Pomp

Katrina Daschner is able to draw on a repertoire of motifs for the eighth part of her queer series, loosely based on Arthur Schnitzler's Dream Story. A rosette window, glass, water drops, silk and leather ­­­– various materials lend their qualities to reveal a tactile "camera eye". A choreography of surprising architectural details accompanies colors closely conjuring the sense of a dream – midnight blue and gold – as the performers enter the arena. This time around they perform classic variety numbers, but with a characteristic Daschner twist. A collective golden shower not only pours into crystal champagne flutes but also assumes the form of golden glitter running down the performers' legs. On the other hand, a dance of legs reminiscent of Busby Berkeley motifs obscures any sense of proportion and perspectival clarity. Do the dancers find themselves in the dome of a building that has walls painted with illusionist architectonic elements of galloping horses? Or have they landed on the former surgical table of an architectonically idiosyncratic anatomical operation theater for animals? Is it all imagined, dreamt, or is it reality?
Nothing is as it seems. Nothing is firmly established when it comes to this location reminiscent of variety productions, circus and theater. Reflections, spotlights, and opaque glass fascinate, while at same time leaving the gaze to ricochet. The alchemy of textiles and substances pairs the lust of unveiling with the apparent superficiality of surfaces. Daschner's Pomp constitutes a musical without music, this time referring most directly to cinema and film history, as well as suppressed roots of experimental film in the culture industry.
(Claudia Slanar)

Translation: Eve Heller

Orig. Title
Pomp
Year
2020
Country
Austria
Duration
8 min
Director
Katrina Daschner
Category
Avantgarde/Arts
Orig. Language
No Dialogue
Downloads
Pomp_02 (Image)
Pomp_03 (Image)
Credits
Director
Katrina Daschner
Concept & Realization
Katrina Daschner
Cinematography
Hannes Böck
Editing
Hannes Böck, Katrina Daschner
Production
Lady Chutney Production
Actor/Actress
Moira Hille, Denise Kottlett, Nora Safranek, Denise Palmieri, Sabine Marte, Hyo Lee, Denice Bourbon, Gisi Hakanson
Choreography
Stefanie Sourial
Art Direction
Monika Rovan
Lighting
Hannes Böck
Costumes
Guilherme Pires-Mata, Markus Pires-Mata
Production Assistance
Anna Spanlang
Assistant Director
Anna Spanlang
Supported by
Land Niederösterreich, BKA - innovative film
Available Formats
DCP 2K flat (Distribution Copy)
Aspect Ratio
16:9
Sound Format
silent
Frame Rate
25 fps
Color Format
colour
Digital File (prores, h264) (Distribution Copy)
Festivals (Selection)
2020
Victoria - Antimatter Underground Film Festival
Viennale - Vienna Int. Film Festival
Oberhausen - Int. Kurzfilmtage
Graz - Diagonale, Festival des österreichischen Films
2021
Poznan - Shorts Waves Festival
2022
Seoul - International ALT Cinema&Media Festival (neMaf)