen subject, whether it is a person, a community, a place, from every side. I twist and turn it and look for the most appropriate medium to picture it and to come as close to truth as possible.