Jill Magid, an American conceptual artist and writer, has made this documentary in order to explore the legal, philosophical, and emotional clash between individuals and institutions over art pieces. She also has fashioned a lovely film about the beautiful buildings and artifacts of Luis Barragan. He died in 1988, and his personal archive is in Mexico.
Intending to create an exhibition about this genius who has been described as "the artist among architects," Magid discovers that thousands of photos, drawings, and negatives of his work were sold to the Vitra Design Museum in Switzerland. This company also trademarked Barragan's name and has refused to give access to artists, scholars, and researchers over the past 20 years.
This situation sets in motion a correspondence between Magid and Federica Zanco, the gatekeeper of Barragan's professional archive. She claims to be writing a book and declines all of Magid's requests to see her until at last, they meet in Switzerland. The drama in this battle of wills moves between Mexico, Manhattan, and Switzerland giving the director a chance to demonstrate her love of beauty and her ample creativity as she comes up with a proposal which she confidently believes will go in her favor.
Along with its focus on one artist's work, this documentary encourages us to contemplate the connection between any artist's mortal body and the body of his or her work. In a Director's Statement, Magid explains: "I wanted to present legacy as something potentially alive, and full of possibility."