Mar 28–Apr 1, 2011

Bodybits

Analog Bodies in the Digital Era

Films, Lectures, Panels

Facebook, Studi-VZ, Myspace, Stayfriends, Skype, ICQ, Twitter: the Internet is playing an increasingly dominant role in our lives and the tensions between the digital and analog worlds is mounting. Some people already lead second lives which can only exist online. But what does it mean to have an alter ego in the World Wide Web?

The online project call Bodybits, issued by the ZDF department Das kleine Fernsehspiel (“The Little TV Drama”) addressed this topic a year ago. Out of a total of 120 submissions, five film projects were selected for financial and editorial support. Viewers were able to follow the projects online as they developed.

From 28 March to 1 April 2011, the finished films will première at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt – the filmmakers, film teams, patrons and editors will be in attendance. The film premières will be followed by panel discussions on the subject matter and how the respective films developed. To mark the occasion, the Haus der Kulturen der Welt has invited renowned international scientists and academics to discuss the issue of “Analog Bodies in the Digital Era”. The guests will include: Richard Sennett, Alice B. Krueger, Gerald Hüther, Marie-Luise Angerer and Siegfried Zielinski.

The films

Egal was ich tue, sie lieben es (Whatever I Do, They Love It)
A Film by Romy Steyer
A film about the Web identities of the most-clicked Youtubers and their real selves: about digital self-portrayal, exhibitionism and voyeurism, about the art of banality. The project patron is the co-founder of StudiVZ, Dario Suter.

Schwerelos (Weightless)
A Film by Silvia Casalino
An essayistic documentary film on the history of female space travel and the relationships between gender roles and high technology, realized by the aerospace technician Silvia Casalino.The project patron is the filmmaker and video artist Lynn Hershman.

Pixelschatten (Pixel Shadows)
A Film by Anil Kunnel
This feature film project uses a fictitious blog to dramatize how conflicts within a circle of friends are played out through the medium of the Internet.The project patron is André Lepecki (New York University), curator of the Performing Art Festival IN TRANSIT at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt in 2008 and 2009 .

Alice 5.0.
A Film by Philipp Enders & Patrick Doberenz
This fictional documentary film tells of a reality that appears distant and unrealistic: fictional strands surrounding the central figure, Prometheus, are mixed with real-life interviews with players from the digital world. A film about the question of complete digital exposure.The project patron is the freelance journalist and specialist in technology, Internet and Internet culture, Mario Sixtus.

Login 2 Life
A Film by Daniel Moshel
This documentary film accompanies two people to whom the virtual world has become a second home. A trip through fascinating alien spheres to meet people who share just one thing in common: synthetic space as an extension of their lives.

In cooperation with: ZDF-Redaktion "Das kleine Fernsehspiel"