Chiflón, the silence of coal

The Chiflón project seeks to bring back to life a moment in the history of coal miners through some of their most emblematic characters. Through everyday situations, we step into the protagonists’ intimacy and sensations, as represented by white puppets and a text-less universe of sound.  

For this, Silencio Blanco re-interprets the story “El Chiflón del Diablo” by Baldomero Lillo – great Chilean writer, naturalist, and eyewitness of the world he portrays – centering it around the character of the mining woman in her unconditional daily wait for the men in her family.

“Through the aesthetic and symbolic detail of the marionette’s construction and gesture in movement, we capture the delicate human fiber of the characters of the history of coal.  

We speak of a part of our history that lives and exists in anonymity, that has been silenced in memory, but that was, nevertheless, at the core of our economic development for decades, in transport as well as exportable energy.

So as not to misconstrue this silent reality, we traveled to the town of Lota, where the famous Chiflón del Diablo (the Devil’s Draft) is located; we were captivated and seduced by the gentleness and charisma of the people, themselves descendants of the history of Coal. They talked to us, invited us into their homes, shared their memories, experiences, sorrows, pains and illusions. We realized that the people of Lota, the former miners and their families, are, at present, a national historical treasure, a mystery full of secrets and humanity. They presented us with their own silence; the black silence.”