56th International Short Film Festival Oberhausen, 29 April - 4 May 2010

PODIUM series: “The Idea of the Self” - Five inter-related discussion events

Download this press release as a pdf file here.

This year, Oberhausen’s PODIUM discussion series will look at diverse past and present articulations of “the self” in the visual arts and particularly in artists’ film and video: from early definitions of the genre as “personal film”, the relationship between the personal and the political of the late 1960s and ‘70s, video and identity politics in the 1980s to the recent interest of contemporary artistic practice and critical theory in affect.

Curated by London-based artist, writer and curator Ian White, the PODIUM series will start on 30 April with two very different perspectives on the thesis that “The Self Does Not Exist”, proposed by BBC filmmaker Adam Curtis (“The Century of the Self”) and art critic Elisabeth Lebovici. On 1 May, the discussion will focus on “Cinemas of the Self?” Mariann Lewinsky, curator of the programme “From the Deep”, will talk about early cinema in this context, British artist James Nares, who lives in New York, and independent filmmaker Beth B will discuss New York in the 1970s and ‘80s.

Heinz Emigholz and Grace Schwindt will present their own artistic practices at a special live event on 2 May, “From Counterpoint to The Basis of Make-up”. On 3 May, Stephen Geene, co-author of “Avant-garde, Film, Biopolitics”, will talk about “Self Film. The Politicisation of Life as Film”. The last event in the series will be a round table hosted by the LUX Associate Artists Programme on 4 May under the title “Circling a Square”, whose format will be developed by British artists Gail Pickering and Duncan Campbell in response to preceding discussion events.

Another special event will be the discussion on “Children and Moving Images” on 2 May. Film educator Stefanie Schlüter from Berlin will present the results of her research project on methods of educating children about artists’ films. The discussion will be hosted by Mike Sperlinger, LUX, London.

30 April - 4 May, daily 10 am - 12 noon, Elsässer Str. 17, Oberhausen
Special event „From Counterpoint to The Basis of Make-up“ on 2 May, 10 pm, Fabrik K14, Lothringer Str. 64, Oberhausn

Oberhausen, 15 April 2010

Press contact: Sabine Niewalda, niewalda@kurzfilmtage.de, Fon 0208 825-3073