Euphorie (Euphoria), 2014
Film, single-channel, shot with infrared camera, HD, 16:9, Color, sound, Loop 8’38. Actors: Woman Birgit Minichmayr, Man Christoph Luser, first person leading off Jörg Koopman, second person leading off Renè, Supporting Actors Paul Kotter, Christian Landspersky, Casper Lesjak, Moritz Matzner, Valentin Pongratz
Euphoria is the third episode of the filmic joint project „The Scorpion‘s Sting“, initiated by M+M. A cadavre exquis based on Luis Buñuel „L‘Âge d‘Or“ with Tobias Zielony, Chicks on Speed, M+M, Keren Cytter, Julian Rosefeldt and John Bock.
In the third episode it‘s late at night. Setting: probably Rome, an old garden. A couple that was lying hidden is being picked up and pulled apart by two strong, beardet figures (Policemen in civil clothing?, Guardians of public morals?) and then seperatly walked off. Their steps, looks and gestures happen parallelly and cross. In Buñuels movie the couple is captured by the city foundation and dragged off. Time after time the authorities try to opress the amour fou. In their film, that was recorded with infrared lighting at night at several different places like for example the garden of the museum Villa Stuck, the artist duo is acting on a similar motive. Movements and impressions remind the viewer of well known cases of people being arrested and walked off: protesters, femen, Lindsay Lohan, Zumwinkel, Pussy Riot, Zschäpe or Chodorkowski. People are walked off in media-effective ways all the time, just for a short amount of time, in front of a camera, conveyed from one place to another, e.g. a vehicle. In this episode of “The Scorpion‘s Sting” people are constantly being walked off. Being walked off is the situation.
On their way trough the dark and empty streets the man and the woman start a litany that isn‘t addressed to saints but to different profane contemporaries: „… Smart Nash, think for us. Smart Luxemburg, die for us. Genious Carlson, think for us. Smart Oshima, torture for us. Beautiful Cobain, die for us. Smart Butler, think for us …“