Tuesday 21 June, 20:00, auditorium Het Nieuwe Instituut
In Comparison (Zum Vergleich) – Harun Farocki – 2009 – Germany – 61 min
The documentary In Comparison examines the production process of one of the most important building materials: brick. With an analytical, almost anthropological eye, Farocki compares various forms of production – from manual to industrial. He does this with images and sounds and without apparent value judgement, thereby encouraging viewers to form their own opinion.
Farocki operated at the intersection of film and video installation, media and film theory, and he left behind a considerable and influential body of work. A renowned critical thinker, he also mentored the video artist Hito Steyerl. In his work he explored the origins and meanings of images and the power structures they embody; he also frequently devoted himself to the built environment and its social and economic significance.
As part of the Goethe-Institut programming, the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam is currently showing the retrospective Hito Steyerl: I will survive.