The Art of Speaking with Pasolini

Pier Paolo Pasolini (1922 – 1975) understood his work as an aesthetic commitment to the society in which he lived. His poems, novels, and films address social change in the postwar period and sharply criticize the emerging consumer society of neo-capitalism. Despite or perhaps because of his considerable successes, Pasolini was a controversial public figure, often met with hostility. Even though his relationship with the press was strained, he knew how to use its channels for himself and his works. He purposefully took part in television shows and gave interviews in order to present his outsider role in a multi-faceted way and to be able to comment on his works.

Journalist, photographer and filmmaker Gideon Bachmann (1927 – 2016) reported on cinema on american radio and in international newspapers since 1955 and made documentaries on filmmakers such as Jonas Mekas and Federico Fellini. Through his charming persistence, he had established many contacts with film personalities. Fluent in seven languages, he was a welcomed guest at film festivals worldwide. Through his pioneering work as a radio host of a film program, he gave voice to both young and established film personalities. But Bachmann was never solely concerned with mediation. He rejected the term "interview" for his open forms of conversation, because in addition to the answers, he was more interested in the intense encounter with the interlocutors.

The encounters between Pasolini and Bachmann were initially based on mutual benefit: Bachmann was attracted by the idea of gaining interpretive sovereignty over Pasolini, and Pasolini benefited from the reach of Bachmann's radio programs. Soon, however, Bachmann's lack of knowledge of Pasolini's cultural background became apparent, and Pasolini became Bachmann's teacher on italian, marxist, and cinematic issues. Over the course of their twelve-year acquaintance, a certain familiarity developed that culminated more and more in shared, pessimistic laments about the state of the world.

Bachmann's open conversations with Pasolini call for critical contextualization. Literary scientist Fabien Vitali transcribed, translated, and commented the 13 conversations between Pasolini and Bachmann for the book »Pasolini – Bachmann. Conversations 1963 - 1975«, which will be published in April 2022 by the Galerie der abseitigen Künste to commemorate Pasolini's 100th birthday.

Participants

Hannah Pilarczyk, Journalist and curator in the field of film and television
Fabien Vitali, Literary scholar and editor of the book »Pasolini – Bachmann«
Christian Haardt, Research assistant at the audiovisual archive of the ZKM | Karlsruhe