Filming Guatemalan Artisans David and Naomi Darg

Ethical Fashion Guatemala
3 min readAug 21, 2018

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A week of Filming Guatemalan Artisans with David and Naomi Darg. Documentarian David Darg, whose film Body Team 12 was nominated for an Academy Award in the Documentary (Short Subject) category, spent last week filming Guatemalan Artisans with his wife Naomi, for an upcoming documentary they are producing.

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David and Naomi Darg

Chichicastenango market[/caption]

No film crew, just David asking Naomi over and over as he filmed, “can you do this shot or not?” While sometimes gruff, you can see David’s passion to tell a story. The documentary is being shot for virtual reality. Setup this little camera and then go hide around corner, while Artisans go on with their normal day.

They first stopped in Guatemala City and filmed. https://www.facebook.com/EcoArteJunkabal/. This amazing group of woman turn pull tabs into purses, water bottle holders, trivets, handbags and other art forms. Naomi purchased a number of these products to sell in her shop in the US.

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David and Naomi Darg

Eco Arte de Junkabal[/caption]

One day of filming the markets, shops and street merchants of Antigua provided the architectural backdrop to showcase the colors or Guatemala against the Colonial beauty.

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David and Naomi Darg

Casa Flor Ixcaco[/caption]

The next four days we covered a lot of ground; Lake Atitlan, Chichicastenango market and finishing our travels in a small village outside of Tecpan called Chipatá. David wanted something he thought would be easy to find. A remote village, adobe homes, a family weaving and Mayan ceramics.

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David and Naomi Darg

San Juan La Laguna Leather Shop[/caption]

In Chipatá, after the women became comfortable with this invasion of technology, they became totally engaged. Flying a drone drew much interest in Chichicastenango, as in Chipatá hovering over yes, adobe houses. We learned a lot with from this group of woman. The way Mayan ceramics are made was mind blowing as the video demonstrates.

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Chipatá-weavers

Chipatá-weavers[/caption]

The million dollar moment for me was the Introduction of virtual reality to these talented women. The virtual reality headset placed on a weaver’s head, taking her into another dimension or space. All the woman without hesitation took a turn, visiting San Francisco in virtual world.

The last piece of filming in Guatemala closed with Naomi, “We are off to Honduras to find more incredible Artisans”.

Naomi and David purchased products from every Artisan they met; no battering or requests for discounts. We will now shift back to Naomi’s little shop in the USA. This shop is a collection of Artisan products from places in the world where David and Naomi visited and spent time with the artists.

The work they perform is totally transparent about how they give back. They are not an NGO; they are global citizens. Not only in words, but also in actions. The link below will take you to Naomi’s website that tells about her work.

Thank you both for allowing me the time to spend with you.

Global and eco-friendly Gift Shop on the Eastern Shore. From suitcase to store. We have a great selection of products that support people in need and projects from around the world. We invite you to come visit us for a pleasant and guilt-free shopping experience. Our gifts give back.

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Ethical Fashion Guatemala
Ethical Fashion Guatemala

Written by Ethical Fashion Guatemala

Ethical Fashion Guatemala LLC empowers local craftspeople to earn a living while preserving their cultural heritage

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