Screening
Productive Images: Didacticsm and Learning from the Image

Sa, 09.11.2024
17:00 Uhr Goethe-Institut New York

This screening presents rare and lesser-known works by and about Harun Farocki. Taking his unwavering didactic approach and instructional direct cinema style as a point of departure, the films shown here range from films for children, to fly-on-the-wall recordings of professional trainings for former East German workers integrating into capitalism in the early 1990s, to the production of a centerfold photograph for Playboy Germany. Regardless of the intended audience of children or adults, the films showcase Farocki’s commitment to Marxist analysis and a sharp critique of the role of images in modern day capitalism.

This screening is the second part of Harun Farocki: 10 Years in Memoriam, a three-part series consisting of two screenings and one symposium, curated by Zachary B. Feldman and co-presented by Goethe-Institut New York and e-flux Screening Room. The event commemorates a decade since Farocki’s passing by showing and discussing his works together with those of contemporary artists and filmmakers who continue to reflect on Farocki’s legacy of anti-war activism and critical engagement with media.

Immediately prior to this screening, we will host a symposium and panel discussion to honor Farocki’s memory.

Films:
Harun Farocki & Hartmut Bitomsky, Hammer & Saw [Hammer & Sägen] (1973, 5 minutes)
This rare film is an example of a series of children‘s films made by Farocki in collaboration with Hartmut Bitomsky. As the title implies, this short double feature showcases the use of hammers and saws from their most rudimentary forms to highly specialized machinery.

Kevin B. Lee, Farocki Presented (2018, 11 minutes)
What can be learned from watching only the moments when an artist appears in his own work? Harun Farocki appears in 24 of his own films; his time on screen totals 2 hours and 21 minutes: enough to form a movie in itself. The footage reveals a remarkable, evolving relationship between a man and his own images.

Harun Farocki & Hartmut Bitomsky, Way of Money [Wege des Geldes] (1973, 3 minutes)
With fifty cents, Little Dieter purchases himself a sweet treat. This film traces the path of money from the Dieter’s pocket through the kiosk and delivery middlemen, all the way up to the factory owner and its workers. Produced for children’s television, this film gives a tacit Marxian overview on the means of production and the cycle of capitalistic economy.

Harun Farocki, Retraining [Die Umschulung] (1994, 44 minutes)
“In Die Umschulung, the objects of study are members of an East-German construction company interacting with their West-German training consultant, captured during a vocational coaching session in a hotel in the Swiss Alps. The ‘Wessi’ – or West-German – speaks eloquently, slickly, and with a good dose of self-confidence. He talks about the little tricks and manipulative devices involved in a successful client conversation. In role play exercises, the coach demonstrates the ‘wrong behavior,’ correcting and reprimanding the trainees. Only during the informal conversation at dinner does one of the (re)trainees offer a counteroffensive, questioning the West-German values and norms set as the new standard for professional life.” –Naomi Hennig

Harun Farocki & Hartmut Bitomsky, Transport 1 & Transport 2 (1973, 6 minutes)
Continuing in the series of spots for children’s television, this feature highlights efficient processes of moving heavy objects through the lens of children at play and construction workers, demonstrating how collaboration beats individualism.

Harun Farocki, An Image [Ein Bild] (1983, 25 minutes)
“Four days spent in a studio working on a centerfold photo for Playboy Magazine provided the subject matter for my film. […] One can well imagine that the people creating such a picture, the gravity of which is supposed to hold all that, perform their task with as much care, seriousness, a responsibility as if they were splitting uranium.” –Harun Farocki

Harun Farocki & Hartmut Bitomsky, Container 1 & Container 2 (1973, 6 minutes)
Using the example of rubber bouncy balls, this film, also produced for children’s educational television, traces the shipping path of goods to be sold. Underscoring the labor and infrastructure of the global shipping industry, this film demonstrates the processes of moving goods from producer to consumer.

Sierra Pettengill, Bridges, Trains, and Ships (2017, 6 minutes)
A rare look at Harun Farocki’s films for children, featuring his daughters Anna and Lara reflecting from a distance of 40 years. This film features portions of Farocki’s Bedtime Stories films from 1973.

Harun Farocki, Bedtime Stories: Cats [Einschlafgeschichten: Katze] (1978, 3 minutes)
This film follows two young girls’ imaginations as their plush stuffed toy cat travels on a wild adventure.