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David Krippendorff

Nothing Escapes My Eyes

Film expérimental | 4k | couleur | 13:43 | Allemagne, Egypte | 2014

Nothing Escapes My Eyes (2014) is about a silent transformation of a place and a human being, both subjected to the melancholy of conforming. Inspired by the texts of Edward W. Said, the poems of Mahmoud Darwish and the Verdi opera Aida, the film depicts in a metaphoric form current issues of cultural identity, loss and the pressures to conform. The film refers to the following historical event related to this opera: Aida premiered in Cairo in 1871 at the “Khedivial Opera House”. One hundred years later the building was completely destroyed by fire and replaced by a multi storied parking garage. Nevertheless, to this day, the place is still named Opera Square: Meidan El Opera. The film combines this urban alteration with the painful transformation of a woman (actress Hiam Abbass) in the process of shedding one identity for another. With no dialogues, the film is backed by a musical excerpt from Verdi’s Aida whose lyrics express the difficulties of being loyal to one’s country and cultural identity. The personal and urban transformation tackles on issues of identity, loss and disorientation as a result of historical colonialism and contemporary globalization.

David Krippendorff was born in Berlin, grew up in Italy, and returned to Berlin to study fine arts, eventually relocating to New York, where he lived for five years. His works and videos have been shown internationally, a.o. at the New Museum (New York), ICA (London), Hamburger Kunsthalle (Hamburg), Museum on the Seam (Jerusalem). He has participated in three Biennials (Prague, Poznan and Tel Aviv). He currently lives and works in Berlin.