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Kugelkopf (Ball-Head)

Kugelkopf (Ball-Head)
/6
    • Kugelkopf (Ball-Head)
  • 1985
  • video, b&w, sound
  • 1min, 34sec
This film was inspired by a typewriter’s typeball and bears the subtitle “Ode to IBM.” The music at the beginning starts with an excerpt from “Carmen.” One sees toilet paper inserted into the typewriter, with its sheets symbolizing everyday routines. Mimi Minus, the protagonist of the film, shaves her head, which is then bandaged to resemble a typeball. The razor blade, which cuts the skin, produces a bloody, dark substance. Here, blood becomes ink. Black, being one of Mara Mattuschka’s signature colors, is used to draw on her bandaged head as well on a glass plane in front of the camera. When the bandages are loosened, Mimi Minus starts writing with her nose, tongue, ears, and teeth. Black becomes synonymous with the colored ink of the typewriter ribbon and ultimately gets smeared all over the screen in a frantic manner. W.S.