Mario has just been born. Codesal films his nephew Manuel, Mario’s brother. He is two years old and displays all his emotions and feelings in front of the camera. With this piece Codesal offers us a double portrait of Mario and Manuel, recording their first steps in the world of learning.

The world of infants escapes the logic of language. This emotional work by Codesal allows for some direct contact with those moments of finding out about the world, moments at which one’s identity is forged. Mario and Manuel live the small things in live with intensity. The difference in age elicits different forms of communication. Manuel, who throughout the video displays different levels of language control, recognises the function of the camera and wants to talk and play with it. Mario is still too young to understand the representation that the filmed image creates.

We live different moments with both children. Costume parties, playing with one’s identity and with fiction heroes; the three wise men’s christmas parade, during which the camera, in a close and fixed shot, films Manuel, who observes all that surrounds him both amazed and overwhelmed. We also witness an anniversary and the explosion of joy that the opening of presents entails. Both children, Mario and Manuel, blow the candles together.

The two children observe the world with wide open eyes, trying not to miss one single detail. Both are fascinated by some of the things they perceive (Mario listens to the sound that he makes when he hits a metal object and Manuel eats an ice-cream with total dedication) and, at the same time, they want to communicate with those around them.

In this video Codesal shows us the constant changes that occur in infancy, a time that is lived in the present, and the knowledge that is acquired day by day.