Bending Space. Georges Rousse and the Durham Project

French artist George Rousse (Paris,1947) works in abandoned buildings that are due to be redeveloped or demolished; just “as a painter works with an empty, white canvas”, as he says himself. He creates ephemeral interventions that re-activate the memories and energies of these spaces. His work is created with an almost surgical precision, and finds a lasting form through his photographs. Invited to a residency in Durham, North Carolina, in 2006, Rousse worked in four of the city’s historical buildings. Among these was the “Liggett & Myers Tobacco Factory”, where Chesterfield cigarettes were produced until 1984. Over 200 volunteers helped him enthusiastically, and the whole city supported his work. The film follows Rousse in the different phases of this project and documents the complex and multi-layered process that lies beneath the creation of his poetical and visionary work.