Hito Steyerl, In Free Fall | 2010 | 32min | HD | Germany
In Free Fall is the story of the current global economic crisis told through an aeroplane junkyard in the Californian desert. Captured in three parts – ‘Before the Crash’, ‘After the Crash’ and ‘Crash’ – In Free Fall charts the rapid descent, obsolescence and destruction of the commodity form. This is an investigation of planes as they are parked during the economic downturn, stored and recycled, revealing unexpected connections between economy, violence and spectacle. An example of this is the Boeing 4X-JYI, first acquired by film director Howard Hughes for TWA, which then flew for the Israeli Airforce before it was blown up for the Hollywood blockbuster, Speed (1994).
Through intertwining narratives of people, planes and places Steyerl reveals the cycles of capitalism incorporating and adapting to the changing status of the commodity, but also points at a horizon beyond this endless repetition.
In Free Fall is a new work co-commissioned by , Edinburgh, , London and , Bristol. Funded with the support of .
Friday June 24 7pm
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Hito Steyerl is a filmmaker, writer and theorist. She teaches New Media Art at University of Arts Berlin and has recently participated in Manifesta 5, Documenta 12, Gwangju and Taipeh biennials, and Rotterdam Film Festival.
