The films of Stephan Dillemuth trace the changing habitat of artists from modernist bohemia to the culture industry. Through role-play and reflexivity, the film-maker's attraction-repulsion to romantic, modernist ideals of art and society is given compelling form.
By Maija Timonen
The three films by Stephan Dillemuth that were screened at London's LUX 28 space in September all take as their starting points phenomena specific to German history. Lichtmenschen im Sumpf der Sonne – Studien zur Lebensreform (Sunpeople in the Slush of the Light – Studies on the Reform of Lifem) (2002) is about a variety of groupings categorised under the heading Lebensreform, or life reform, that were prevalent in turn of the century Germany. The film considers the transposition of these groups’ utopian aspirations into the contemporary idiom of lifestyle choices. Gesetzt nämlich, dies wäre wahr, wäre es damit auch schon wünschenswert? (Assuming then, this would be true, would that make it desirable also?) (1998) is ‘a film about Richard Wagner and his circle’, as its subheading states. Elbsandsteingebirge (Elbe Sandstone Mountains) (1994) considers the position of the German Romantics in relation to the political events of their time, as well as drawing tentative parallels between the commonly ridiculed romantic sensibilities and contemporary formulations of artistic subjectivity. The press release for the screenings stated that this is the first time these films have been available to see with English subtitles, which adds not only to the sense that these are intently ‘German’ films, but framed the screening events as the re-introduction of something dug out from the archives...>
For "I'm Short, Your House" click here
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