Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow

In 1993, Anselm Kiefer left Buchen, Germany for La Ribaute, a derelict silk factory near Barjac. Seven years later, he began constructing a series of elaborate installations there. Like a strange, sprawling village, La Ribaute extends over 35 hectares and is composed of old industrial buildings and working studios that link to a network of underground tunnels dug out by Kiefer, which run underneath pavilions built to house paintings and installations. An underground pool at the cul-de-sac of a tubular iron tunnel is embedded within a crypt which backs onto to a 20 m tiered concrete amphitheatre. There are caves and woods, an open landscape of concrete towers – assembled like so many card houses – and secluded, private spaces. Traversing this landscape, Sophie Fiennes’ acclaimed documentary film immerses the audience in the total world and creative process of one of today’s most significant and inventive artists.