Rehearsing Absence
A Poetic Exploration Of The Benefits Of not BeingExperimental Documentary, 2024
Ethnographic collections, through their ways of acquisition, inevitably leave maps of absences behind. These absences belong to the individuals, cultures, and countries of people who have developed ways to cope with these losses. Here, some of these individuals step into the grand halls of the Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum in Köln. At first, their visit follows the usual path of guided tours, with the camera capturing their quiet contemplation of the displayed artifacts. However, as the tour unfolds, the group’s attention subtly shifts from what is present to what is missing from the collection, deeply resonating with their own experiences of loss. Later in the film, these individual losses find common ground with the haunting absence that permeates the museum itself.
The film is currently In preproduction phase.
Rehearsing Absence // Poster