Shown in Compétition #2.
Synopsis
A mantra of self-optimisation, not unlike the nervous state of mind of a new-economy entrepreneur.
Text from the selection committee
In only three minutes, Jens Pecho’s film produces an intense frustration in the spectators, based on a repetitive structure used against the usual meditative and hypnotic loop, a motif particularly present in experimental cinema. Here, the film challenges the spectator experience, which, over time, turns into an experience on the edge of comedy, provided it is shared collectively. Alone in front of the screen, the repetition becomes more and more anguishing and irritating, putting us, in an extremely synthetic way, in the skin of an employee at the end of the day.
Translation made by the translator www.DeepL.com/Translator
– T.D.
What is the starting point for your film?
We experience ever-larger portions of the world by processing digitised information displayed on various screens – this goes for working hours as well as for our leisure time. One could argue that everything around us can be coded into pixels and the RGB color-spectrum. Traditionally, colors have been associated with emotional content: green indicates hope, blue stands for sadness, and red symbolizes passion as well as fire and danger. This emotional reading is emphasized by combining the color fields with the terms Start Up, Break Down, and Burn Out which stem from a jargon of entrepreneur-ship and self-motivation. Each of the chosen word pairs consists of a verb and an indicator of direction. Together, these elements form a loop which can be seen as a mantra of self-optimization, intent on turning every inevitable collapse into a new upswing.
How does your film fit into your work? And what are the artistic movements and artists that feed your creations?
I often work with minimalist tools and language-based installations. The film was developed as part of an installation for the Kunsthalle Nuremberg in Germany, in which I tied together different practices of translating emotional as well as psychological conditions into written text.