Press release
"Eisenstein's House" opens up a new perspective on the director in virtual reality
As part of the artistic research project "COLLISIONS – Media Collisions as Innovation Drivers for New Approaches to Cultural Heritage", the flat of Soviet director Sergei Eisenstein was reconstructed in virtual reality at the Film University KONRAD WOLF in cooperation with the Potsdam University of Applied Sciences. The project, the associated website and VR experience will be presented to the public for the first time on 18 April.
In the middle of Stalinist Russia, which closed its borders, there was a place in Moscow where one could travel the world in spirit: the flat of the Soviet director, artist and polymath Sergei Eisenstein. His work and his life reflect his courageous commitment to democracy, diversity and justice. But Eisenstein's flat in particular bears witness to the extensive interests and discoveries of the researcher, "encyclopaedist" and innovator - it was not just a residence, but an artistic laboratory - like an installation, a "montage" of objects, pictures and photos. In the juxtaposition of motifs from different cultures in Europe, Asia, America and Africa, the unity of peoples and historical epochs became tangible. A challenge at a time when the Soviet Union was isolated from the world and an atmosphere of xenophobic "anti-cosmopolitanism" and aggressive conservatism prevailed in art.
The film historian Naum Kleiman not only built up the Sergei Eisenstein Archive, but also developed his flat into a lively centre for Eisenstein research over the decades. "Sergei Eisenstein was not forgotten for a hundred years like Bach. But for forty years he was pushed into the distance. He was "out of date" (...) The very young generation, who work digitally, see Eisenstein's ideas with different eyes. They are suddenly interested in the theory of film again and are beginning to quote his films and read his books. It inspires hope," says Naum Kleiman about the renewed interest in Eisenstein. The European Film Academy finally declared "Eisenstein's House" a world cultural heritage site. However, as part of the politically motivated dismantling of the Moscow Film Museum, the associated flat was closed in 2018.
"Collisions" research project
How can digital technologies breathe new life into a place that no longer exists? Can we open up this experiential space sensually? Can we explore it intellectually at the same time?
A team led by Tatiana Brandrup, visiting professor at the Film University, and Prof. Marian Dörk, Potsdam University of Applied Sciences, has dedicated itself to the question of how Sergei Eisenstein's intellectual universe and its habitats can be made accessible again for research, but also for an interested public, as part of the scientific-artistic research project "Collisions" - a cooperation project with the Potsdam University of Applied Sciences, funded by the European Regional Development Fund and the State of Brandenburg (ERDF). At the same time, the multidisciplinary team explored new digital forms of presenting and visualising cultural collections using the example of this cultural monument - in virtual reality (VR), information visualisation (InfoVis) and 3D sound.
World culture as "world culture": Sergei Eisenstein and his "global village"
Under this title, "Collisions" invites all interested parties to the atrium of the Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF (Marlene-Dietrich-Allee 11, 14482 Potsdam) on 18 April 2024 at 16:30 - 18:00 for a project presentation with short lectures, film excerpts and a panel discussion with project manager Tatiana Brandrup (Film University), Prof. Marian Dörk (FH Potsdam), Naum Kleiman (former director of the Moscow Film Museum and holder of the honorary professorship of the Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF) and Vera Rumyantseva Kleiman (curator of the Eisenstein Apartment). Ulrich Gregor will moderate. A special focus will be placed on Eisenstein's stance against nationalism, racism and anti-Semitism.
The VR experience at the Film University will also be accessible after the event. To make an appointment, please contact Dr Stella Donata Haag by email: s.haag@filmuniversitaet.de
Project: https://www.fh-potsdam.de/studium-weiterbildung/projekte/kollisionen
Exhibition: https://eisensteinshouse.projekte-filmuni.de
>When: 18.04.2024
> Where: Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF
Marlene-Dietrich-Allee 11, 14482 Potsdam
> When: From 14.00 to 16.00 it is possible to book individual slots to visit the VR experience at: t.brandrup@filmuniversitaet.de
