Buildings 1-2

In November 1976 I had an idea for Sesamstraße. I noted down images of destroyed houses and intact ones, ruins of war and those from peacetime, country-houses and town-houses, houses in cities holding out the promise of a country life or of an urban death.

In February 1977 I got the go-ahead to film a few sections totalling seven minutes. This reduction had already effectively destroyed the topic's substance; the beauty of the dichotomous method would only have become apparent had it been possible to prove that it is thus that the foundations are laid for the comprehension of all houses.

(Harun Farocki)

Original title Häuser 1-2 Director, scriptwriter Harun Farocki Production Harun Farocki Filmproduktion, Berlin-West, for NDR, Hamburg Format 16 mm, col., 1:1,37 Length 10 min. Note commissioned for the TV series Sesamstraße