Allons-Y Alonzo: Souvenirs of a Landscape

Directed by Rachel Strickland

In 1998 a 260-kilometer stretch of the Loire River—and its adjoining parklands, vineyards, chateaux, churches, abbeys and prehistoric sites—from Sully-sur-Loire to Chalonnes, was nominated by the government of France as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Focusing on dynamic and ephemeral dimensions of the cultural landscape, Strickland adopted the shorthand of “microcinema” to portray a collection of local characters and environmental transitions that would lend animate perspective to the Loire Valley World Heritage web site. Adding the glimpses together in a 27 minute movie, Allons-y Alonzo reflects a filmmaker’s quest to glean the senses of a place and to register its Genius Loci. The web site with Strickland’s video was produced as a design prototype for UNESCO World Heritage Centre.