In November 2011, as The Occupy movement in Canada celebrated its 2-month anniversary, Schwenk spent time with the movement in Victoria Square, in down-town Montréal. The resulting artworks show an alternate, positive view of Occupy, and not the violence associated with the eviction of the Occupiers, as was presented in the mainstream media.
The Occupiers wanted to show people that there are other ways to organize society; and called on the world to eliminate economic inequality and redistribute resources from the 1% for everyone to share.
We are the 99%.
The bubble and other stories present stories about the everydayness and practicalities of people living together as a community in a protest environment. The project captures the celebration of Occupiers who tried to change the world.
The film presents diverse subjects such as the indigenous homeless, graffiti and what the movement meant to some of the Occupiers. Filmed totally at nighttime, we see how relationships are built across people from varying backgrounds.
The Occupiers strengthen the unity of the movement by singing and dancing together, and sharing in the making of beautiful bubbles using only the wind and a simple tarpaulin that envelops their bodies.