遠方此地  
Far is here
2015
單頻錄像
single-channel video
6’07”
芭芭拉‧奧汀格
Barbara OETTINGER

智利 / 1981年生於智利聖地牙哥,現於智利與美國紐約生活及工作   Chile / 1981 born in Santiago, Chile, now living and working in Santiago, Chile/ New York, USA
〈遠方此地〉拍攝麵包工廠工人的勞動,影片中傳達對彼岸他方的想像與落差。影片主角來自海地,家鄉本來就是貧窮與暴力充斥之地, 2010年海地大地震,48萬人失去家園,370萬人受災,更加惡劣的生存環境迫使主角離開家鄉,賺取更多的錢養家活口。片中主角聽說智利的聖地牙哥是一個機會之地,努力籌款,克服困難前往,但抵達之後才發現那是一個不會更好的真實世界。片中以字幕作為口白自述,男主角沉默不語、持續不間斷的工作,他黝黑粗糙的雙手對比著白淨柔軟的麵糰,此影片以簡單的風格呈現跨國越洋移工的生命境遇。「家」成為移動的源頭,然而許諾的天堂從未來到,「家」最終仍成為回不去的地方。 Far Is Here documents the labor of a bread factory’s worker, in which conveys the vision toward other places as well as the gap in between. The protagonist came from Haiti, a land of poverty and violence. The 2010 Haiti Earthquake displaced 480,000 people and impacted 3.7 million people. The further worsened environment forced the protagonist to leave home to earn a living for the family. The protagonist learned that Santiago of Chile is a land of opportunity, so he saved money and, against all odds, left home. However, soon after his arrival, he realized it is a real world could not be better. The narrative of the video is merely the subtitle, while the male protagonist stays silent and works relentlessly. His black, coarse hands make a sharp contrast to the white, soft dough, a simple demonstration of the life experience of the international migrant workers. “Home” is the motivation of immigration. While the promised paradise is lost, “home” becomes the place one can never return to, nevertheless.