Kickstarter

Welcome to On Guardian Mountain Take 2. Read more about the project below, become a backer, and help us get to Greece in the Summer of 2012!

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The Film:

On Guardian Mountain is a feature length documentary about Kenneth Hewes Barricklo, an architect 70 years of age who has spent the last three years rediscovering what he calls Golden Rectangle Sacred Geometry which he believes was used to design the Parthenon in Athens. In an era that is dominated by computer driven work, Barricklo's only tools are a straight edge, compass, mechanical pencil and hand calculator. Motivated by his love for the magnificent temple, Barricklo has created nearly 400 intricate, hand drafted drawings of this "work-in-progress", proving how extensively the golden rectangle and its related geometry was used in the design of the temple's plan, facades, and form.

On Guardian Mountain is also an intimate look at a man’s re-connection with nature and what can be achieved when the mind, hand, and heart work together. It asks us to investigate the fine line between passion and obsession ~ something every human being grapples with at some time. My film follows Barricklo as he releases this piece of his life's work into the world. His journey will take him to Athens, where he plans to present his work to Greek scholars and architects currently involved with the temple's restoration project.

The Subject & Context:

Photo Credit: Chehalis Hegner

Over the last fifty years Kenneth Hewes Barricklo has worked as an architect, interested in the design of buildings and the proportioning systems used in their design. His work emphasizes a strong connection to the natural world and to the master architects and artists of the past. Three years ago he began working intensely on the Parthenon. Through examining many past and current theories on its design, the Roman architect Vitruvius' architectural treatise, The Ten Books on Architecture, and studying Leonardo DaVinci’s notebooks, he has made substantial and challenging observations. 

At a certain point, he feels that his work deepened into a period of what he considers “divinely inspired.” During this time he began waking up in the middle of the night to a series of intuitional eureka moments which lasted about a year. Barricklo has appropriated, and used as a template, the mind and spirit of the Greek architects that he so admires and draws inspiration from. 

Though current scholars and architects believe a proportioning system of 4x9 was used to design the Parthenon, the mysteries of the building’s design have been hotly debated for hundreds of years. In 2008 NOVA released a documentary titled Secrets of the Parthenon, which focuses mainly on the building’s restoration, yet the film reveals that most of the building’s secrets are still unknown. 

Many people have intuited a connection between the Parthenon and the use of the golden rectangle, but as of yet, no one except for Barricklo has been able to provide substantial proof of this. After keeping his work guarded for the last few years, he has now decided to share his discoveries with the world. He sincerely believes that his rediscovery of this geometry will fill in the missing pieces in the Parthenon "tapestry" while opening a new door to understanding ancient Greek design.

Barricklo is an architect and not a scholar, and has no intent of disrespecting the scholarship of those who currently believe they understand how the temple was designed. In fact, he has taken the work of those before him, and advanced the study of its design in a holistic way, from the organizing principles of the overall form down into the smallest details of the building and its sculptures.

Barricklo is wary of technology, and believes that in many ways it has damaged the creative and explorative relationship humans have with themselves and the cosmos. In the spirit of strengthening his relationship with nature, Barricklo lives with his wife Gioia Timpanelli in the woods, close to the nearby town of Woodstock, NY, a place where numerous artists have found the inspiration needed to fuel their creative work. On Guardian mountain, Barricklo feels, man and the cosmos unite on a nightly basis. 

The next two years:

Year one will focus on finishing production as I continue filming in Woodstock and Greece. I will also conduct interviews with scholars, architects, and mathematicians who will provide the historical and mathematical context for the film. Year two will focus on post-production. 

All money raised will support the continuation of filming, specifically in Greece sometime during the summer of 2012. Investors in the project should remember that except for Barricklo's drawings (which will be shipped as soon as possible if our goal is met) rewards such as DVDs will not be available until all production phases are completed. Some rewards, like posters, might be shipped sooner once they are created.

Photo Credit: Chehalis Hegner

How the money will be used:

On Guardian Mountain's fundraising goal of $5,000 will be used for:

Travel/Airfare to Greece, additional equipment rentals, accommodations, etc.

If more than $5,000 is raised, all extra funds will continue to go towards production: travel to other shoots, meals, equipment rentals, etc.

(%7-10 of all funds go to Kickstarter & Amazon, and ~ %20 will go towards simply producing and shipping all rewards.)

Thank you!

Writer/Director - Cory Tomascoff