How can structures, which take up defined, rigid portions of space, make us feel transcendence? How can chapels turn into places of introspection? How can walls grant boundless freedom? Driven by intense childhood impressions, director Christoph Schaub visits extraordinary churches, both ancient and futuristic, and discovers works of art that take him up to the skies and all the way down to the bottom of the ocean. With the help of architects Peter Zumthor, Peter Märkli, and Álvaro Siza Vieira, artists James Turrell and Cristina Iglesias, and drummer Sergé “Jojo” Mayer, he tries to make sense of the world and decipher our spiritual experiences using the seemingly abstract concepts of light, time, rhythm, sound, and shape. The superb cinematography turns this contemplative search into a multi-sensory experience.
Cinematography
Every frame belongs in a museum.
Score
Jojo Mayer's drums hit different in sacred spaces.
Direction
Schaub turns concrete into poetry.
Director
Christoph Schaub
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
James Turrell's Roden Crater project has been under construction since 1977 and still isn't open to the public. Schaub got in.
The film's structure mirrors its subject: chapters organized by elements (light, time, rhythm) rather than geography, forcing viewers to experience architecture as nonlinear memory.
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