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The Russian modernist sculptor Naum Gabo incorporated grand ideas in his artworks. They have not exactly taken root in Rotterdam, where his sculpture in front of the Bijenkorf is simply called 'The Thing'.
This documentary about the restoration of Naum Gabo’s nameless sculpture from 1957 combines awe-inspiring shots of this artwork with audio fragments from Gabo’s fiery Russian manifests. Meanwhile, the unknowing Rotterdam shoppers pass the sculpture day by day, without any understanding of its historical value. This way, a utopian future vision for the function of art is coupled with an indifferent present, where this public artwork is just taken for granted.

Credits

Executive producer
Sound Design
Sound editing
Visual Effects
Color correction
Production company
CBK - Centrum Beeldende Kunst Rotterdam

Title: Het Ding (Untitled, 1957)
Year: 2018
Duration : 17 minutes
Category: Short Documentary
Edition: NFF 2018

Kunst & Cultuur

NFF Archive

You are now in the NFF Archive. The archive contains contains information on film, TV and interactive productions that were screened at past festival editions. The NFF does not dispose of this material. For this, please contact the producer, distributor or broadcaster. Sometimes, older films can also be found at the Eye Film Museum or the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision.