Facing the scene

Facing the scene
2011
Projection, HD-Video, 16:9, 16:30 min.
Luise Schröder & Anna Baranowski

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Since 2010 Swiebodzin, a small polish town, close to the highway between Berlin and Warsaw has gained global significance by consecrating the largest statue of Jesus in the world. The collaborative work of Luise Schröder and Anna Baranowski does not display even a single shot of the subject of the ceremony but rather documents the preparations, the construction of the setting and the infrastructure for the consecration as well as the final dismanteling and closure of the event. The stage functions as the setting and as the axis for the film’s dramatic structure and directs the shift in perspective. Facing the scene reveals the instrumentalization of individuals for the production of history by political, social and religious authorities. Simultaneously, it also reflects the potential of such spectacles in constructing a community spirit among people with different social realities.