Revival for Klopfenstein’s “Geschichte der Nacht” at 2004 Venice Biennale of Architecture

02.09.2004

At the 9th Mostra Internazionale di Architettura, the 2004 Venice Biennale of Architecture, Clemens Klopfenstein’s “Geschichte der Nacht” (History of the Night) experiences a revival. Thr one-hour, black-and-white film premiered internationally at the Berlin Film Festival in 1979 and has since been invited to numerous international film festivals and exhibitions (e.g., Documenta Kassel, Art Basel). It will now be shown as a DVD edition in the photography section “The Harrowing of the City”, curated by Nanni Baltzer. The theme of this year’s Biennale of Architecture is “Metamorph”, under the direction of Zurich citizen Kurt W. Forster.
Inspired by James Joyce’s novel “Ulysses” 26 years ago, Clemens Klopfenstein began capturing the atmosphere of 150 European cities after midnight. Locations and sounds amalgamate into a one-of-a-kind fictitious, optical, and accustic “night room.” The DVD of the film “Geschichte der Nacht” will be released at the end of this year.

The oeuvre of 60-year-old Klopfenstein encompasses about 20 projects. His current film “Die Vogelpredigt oder Das Schreien der Mönche” (The bird sermon or The screaming of the monks) is in its postproduction phase. It features contemporaries of Klopfenstein such as Polo Hofer, Max Rüdlinger, Sabine Timoteo, Mathias Gnädinger, and Ursula Andress (in the role of the Madonna). This macabre yet funny crime story will premiere in early 2005.

Zurich, September 2, 2004
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