Myriam de Lafforest

The Sculptor’s Voice

Directed by Gasser Brothers

In the heart of the Catalan countryside, sculptor Myriam de Lafforest shapes figures from clay with an intuitive grace, her hands molding each form with quiet precision. Captivated by her artistry, the Zurich-based directing duo Gasser Brothers - twin filmmakers Marco and Fabio Gasser - set out to translate her creative process into film.

Their short captures Myriam’s world in striking contrast: raw, monochromatic frames on Double X film mirror the tactile beginnings of her sculptures, while bursts of colour later reveal their transformation.

Inspired by a single black-and-white photograph taken by Myriam’s daughter, this deeply sensorial film is a poetic meditation on creation, material, and the artist’s voice.

The black-and-white shots in the studio create an intimate and timeless feel, enhancing the tactile nature of Myriam's craft. Could you share why you chose this aesthetic?

We discovered Myriam’s work through a beautiful black-and-white photograph of her daughter, Suzanne, who began experimenting with film photography about a year ago. That photograph became the starting point of this project, as well as a strong inspiration for us to capture her sculpting process in black-and-white.

In addition, shooting the studio part on Double X film stock felt very appropriate because it allowed us to somehow parallel the clay Myriam uses to give shape to her figures during this initial stage of her work, emulating its monochromaticity and texture. In a later phase, her figures undergo a series of processes through which they acquire their final color, so we decided to capture the finished sculptures on color stock. Our idea was basically to mimic the stages of her creative process through the selection of film stock. This also allowed us to later create an interesting juxtaposition between the two in the edit.

The narration feels deeply personal, like a stream of consciousness as Myriam sculpts. How did you approach working with her to capture this raw and poetic perspective?

When we met Myriam for the first time, we immediately felt a mutual strong connection. Our visit turned into a long and inspiring conversation about her creative process and personal life—her inspirations, her vision on making art, how she navigates the creative highs and lows, among other things. It quickly became clear how essential her voice would be to the film. Everything she shared had a raw truth and depth that would give the film all its meaning and personality.

We arranged a second, more relaxed meeting at her home, where we recorded a two-hour conversation in French, from which a shortened selection ultimately made it into the final cut.

The elegant sound design beautifully complements the meditative process of sculpture. Marco, as the sound designer, what was your approach to crafting this auditory experience?

I’ve always been fascinated by sound and its ability to improve the quality and “credibility” of a film. I believe it has—or can have—a profound impact on a project’s outcome, both narratively and emotionally. While I don’t always handle the sound design for our films, when I do, I let my intuition guide me toward what feels right and appropriate for the project. One of the great things about working with my twin brother, Fabio, is that we share a very similar (if not identical) taste in sound, music, and color, which helps navigating through the postproduction and ensure we’re aligned in pursuing the same goal.

For Myriam de Lafforest, we envisioned a mixture of diverse diegetic sounds—such as clay textures, hand gestures, clothing movements and finger scratchings, — combined with a more abstract, atmospheric soundscape that could fully immerse the viewer into her world. Although no sound recordings were made during the shoot, I later brought my Zoom recorder to her studio and spent an afternoon capturing the sounds of her work. Those became an integral part of the sound design process.

The cinematography stands out with its grainy texture and intimate framing. How did your collaboration with Nauzet Gaspar develop, and what was the vision behind the visual style of the film?

We were already familiar with Nauzet’s beautiful work but hadn’t had the chance to collaborate with him until this film. It felt like a good opportunity to reach out and see if he’d be interested in joining the project—which he happily was. Working with him was a wonderful experience—he brought so much to the table: creative input, technical expertise, thoughtful suggestions, and a calming, positive energy that enriched the entire process.

We discussed the visual approach on several creative calls prior to the shoot, and decided to focus primarily on using close-up, macro, and partial shots to evoke a sense of mystery and intrigue in the narrative. The camera would stay close to Myriam, immersing the viewer in her creative bubble and heightening the intimacy of the experience. For the color sculpture shots we aimed for a dynamic and slightly abstract aesthetic—something that would juxtapose with the more organic studio scenes and create unexpected visual pauses in the narrative. We decided to use a 360o spinning rig mount, where both the sculptures and the camera were rigged to rotate slowly together. It was a fun experiment that resulted in beautiful “floating” sculptures with intriguing shadow play.

Whilst we initially envisioned shooting the project on 35mm, we decided to switch to 16mm after discussing it with Nauzet. This choice ended up giving the film a more textured look and feel that we believe is more appropriate for the project.

Your films are known for their strong, poetic visuals and sensorial storytelling. Can you share with us any key techniques or decisions you prioritised in Myriam de Lafforest to fully immerse the audience in her world and process?

Our primary goal was to create something that could feel close and intimate to Myriam, and reflect her world as faithfully as possible to the audience. Besides the various elements mentioned in the previous questions, one thing we believe was key in achieving this was simply making her feel as comfortable as possible during the shoot.

While filming in her studio we made sure to be a very tight crew, and a playlist of Armand Amar—one of Myriam’s favorite artists— was playing at full volume.

This allowed her to feel at ease, inspired, and fully immersed in her sculpting, enabling us to become almost “invisible” and capture some truly authentic, magical moments.

“Our primary goal was to create something that could feel close and intimate to Myriam, and reflect her world as faithfully as possible to the audience.”

What’s next for Gasser Brothers? Are there any upcoming projects or creative directions you’re excited to explore?

We are currently wrapping up a thirteen-minute short documentary about an 85-year-old painter and friend, which we’re excited to finish and release very soon. It’s been a heartfelt project, and we can’t wait to share it.

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Starring Myriam de Lafforest 

Produced by farbfilm studio

DP - Nauzet Gaspar

Producer - Yanik Zollinger

1st AC - César de Sousa

Gaffer - Albert Piñana

Spark - Pere Arnal

Key Grip - Toni Espejo / Grip Support

Grip - Rodri Alvarez / Grip Support

Rental - Napalm Rentals

Edit - Matt Schaff / Cabin Edit

Color - Epilogue

Cello, Strings - Michelle Packman

Pads, Music Mix - Jean-Daniel Toemoer

Music Supervision - Nikolay Antonov

Sound Design - Marco Gasser

Vocal Mix - Lavern

Lab - Studio L’Équipe