quadro
the video quadro (italian for square, picture, frame) is a film portrait of a monumental 1960s apartment block built in the italian coastal city of trieste. resembling a fortress, this imposing structure, laid out in the shape of a square, floats on top of a hill overlooking the city.
this edifice embodies its periods ideas of a social utopia in a bold concrete structure without any scale.
its material and structure serve as elements which unite the filmic interpretation. the rhythm of the editing corresponds to the architectural bodys meter. constructed space is manifested in filmic time.
artist and architect lotte schreiber juxtaposes two materials, exposed concrete and glass, against super8 and digital video.
together with the intense electronic soundtrack by stefan neméth, the contemplative flow of images develops an irresistible suggestive draw. again and again the rigidly framed static shots in grainy black and white are abruptly torn apart by extremely unsteady video footage.
this video is not an architectural documentary in a conventional sense. its sole foundation is solely the filmmakers subjective fascination with the constructed manifestation of a radical design idea and a failed social utopia. (Norbert Pfaffenbichler)
Translation: Steve Wilder
quadro
2002
Austria, Italy
10 min