Kino B: Contemporary Cinema by Berlin-based Artists

SOUNDING GLASS by Sylvia Schedelbauer

(2011, video, b&w, sound, 10:00)

A man in a forest is subject to a flood of impressions; structurally rhythmic waves of images and sounds give form to his introspection.

Jury statement, International Short Film Festival Oberhausen:

With very few images culled from the flood of footage originally taken during World War II, the filmmaker manages to express the incomprehensible trauma of war as a strong visual experience. With a highly compressed use of sound and image, Sounding Glass creates a visceral impact that can only be achieved by cinematic means.

The certainty that everything and everyone has a fixed place in history gives way to uncertainty and searching. Constant changes between light and dark set history in motion. Flickering deforms, developing a pull that in turn creates an urgency that doesn't preclude doubt.

Born in Tokyo, Sylvia Schedelbauer first moved to Berlin in 1993, where she has been based since. She studied at the Berlin University of the Arts (UdK) with Katharina Sieverding. Her films negotiate the space between broader historical narratives and personal, psychological realms mainly through poetic manipulations of found and archival footage. Selected screenings: the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen, the London Film Festival, the New York Film Festival, the Robert Flaherty International Film Seminar and the Stan Brakhage Symposium. Awards include the VG Bildkunst Award, the German Film Critics' Award and the Gus Van Sant Award for Best Experimental Film.

Curated by Caroline Koebel for Aurora Picture Show         (Kino B program)