306 Steps in Guanajuato video & installation

306 Steps in Guanajuato is a short video and a longer two-channel video installation about the staircases in the beautiful city of Guanajuato, Mexico. Guanajuato is built into steep hillsides and features many colorful staircases instead of streets. Early one morning while I was taking my daily walk, I had the idea to document each step of the staircase. It took me almost two hours to crawl up the steps while recording each stair for a few seconds. This slowed me down and allowed me to take long looks at the stones, bricks, paint and other materials that constitute these long staircases. I walked, crawled, and shot video all the way up to El Pipila, a monument to a a hero of the Mexican War for Independence. I later created 306 Steps in Guanajuato, a short single channel version for festivals and screenings and a two-channel version for gallery installations that provide two monitors or two projectors. The two-channel version uses the same footage in two different ways, showing a slow ascent up to El Pipila and the a fast descent down from the top of the staircase.

selected screenings & exhibitions
2012: University of Guanajuato, exhibition, Guanajuato, Mexico

Julie Perini is a filmmaker and artist in Portland, Oregon.