When we walk through the rooms of a museum, we usually focus all our attention on the exhibited works. Often, the public that surrounds us becomes mere background figures that go practically unnoticed. But, what would happen if, for once, we paid attention to the visitors we came across on our journey? What could we learn if we discovered your experiences, desires, concerns or personal interests?
That is exactly what CCCC Stories proposes to us, a ten-chapter microseries, shot entirely at the Center del Carme Cultura Contemporània (CCCC), in which, in a few minutes, a series of actors and actresses from the Valencian Community star in small stories of love, friendship, vindication or forgiveness.
The vision of the museum space as a living and diverse place, in which the people who inhabit it are especially important, is the leitmotiv of this fun and ingenious fiction, as confirmed from its first chapter, appropriately titled "Perspective", in the that two young people who had a relationship some time ago and who stopped seeing each other without giving any explanations meet again by chance in front of a work of art.
After the logical initial discomfort, the conversation derives from the inevitable mutual reproaches for complicity and empathy. As the title indicates, they both learn to look at art and life from a new angle. This CCCC production, together with the production company Pausa Dramática Films, is a firm commitment to connect with younger audiences by an institution that, since its reformulation in 2016, has shown great interest in accommodating a wide variety of artistic and cultural manifestations (linked to contemporary art, but also to urban art, dance or electronic music).
“With CCCC Stories, we want to show everyday stories that deal with current issues with a fresh, close and realistic vision”, points out José Luis Pérez Pont, director of the Consorci de Museus and the Center del Carme Cultura Contemporània. For this, they have had a technical team, with the directors and screenwriters Sergi Merchan and José Luis Lázaro at the helm, made up of young promises from the Valencian audiovisual industry.
In addition, the more than 20 characters that run through the halls and corridors of the museum have been interpreted by a cast of actors from this same community such as Raquel Ferri (“Ni oblit ni perdó”), Ana Conca (“Working is a drag”) , María Zamora (“Those in the last row”), Pau Vercher (“The Magic Key”), Paola Navalón (“La Benvinguda”), Tania Fortea (“El que sabem”); and also by prominent influencers such as Araceli de la Concepción, Fran Tudela (better known as 'Cabrafotuda') or the drag queen and former contestant on the talent show led by RuPaul, Choriza May.
As Merchan and Lázaro explain, “we wanted to portray moments in the lives of diverse people who, without knowing it, have passed through the halls and corridors of the Center del Carme Cultura Contemporània. Throughout ten self-concluding chapters, we want to make the public witness to an amalgamation of everyday moments that tend to go unnoticed, but that undoubtedly make up the soul of a unique and special place for us as creators: the CCCC”.
For Merchan, his purpose was “to give the museum a twist, humanize the space, see what moves the people who decide to visit it and connect with them, awakening their emotions”. To do this, they have created some narrative capsules that they develop in an agile and attractive language, "close to the Instagram format", but that do not renounce the quality and texture typical of cinema.
“We wanted the fluidity and effectiveness of a message that could reach the whole world to coexist with a careful execution, created with an artistic will”, adds Merchan. The chapters themselves are a sample of the transgressive spirit, lover of risk and experimentation, which guides the programming of the Center del Carme Cultura Contemporània. "We have allowed ourselves to play with genres and break traditional structures," says Lázaro. "For this reason, we have alternated chapters more based on conversation with very different ones, such as a musical focused on dance, or another in which we dare to break the fourth wall." On Sunday, November 6, a general screening was offered open to the public, which was attended by the cast, the technical team and the directors, and in which the 10 episodes of the series were screened.
The premiere was a complete success with more than 400 attendees. Since then, a chapter has been published on a weekly basis on the YouTube channel and on the profiles of the CCCC's social networks. For Pérez Pont, “ideas are our main engine of change, the force that transforms reality. Creativity, dynamism and innovation define the model of cultural institution that we have been developing in recent years from the Center del Carme”.
This work, which now adds a new link with the audiovisual creation of CCCC Stories, has turned this institution into an indispensable benchmark in the cultural life of Valencia, as proven by the more than 300,000 visitors who, during this 2022, have attended its multiple exhibitions and activities.
