REALFIm is Lutz Dammbeck's radical reflection on film and filmmaking – an experiment that takes place in real time and with the direct involvement of the audience. In a performative experimental set-up, Dammbeck deconstructs the classic elements of the medium in order to “purify” them of ideological and commercial influences. Light, sound and movement are not only understood as technical components, but as fundamental building blocks of an alternative film language. The performance on May 14, 1985 took place under difficult conditions: Due to political control in the GDR, official production was impossible. Instead, the performance was documented under conspiratorial circumstances – with a single VHS camera, without pre-planned camera movements or multiple takes. The improvised aesthetic underscores the concept of REALFilm as an act of artistic self-assertion against state restrictions and established narrative forms. Lutz Dammbeck, who had already made a name for himself in the GDR underground art scene with projects such as HOMMAGE À LA SARRAZ and HERAKLES, expanded his intermedia practice with REALFilm. The film is directly related to his media collages and at the same time comments on the limitations of filmmaking under censorship. After German reunification, REALFilm was re-evaluated in the context of Dammbeck's oeuvre and retrospectively shown in exhibitions and at film festivals, including the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen. The reception particularly emphasizes the innovative combination of performance, film and social criticism. With its uncompromising approach, Dammbeck's work is one of the most important experimental film projects of the GDR art scene.
Icons & Media Art
47min
0
DE
REALFilm is Lutz Dammbck's examination of film and filmmaking, a film in real time, a collage in space involving the audience.
REALFIm is Lutz Dammbeck's radical reflection on film and filmmaking – an experiment that takes place in real time and with the direct involvement of the audience. In a performative experimental set-up, Dammbeck deconstructs the classic elements of the medium in order to “purify” them of ideological and commercial influences. Light, sound and movement are not only understood as technical components, but as fundamental building blocks of an alternative film language.
The performance on May 14, 1985 took place under difficult conditions: Due to political control in the GDR, official production was impossible. Instead, the performance was documented under conspiratorial circumstances – with a single VHS camera, without pre-planned camera movements or multiple takes. The improvised aesthetic underscores the concept of REALFilm as an act of artistic self-assertion against state restrictions and established narrative forms.
Lutz Dammbeck, who had already made a name for himself in the GDR underground art scene with projects such as HOMMAGE À LA SARRAZ and HERAKLES, expanded his intermedia practice with REALFilm. The film is directly related to his media collages and at the same time comments on the limitations of filmmaking under censorship.
After German reunification, REALFilm was re-evaluated in the context of Dammbeck's oeuvre and retrospectively shown in exhibitions and at film festivals, including the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen. The reception particularly emphasizes the innovative combination of performance, film and social criticism. With its uncompromising approach, Dammbeck's work is one of the most important experimental film projects of the GDR art scene.