e-flux video rental is pleased to present a drop by screening of the Nouvelle Vague Soap Le PingPong d’Amour
Saturday July, 18th at the Building at 2pm until 9pm
All 3 seasons – all 16 episodes
Counter the Methodological Inertia or “What is a Nouvelle Vague Soap?” (and What for?)
Films are always produced and perceived in the framework of genre (road movie, western, melodrama, trash, experimental film, etc.) or in resonance to it. Yet for the film project /Le PingPong d’Amour/ it seemed from the beginning on necessary to fuse two genres otherwise considered diametrically opposed: the classical soap opera and the French Nouvelle vague cinema d’auteur. For this hybrid we have coined the neologism “nouvelle vague soap”. Why this combination? Being a serial format that relentlessly operates with clichés, and having the intention to not only respond to the desire of the audience but to satisfy it the soap is addictive. It creates dependency and conformity. Critically speaking, the format is normative and trying to appeal to the masses. The soap is the compensation for self-empowerment of the spectators. However, its comparatively simple standards and conditions of production could as well encourage self-empowerment in the sense of production and re-appropriation: after all everyone can work with video technology nowadays. For the project /Le PingPong d’Amour/ it is exactly this specific feature of the genre that is essential and serving as the starting point. Still, it takes another genre to dodge the formal trap and allow the potential to emerge. And this is where the avant-garde nouvelle vague cinema of filmmakers like Godard and Truffaut in the 60′s comes into play. It emphatically ventures to formally and content-wise dodge and critically reflect the genre clichés with the goal to politicize and revolutionize the film and the modes of filmmaking. Some nouvelle vague films – like Jean-Luc Godard’s “Au bout du souffle” — did get very popular and had much success with the audience of their time. Nevertheless, the complexity and the unwillingness to compromise that they delegated to and entrusted the audience with soon led to a certain isolation that persists until today and is located on the dividing line between E and U film: entertainment being on one side and art on the other.
/Le PingPong d’Amour/ seeks to combine both aspects in a self-reflected political soap without falling into abstract formalism. The idea is to at once use and subvert the social codes, clichés and standards of soap-opera seen as a mean of accessing reality, and to acquire a certain artificial distance to one’s own reality that is then serially investigated. There is therefore a tendency to erase the boundaries between the conception and the screenplay, acting and technical production: to be loved by a film …
PROGRAM
Le PingPong d’Amour I: La Commune (WG)
1997-2000
episode 1: Style – le style
episode 2: Work – le travail
episode 3: Money – l’argent
episode 4: Love – l’amour
Le Pingpong d’Amour 1 – La Commune (WG)
The preceding first four episodes: Style : Work : Money : Love
WohnGemeinschaft = flat-sharing community – Friends sharing a flat between subsistence and/ le subjonctif/: “Il faut un jour que vous viviez de votre travail”. But how to find a balance between life and work and yet punctually transfer the rent to the landlord? The flat became the site of rather unusual measures of job-creation and other complications – in issues of love, friendship and good style. The efforts to accomplish a secure existence all happened behind the closed doors, in reckless home-working. The passage of time was as static as the camera. Moving out of each other’s way and coming together again, only to stay — more or less the same. “Au revoir à Paris”!
Le PingPong d’Amour II-III: Ideological State Apparatus (ISA)
2003-2006
episode 5: The Arrival//
episode 6: The Recuperation
episode 7: The Lovely Day
episode 8: The Disolution
episode 9: The Return Call
Le PingPong d’Amour 2 – Ideological State Apparatus (ISA)
“Salut Paris”!
After loosing each other from sight for a while, the tenants pick up again on the cover-version of their old lives – yet under different circumstances. Richer in experience and most of them financially, they actualize a brand new outline: living in a museum. And: living in Paris. The city comes into play. City as a filmed replica of itself — once again captured and conjured. One stays in good neighborhoods and hangs around in cafes of a European capital rich in traditions, as they tend to be. The suburbs never come into sight. The funeral of an old acquaintance offers an opportunity to leave the city behind. The ceremony takes place on a volcanic island, whose peculiar petrified forms and magnetic fields do not fall short of affecting the distorted city dwellers. The insular conditions and the contamination with the idea of death bring about personal conflicts. Partly due to political changes in Paris the group moves back — yet without regaining common ground. It turns out that the joint venture of free and jolly living accumulated questionable individual workings inconsistent with the project itself. The renounced sway of power relations returns in individually internalized forms: a disturbing displacement and the very last trick of Power. After the utopia of virtuous living in a community initially seen as subversive melts away in futility, the group moves on to the process of separation — and political engagement.
Le PingPong d’Amour III: The Mission (post colonial)
episode 10: Perils of Pauline: The Making of a Remake
episode 11: Tiny Difference – La Petite Différence
episode 12: The Elevator Curator
episode 13: Prisoner of Love
episode 14: Enter the Dragon
episode 15: Crossing the Mangrove – Traversée de la Mangrove
episode 16: Into the light
Le PingPong d’Amour 3 – M – The Mission (post-colonial)
The tenants have reached a junction, and the mission that they have appointed themselves with could be summed up as follows: reach the World. No longer take note only of oneself but experience the World. The calling is for everyone one and the same, and yet the goals are very different. After entering the huge sci-fi elevator at the end of the ninth episode, small groups get launched to diverse places: Cameroon, Togo, Istanbul, Damask and Guadeloupe.
This multiplication of sceneries could be considered as an exercise in decentralizing the perspective and exposing oneself to lifestyles that might seem inadmissible in the West; and that is despite the innate misperceptions of euro-centric (or better yet West German) outlook. The central question concerns the accurate form of representation under the post-colonial conditions, which implies scrutinizing the ethnographic gaze as archetype of measurement as well as exploring the political conditions of representation and the possibility of agency. Needless to say, each mission is an evaluation — yet the system of values itself has to be adjusted to the local situation.
Synopsis: Le Pingpong d’Amour # 1-3
Actors/Actresses and Teams
Le PingPong d’Amour I + II: La Commune (WG) + Ideological State Apparatus (ISA)*
Featuring:
Elodie Schneider, Judith Hopf, Jean-Gislain, Stephan Geene, Orange de Malherbes, Elfe Brandenburger, CriCri, Nicolas Siepen, Baisse de Belsomme, Mano Wittmann, Tibout, Monika Rinck, Pauline, Esther Buss, Gerard Bonheur, Stefan Rinck, Thierry, Klaus Weber, Estelle, Katja Eydel, Herbertine de Cliquetice, Ute Marxreiter, Marlon, Alessio Bonaccorsi, Marek, Dragan Ašler, Camille, Regina Dold, Delacris, Clemens Krümmel
Bioport (prototypeHYBRIDBelsomme001@)
Jelena Kuljic’
TV Moderator/Hitch-hiker
Raphael Brunner
Ti-Teo /(Camille’s friend)/
TeodoraTabac(ki
Jeanne-Michelle /(Gislain’s sister)/
Costanze Alvarez
Make-up artist/
Nurcan Bulut /
Elodie Schneider’s Chief of Protocole/
Tara Herbst//
Elodie Schneider’s Bodyguard/
Ines Johnson-Spain//
Book-shop assistants in Jeu-de-Paumes:/
Benoît et Cécile Casen
Taxidriver/
Mathurin Elichène
Chocolatier – Confiseur “A la Petite Fabrique”/
Jean-Claude Aube
Telephone guy/
Kofi Johnson
Reporters:/
Katja Augustin, Florian Gass, Michaela Wünsch
Press photographer/
Gaston Vautier
Journalist/
Jochen Heilek
Party guests/
Ivan Boškovic’, Sophia Schmitz, Erik Stein
Museum visitors:/
Yamina Aouimer, David, Diletta, Darius James, Elisabeth Kingue, Maria Mühle, William Martin, Karin Michalski, Susanne Ofteringer, Lucio Auri, Astrid Chroszielewski, Nikole Cirpka, Veronika Gerhard, Mathias Haase, Tara Herbst, Kim Hannah Hörbe, Gregor Paul, Robert Pitterle, Franz Tröger, Iven Wang, Tamer Yigit
Dancers:/
Zübeyde Alvers, Thomas André, Marco Clausen, Anna Friedrich, Juliane Kownazki, Ursula Paletta, Katja Reichard, Sebastian Rüttger, Robert Sommer, Nebojša Tabac(ki, Ina Wuttke
Funeral suite:/
Ivan Boškovic’, Esther und Merle Brandenburger, Evelyn Rüsseler, Ines Johnson-Spain
Campaign helpers:/
Roberta Graser, Madane Mebarke
Stunts:/
Erik Herkrath, Daniel del Rosario, Teodora Tabacki
Le TeamPingPong:
Written and Directed by TeamPingPong
Screenwriting: Monika Rinck
Image: Tara Herbst und Jochen Heilek
Montage: Jochen Heilek, Teodora Tabac(ki, Elfe Brandenburger, Nicolas Siepen, Stephan Geene
Animations and Effects: William Wheeler
Music: Kevin Blechdom, Costanze Alvarez (Trompete/Express Brass Band), Premil Petrovic’ (Wagner), Jochen Heilek (Mahler/Wagner/Premil Petrovic’), Franz Tröger (Herbertines song), Egill Sæbjörnsson (Kranker Fuchs)
Sound Conception: Marc Parisotto, Jens Börner, Max Vornehm
Sound Mix: Olaf Hogermeyer, Carsten Laukat, Ronny Stolper
Lumiere: Arne Hektor
Setdesign: Florian Gass (Berlin) and Ines Johnson-Spain (Paris/Lanzarote)
SculpturesQuirin: Bäumler, Regina Dold, Florian Gass, Stephan Rinck, Ines Johnson-Spain, Auguste Rodin
Make up: Katja Melches
Photo Stills: Katja Eydel und Evelyne Rüsseler
Bestgirlz/boy: Teodora Tabac(ki, Dragan Ašler, Karin Michalski
Organizers: Katja Augustin (Berlin), Ines Johnson-Spain (Paris), Constanze Alvarez (Lanzarote)
Executive Production: Susanne Ofteringer und Florian Gass
Le PingPong d’Amour III: The Mission (post-colonial)
Featuring:
Cameroon:Perils of Pauline: The Making of a Remake/ // Esther Buss, Moise Mabouson Mabouna, Florian Gass, Dorette Mbogol, Georgette Mbogol, Paul Njoh, Pierre Sack, Pearl White u.a.
Togo:/ /The Tiny Difference- La Petite Différence///
Seraphin N’Tare Adjogah, Nicola Allyn, Ines Johnson-Spain, Parfait Amadou Affissou, Patrice Papaly III, Bibie Ata, Mensan Danielo Lawson Drackey, Michou
Istanbul//: The Elevator Curator/ Judith Hopf, Murad Özen,Pilvi Takala, Lala Rascic, Kristina Kramer
Damascus: Prisoner of Love/ Alessio Bonaccorsi, Nicolas Siepen, Claudia Basrawi, Fatima Al-Shihabi, Iyad Al-Shihabi, Sharbel Bajjlli, Azza Al-Hassan, Ahmad Al-Shihabi, Joseph, The guys from Freddy’s, Samir 1, Samir 2, Iba and her brothers, People from Muhajim
Guadeloupe//:Crossing the Mangrove – Traversée de la Mangrove/Maryse Condé, Magali Solignat, Maud Saha, Michelle Makaia-Zenon, Tania Christophe, Gilda Gonfier, Christelle Miath, Maryse Lafleur, Evelyne Saha, Stéphanie Mulot, Simone Paulin, Fatima Santiago, Eva Lomba, Maria Cittée, Jessy Granvorka, Joelle Glaude, Rajah Tayamoutou, Natty Belloiseau, Arletty Sablon, Christiane Gaspard-Méride, Huguette Toumson, Stéphanie James, Sandrine Trésor, Dominik Fleury Litté, Marie-Line Dahomay, Jaqueline Etienne, Marie-Hélèna Laumuno, Nicole Valton, Francoise Toullec, Lucien Enoka-Ayemba, Rodjaye Christophe, Esther and Merle Brandenburger, Teodora Tabac(ki, Sandra Schäfer, Frauke Krahnert, Elfe Brandenburger, Ute Marxreiter
Guadeloupe2: //Enter the Dragon/// Evelyn Rüsseler
Production teams:
Cameroon: Moise Mabouson Mabouna, Esther Buss, Susanne Ofteringer, Florian Gass, Stephan Geene
Togo: Ines Johnson-Spain, Jochen Heilek, Ayana Jackson, Marco Villalobos
Istanbul: Judith Hopf, Deborah Schamoni, Clemens Schönborn, Mona Kuschel, Katja Eydel, Zeynep Nuhoglu, Sinan Caglar
Damascus: Nicolas Siepen, Alessio Bonaccorsi, Claudia Basrawi, Fatima Al-Shihabi
Guadeloupe:Tania Christophe, Magali Solignat, Murielle Larisse, Clarisse (Kla) Piveteau, Francoise Toullec, Tony Coco-Viloin, Sandra Schäfer, Frauke Krahnert, Teodora Tabac(ki, Elfe Brandenburger, Ute Marxreiter, Semiray Öz
Guadeloupe2: Evelyn Rüsseler
Post-optimization Episodes 10-16: Olaf Högermeier, Karsten Laukat, Michael Butschkau
Funded by the KULTURSTIFTUNG DES BUNDES
Produced by:b_books av filmproduction and TeamPingPong
***
EVR
e-flux video rental (EVR) is an ongoing work by Anton Vidokle and Julieta Aranda, comprising a free video rental, a public screening room, and a film and video archive that is constantly growing. This collection of over 900 works of film and video art has been assembled in collaboration with more than 400 artists, curators and critics.
EVR is an exploration of alternative processes of circulation and distribution, and it is structured to function like a typical video rental store, except that it operates for free. VHS tapes can be watched in the space, or, once a new member fills out a membership form and contract, they can be checked out and viewed at home.
Originally presented at a storefront in New York, in 2004, EVR has traveled to art venues in Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Seoul, Paris, Istanbul, Canary Islands, Austin, Budapest, Boston, Antwerp, Berlin, Miami, Lyon, Lisbon and Colombia. EVR will travel to Dakar, in 2010. Having outlived the technology that made it possible (VHS video tape players), the project will be permanently archived at the Arab Image Foundation in Beirut and Moderna Galerija in Ljubljana.
the building
Platz der Vereinten Nationen 14A
Berlin 10249 DE
T: 030 28 04 79 73
the building is open Thursday through Saturday, 12 – 6 pm.
