Matthias Müller, Kristall, 2006
On Friday, December 11th, 2009 at 6:00 PM at Gallery of Contemporary Art Bunkier Sztuki, Cracow Matthias Müller will give a lecture "Thieves Like Me" regarding theory and practice of found footage. The lecture will be preceded by a screening of four Müller’s films created in collaboration with Christoph Girardet - Contre-jour (2009), Phoenix Tapes (1999), Play (2003) and Kristall (2006).
Matthias Müller was born in Bielefeld, Germany in 1961. Müller is an artist working in film, video and photography. He is based in Bielefeld and Cologne, Germany. Studied Arts and German Literature at Bielefeld University and Fine Arts at HBK Braunschweig. Master’s degree. Since 2003, Professor in Experimental Film at Academy of Media Arts, KHM, Cologne. Müller organized numerous avant-garde film events such as the "Found Footage Film Festival" (1996 & 1999) and the first German festival of autobiographical films "Ich etc." (1998) and various touring programs.
With his films and videos he has taken part in major film festivals worldwide, including the festivals at Cannes, Venice, Berlin and Rotterdam. His work has also been featured in several group and solo exhibitions. His films and videos are part of the collections of institutions such as Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, Museu d’Art Contemporani, Barcelona, Nederlands Film Museum, Amsterdam, Australian Centre For The Moving Image, Melbourne, Kunsthalle Bielefeld, the Goetz Collection, Munich, the collection of Isabelle and Jean-Conrad Lemaître, London, and Tate Modern, London.
Contre-jour (2009), 35mm, 10'40''
The look with which we comprehend the world and which it casts back at us in response breaks up in "Contre-jour" into disquieting fragments. Blurs, flashes and stroboscope montages disintegrate reality into shadowy images that inflict pain on the eye. A spot light precisely cuts the individual out of the darkness. “I wish you could see what I see” remains futile hope. Blind spots gape between self-perception and the perception of others. (Kristina Tieke)
Kristall (2006), 35mm, 14'30''
"Kristall" creates a melodrama inside seemingly claustrophobic mirrored cabinets. Like an anonymous viewer, the mirror observes scenes of intimacy. It creates an image within an image, providing a frame for the characters. At the same time it makes them appear disjointed and fragmented. This instrument for self-assurance and narcissistic presentation becomes a powerful opponent that increases the sense of fragility, doubt, and loss twofold.
Play (2003), Betacam SP, 7'20''
Audience at the movies. In "Play", the onscreen action can only be seen reflected in the facial expressions and gestures of the audience. In sequences of analogous reactions, individual behavior condenses into collective behavior. The event is transferred from the stage to the hall; audience members become the actors in an unpredictable drama.
Phoenix Tapes (1999), Betacam SP, 47'
Like the sound samplings of electronic musicians, the montages of Christoph Girardet and Matthias Müller plunder the archive with a selective editing of specific themes and motifs within Hitchcock's narratives. They also enjoy the same ambivalent relationship with their sources, combining an affectionate sense of the film as a kind of heritage, with a critical dis-tance from values they may seem to represent, particulary in their depictions of women. (Rob Flint)
The lecture is part of the series KinoGaleria / Found Footage curated by Kuba Mikurda.
The series is supported by Polish Film Instutute. The event is co-organized by Goethe Institut Krakau and No Local Foundation and supported by Hotel pod Różą and Likus Hotele & Restauracje.
