Dagies LA-Blog

Calexico Next Exit

It’s a film. By me and Gabriele Kahnert. 85 minutes long.

13 years ago we started – a 2 women gang with 3 cameras (two digital, one super 8), 1 car and 1 sound recorder – pursuing the paths of some music lovers spread all over the world (Germany, Russia, USA, China) and a band speeding from one venue to the next: Canada, West Coast, Southern States.
What a trip!

„Some films appear out of thin air, like figures emerging from the fog. […] „And then it starts, with one of the lightest and most carefree of film beginnings seen in years. The band begins slowly, searching and a bit hesitant. Both filmmakers use the song’s initial calm to introduce the central characters. Rhythmically confident in gesture and movement, it is an indication of the film’s allure and that of its figures. Then the music sets in – a cut to the road passing by. It is a never-ending, gliding movement, a rhythm that is sustained right up to the last minute on screen.“ Read the full article (Hans J. Wulff, October 2007) here!

The film spent 10 years sleeping in the drawer. The band didn’t like it … which meant: no music rights (we used 21 songs in it!!)

Now it’s awake again and will be shown at Unerhört!-MusikFilmfestival in Hamburg in September. Legally. The times they are a-changing …

Ovomaltine + Mountain Herbs

Recently I collected some mountain herbs and flowers hiking through the beautiful Klöntal in Switzerland … I filmed … I collected … I felt like walking in a postcard …
And then later I developed the film in these collected herbs, made a tea from it and added some of Swiss favourite drink: Ovomaltine … plus washing soda and vitamin c to activate the soup.
Results? A soft black & white film with good gray nuances!

Wolkeneisdeckel

Berlin rain, wet streets, white clouds, blue sky.
Wolkeneisdeckel! Cloud icecream lid!

Black Beauty

Türlersee – Or: Never Try To Sell Your Daughter!

Da, wo jetzt der Türlersee sich ausbreitet, lag in alten Zeiten ein schöner Bauernhof mit fruchtbaren Feldern. Der Besitzer hatte ein einziges Kind, eine anmutige, liebe Tochter. Die war dem jungen Schlossherrn auf der Schnabelburg ins Auge gefallen, und er stellte ihr leidenschaftlich nach. Das ehrbare Kind wies aber beharrlich all seine Versprechungen zurück.
Da überredete der Schlossherr den Vater, das Mädchen zu mitternächtlicher Stunde unter allerlei Vorspiegelungen auf das Schloss zu bringen. Er öffnete selbst das Tor und zog die Widerstrebende herein. Wie er das Tor schliessen wollte, merkte sie, was gespielt wurde, und stiess einen Schrei der Verwünschung gegen ihren verräterischen Vater aus.
In diesem Augenblick fuhr ein flammender Blitz vom Himmel und traf ihr Elternhaus. Sie sah, wie sich eine feurige Kluft öffnete und der schmucke und einst so gesegnete Hof mit allen Feldern darin verschwand. Am Morgen aber lag an deren Stelle ein See.

(Quelle: Wikipedia)

At the place where the Türler lake now lies, there was in old times a beautiful farm with fertile fields. The owner had a single child, a graceful, sweet daughter. The young master of the castle on the Schnabelburg had an eye on her, and he pursued her passionately. The respectable child persistently rejected all his promises.
Then the master of the castle persuaded the father to bring the girl to the castle at midnight under all sorts of pretensions. He opened the gate himself, and drew in the reluctent daughter. As he wanted to close the gate, she noticed what was being played, and uttered a cry of cursing against her treacherous father.
At that moment a flash of lightning flashed from the sky and met her parents‘ house. She saw a fiery gap open, and the fine and once so blessed farm with all the fields disappeared into it. But in the morning there was a lake at that place.

Bio Basel Bildrausch

Orange and tomato juice! Beetroots! Chinotto! Coffee and cocoa! Absinth!
Yes, we used all these yummy drinks and mixed them with washing soda and vitamin c to obtain powerful black&white film developers.
I was invited to the Bildrausch Film Festival in Basel/Switzerland to give a 2 days eco developing workshop. It was one of the hottest weeks of summer – 36° at day and not much below at night … so I decided to place the workshop outside, in the shady patio of the film fest meeting spot. We installed our table and chairs, our water buckets and clothes line there and developed joyfully splashing!
And the results? All films (7) came out fine! No desaster. Only beautiful, contrasty black&white films. Yeehaaa!!

Uetliberg

View from the Uetliberg, photo taken with my Illy coffee pinhole camera

Limmat

The Limmat is a river that flows through Zürich and is so clean that you can swim in it. So great! See the pink something? It’s a kid on an air mattress!

Friends In My Darkroom #3

My blog was down some time, sorry, but now all troubles are behind!
Friend number 3 in my darkroom from faaaar away Argentina is Jeff Zorrilla! We developed some weird 16 mm film stock together which turned out shit in colour but quite ok in black&white … must have been some K-14 process ……
Keep on filming, dear friend/s of mine! We must spread beauty!

Adalbert Waldemar

Between Adalbertstrasse and Waldemarstrasse in Kreuzberg there’s a round place covered with cherry blossoms … hello May! Bring summer, please!!

(this is my photo that I took for the International World Pinhole Day that took place (and time) last Sunday! I used my Illy coffee camera and Fuji sheet film 50 ASA)

Friends In My Darkroom #2

I invite friends in my darkroom.
Today: Hila from Israel. Spending half the day together developing colour reversal films. Ektachrome 64! Rare material! Beautiful colours! 2 years old memories! I love it!

Pink Corner

Adalbertstraße and Waldemarstraße share a pinky corner: blooming cherry trees! Switch on your imagination and colour this photo (I took it with my cookie pinhole camera yesterday!)

Super 8 Workshop May 20

… in Berlin! More Info here: wabisabisuper8.com/Berlin2017_1e.html

Friends In My Darkroom

I invite friends in my darkroom.
Today: Maira from Finland. Spending an evening together developing colour reversal films. And drinking red wine. Success! Beautiful colours! Wittnerchrome and Ekta100. I love it!

Smiling Ausland

One of my favourite places is the AUSLAND in Lychener Str. 60 in, I guess it’s Prenzlauer Berg. A punky spot in poshy P-Berg.
Every now and then they show great films like for example yesterday a special choice of Helga Fanderl’s black & white 16 mm films. Beautiful! Silent! Meditative!
Dogs love them too! The sculpture outside and the cash box inside … smile. The blackbird … sings. The boots … bloom.
It’s spring in Berlin!

Admiralbrücke

The season has begun! Spring!

Pinhole Selfie

Sunshine! Me on the ground with a pinhole camera in my hands (Illy coffee can)!
Foma sheet film inside, 200 ASA. Exposure time about 5 seconds. Developed in Caffenol.

I’m Exposed

(from my super 8 film „Widerstand“)

In The Raw

Me and my pre-spring balcony.

Super 8 Is Watching You!