The Edith Russ House shows Life from the reel – a performative projector installation by Jørg Anton Skyba for the Night of the Museums.
A 1978 VW Bulli with a 1968 camping trailer in the front garden – for the Night of the Museums on September 23, the Edith-Russ-Haus is offering an installation that is a real eye-catcher and a unique opportunity to take a journey into the lost world of normal 8 and Super 8 film.
Born in Osterforde in 1971, artist Jørg Anton Skyba discovered his passion for Super 8 film when he was around 20 years old and not only started making films himself, but also amassed an extraordinary collection of films and projectors, which he acquired at flea markets over the years. Over time, a collection of around 140 projectors and several hundred films grew.
What is striking about this collection of private Super 8 films is that the content is very often repeated. Only special events were recorded, the everyday was left out.
Regardless of whether they were filmed in the 1940s or the 1970s, you will always see the same motifs: birthdays, New Year’s Eve celebrations, Christmas, weddings and, of course, vacations.
As the highlight of the night in the Edith-Russ-Haus, Skyba presents a fascinating performative installation of projectors and films, which will be shown in the seminar room. Up to 30 film projectors conjure up images consisting of superimposed films that are distorted using simple analog means. They show the arbitrariness of the private sphere through the uniformity of what is filmed, a life from the reel. They reveal clear cultural norms that determine our lives and often make them seem interchangeable. The film loops are only used on this particular evening – on the one hand, they are worn out after several hours in the projector, and on the other, it is part of the concept of the work not to show any installation a second time. In this way, the endless loop of life finally comes to an end in oblivion.
The evening also offers another glimpse into the past: a restored caravan from 1968 and a VW bus from 1978, both in a condition that exudes originality. A collection of Super 8 and normal 8 vacation films is also presented in the caravan, this time on video. A seemingly endless highway loop shines in the windshield of the VW Bulli. The radio play Das Luxurieren der Bastarde or sag doch auch mal was – Live recordings from the living rooms of the 60s by Hermann Bohlen from 1998.
The installation with the van and camping trailer can be seen from 6 pm, the performative installation in the seminar room from sunset (7.30 pm). Both installations will run until midnight.
Admission is free!
