Where do the flowers grow?
Youth (Spring) documents the insulated environment of young garment workers in the Zhili region of China. Director Wang Bing immerses viewers in a concrete scenescape of the factory. Routine takes shape through work, play, and sleep but is muddied by mountains of textile waste and the constant droning of sewing machines. Time and space become elusive as we move from a state of voyeurism to involvement through the sheer length of the film.
Concrete smothers the ground, and machines replace the sound of birdsong.
There is no wilderness; no soil or sunlight, no forest or grass.
It is here we ask, Where can nature be found?
The answer:
in the people
We are reminded that the human touch is a necessity in the fast fashion industry. Hands feed fabric through machines with practiced precision; they cut, stitch, and guide each piece with care. These are not anonymous motions. Social sensibilities seep into the mechanical rhythm and their presence calms the aggressive mechanism that is the factory. In moments between shifts, flirtation and folly water the buds of relationships and, in the sterility of mass production, where sameness reigns, intimacy relates our own experiences to the ones on screen. This is how time is mediated, through the blossom and bloom of humanity.