Stone Cut – A Short Film on Sculptor Etsuro Sotoo by David Cerqueiro
Who doesn’t like a good short film? I came across this stunning piece by Director David Cerqueiro for NOWNESS titled ‘Stone Cut’ that gives us the rare insight in to the lie of sculptor Etsuro Sotoo. Hi work is certainly rare; working on the unfinished masterpiece Basilca Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain.
I’ve visited many times and it’s great that Cerqueiro and his team have been able to lift the lid on Etsuro Sotoo and his career, working for 41 years on this building site, now as the Chief Sculptor. Antoni Gaudí died during the construction of Sagrada Familia in 1926, a project he knew would not be completed during his lifetime. It’s said that he had a vision that he believed would manifest, that this city would be someday known for “his” church.
Etsuro Sotoo is bringing the building to fruition, and it looks as though it will be his life’s work. Etsuro Sotoo left Japan for Europe in 1978 and had the calling to simply “cut stone”. Arriving in Barcelona he decided to join the La Sagrada Familia project as stonemason before becoming Chief Sculptor in 2013.
As Sotoo is a very private person it seems as though they were lucky to get such access, requiring the director David Cerqueiro to “attend mass at the basilica several times” before he could interview Sotoo and get to know him. It was worth it as this short film portrays Sotoo’s perfect fit for the part, channelling Gaudi and his vision for Basilca Sagrada Familia. Watch on below.