Bordalo II : A Life of Waste

A Screen Ireland Short Documentary

By Trevor Whelan and Rua Meegan / GRIZZLY

Bordalo II: A Life Of Waste is a Screen Ireland (IFB) Short Documentary that displays an intimate portrait of Portuguese street artist Artur Bordalo as he aims to highlight the extent of our wastefulness and the impact this has on our environment through his ‘Trash Animals’ sculptures.

The film had a very successful festival run between late 2017 and early 2019, picking up the Discovery Award for Directing and Cinematography the Dublin International Film Festival, winning the Emerald Award at the Coronado Film Festival in San Diego and being official selection at Palm Springs Short Fest, Cork Film Festival and Newport Beach Film Festival to name a few.

As part of the film, Bordalo II came to Dublin in 2017 to create a giant trash Red Squirrel on Tara Street, in the heart of the city, which was curated by the filmmakers. The artwork was conceived to make the people of Dublin more aware of how their actions impact the indigenous wildlife. Due to it’s scale, prominent location and powerful message it quickly became an integral part of Dublin’s cosmopolitan aesthetic. Unfortunately, the Squirrel was removed in July 2019 to make way for a high rise hotel. This is yet another example of the creative and cultural fabric of Dublin being torn down to make way for modern hotels, in a city with a homelessness and housing crisis.

Directed by Trevor Whelan & Rua Meegan / GRIZZLY

Cinematography by Rua Meegan & Trevor Whelan

Produced by Glen Collins for Pull The Trigger

Edited by Tony Kearns

Music by Eric Whelan / SteadyState