Meine Heimat ist ein düsteres, wolkenverhangenes Land (My home is a dark and cloud-hung land), 2011

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Meine Heimat ist ein düsteres, wolkenverhangenes Land (My home is a dark and cloud-hung land)
2011
4-channel film installation
Colour, sound
Shot on HD
Converted to HD-SR and transferred onto BluRay disc
Aspect ratio 16:9
Loop, 29 min 23 sec
Edition 6 + 2 ap

The four-channel film installation My home is a dark and cloud-hung land (2011) is thematically bound to the German concept of ‘Heimat’ (homeland). Rosefeldt focusses on the forest as a central and ambivalent motif, omnipresent in German history and culture. As in American Night (2009), the landscape becomes identity-establishing. Whereas the vastness of the Wild West embodies the sentiment of freedom and capture, the German forest nourishes a close and partly frightening rapport to nature by symbolising protection and danger at the same time. The work echoes the numerous interpretations of the forest in philosophy and poetry since the Roman era, always circling around the subject as a symbol of German nationality and identity.

The installation constitutes an eclectic tour de force through German history and offers, just as The Ship of Fools (2007) does, a multi-layered approach to the contemporary problematic dealing with the German national sentiment. Through the fictitious figure of a theatre director setting up a ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’, a performance in the midst of the forest, Rosefeldt creates a surreal collage of mythic creatures, Grimm’s fairy tales, operas, romantic sentiments, Roman and Nazi history – all taking place simultaneously. The dichotomy of culture and nature is dissolved and a huge theatrum mundi emerges in the light of the forest.

Summarised from Mirjam Wenzel, in: Heimatkunde: 30 Künstler blicken auf Deutschland (2011)

Exhibitions / Catalogues

– Meine Heimat ist ein düsteres, wolkenverhangenes Land, Schauspielhaus Bochum, October–November 2019

– Deutschland 8 – German Art in China, Today Art Museum, Beijing, September–December 2017 (catalogue)
– Et in Arcadia Ego, Museum Kurhaus Kleve, Kleve, July–September 2015
– Julian Rosefeldt – Meine Heimat ist ein düsteres, wolkenverhangenes Land, Arndt, Berlin, July–August 2014
– Julian Rosefeldt – Meine Heimat ist ein düsteres, wolkenverhangenes Land, Kunstmuseum Kloster Unser Lieben Frauen,
   Magdeburg, January–March 2014 (curated by Annegret Laabs)
– Crescendo, ACCA Australian Center for Contemporary Art, Melbourne, December 2013–February 2014 (curated by
   Juliana Engberg)
– Artist Comes First – Festival International d’Art de Toulouse, Toulouse, May–June 2013 (curated by a.o. Jean-Marc
   Bustamante, Penelope Curtis; catalogue)
– Video-Holes: I do not know what it is I am, Manege, Moscow, November 2012–January 2013
   (curated by Elena Rumyantseva)
– Julian Rosefeldt. The Ship of Fools, Kunsthalle Wien Karlsplatz, Vienna, October–November 2012 (curated by Angela Stief)
– Julian Rosefeldt – American Night, Bayerische Akademie der Schönen Künste, Munich, September–October 2012
– Julian Rosefeldt – World-Making. Film and Photo Works 2001–2011, Taipei Fine Arts Museum, April–June 2012
   (curated by Mei-ching Fang, Fang-wei Chang; catalogue)
– Heimatkunde. 30 Künstler blicken auf Deutschland, Jüdisches Museum, Berlin, September 2011–January 2012
   (curated by a.o. Margret Kampmeyer, Inka Bertz; catalogue)

Film Credits

With
René Pape
Lars Eidinger

Eleonore Weisgerber
Max Volkert Martens
Ronald Kukulies
Thomas Ostermeier
Matthias Lilienthal

and
Christoph Krauss, Viktor Jakovleski, Hans-Dieter Wolf, Suse Wächter, Jared Gradinger, Grayson Millwood, Nicola Mascia, Matan Zamir, Solomon Holly-Massey, Janaina Pessoa, Jeewi Lee, Tobias Rosefeldt, Santiago Ydañez, Melissa Holroyd, Sydney Comeau Milke, Luis Rosefeldt, Rosina Rosefeldt, Fabienne Müller, Suni Hoffmann, Julia Böhm, Sophia Baltatzi, Thomas Molt, Arturo Gentile, Monic Aust, Jan Gerhardt, Gregor Stephani, Claudia Rotoli, Christoph Dehmel-Osterloh, Bina Daigeler, Jose Ruiz Dorado, Martina Schlickert, Barbara Schmidt, Hartmut Schumann, Achim Landvogt, Martin Schröder, Bernd Blode, Dennis Müller, Michael Protzen, Felix Frank, Jens Adolf Frese, Ingrid Johnson, Mathilde Schalla, Norbert Braunschweig, Bodo Czarnowski, Sigrid Benndorf, Erika Ferrando, Elena Lietz, Marlis Kuhn, Jürgen Bandjakov, Rita Gast, Manuela Köllner, Peter Wendland, Silvia Pohl, Katharina Lackmann, Thomas Emmer, Eunsook Kim, Carmen Stieda, Sergio Carnevale, Bernhard Funke, Ralf Tempel, Guido Heyn, Carolin Boltz, Thomas Thierschmann, Claus Reiter, Bernhard Bauer, Wolfgang Lasch, Bernt Reiter, Gottfried Rupp, Michael Hötzelsperger, Matthias Schnaiter, Franz Pfaller, Reinhard Pehse, Anton Hötzelsperger, Herbert Reiter, Eduard Auer, Georg Hiendl, Stefan Schweiger, Albert Schüpfner, Stefan Huber

Brass Orchestra: Michael Gross – conductor, Jan Gropper – trumpet, Ulf Marcus Behrens – trumpet, Mathias Gödeker – bugle, Stefan Most – bugle, Milian Vogel – alto saxophone, Sebastian Borkowski – tenor saxophone, Rob Gutowski – trombone, Nils Marquardt – trombone, Sebastian Kunzke – tuba

and Lobine (wolfhound)

Production Manager: Wassili Zygouris
Director of Photography: Christoph Krauss
Costume Designer: Bina Daigeler
Hair and Make-Up Artist: Julia Böhm
1st Assistant Director: Natalie Beer
Unit Manager: Viktor Jakovleski
Editor: Heike Parplies
Art Director: Thomas Molt
Sound Recordist: Johannes Doberenz
Gaffer: Christoph Dehmel-Osterloh
2nd Assistant Director: Lisa Hauss
Production Assistant: Monic Aust
Set Managers: Jan Gerhardt, Gregor Stephani
Focus Puller: Frederik Tegethoff
2nd Assistant Camera/Data Wrangler: Martin Bartels
Steadicam Operator: Sergio Gazzera
Assistant Steadicam Operator: Lorenz Ackermann
Polecam Operator: Christoph Steuer
Drone Operator: Volker Rosenblatt
Key Grip: Alexander Zielke
Grip: Ariane Hecht
Dolly Grip: Hannes Tröger
Electrician: Ferdinand Fehlberg
Assistant Art Director: Fabienne Müller
Stand by Props: Arturo Gentile
2nd Hair and Make-Up Artist: Julia Lechner
3rd Hair and Make-Up Artist: Claudia Rotoli
Wardrobe Supervisor: Suni Hoffmann
Costumer: Martina Schlickert
Dresser: Jose Ruiz Dorado
Puppet Player: Suse Wächter
Assistant Puppet Player: Sophia Baltatzi
Still Photography: Barbara Schmidt
Drivers: Timo Dobbert, Stefan Arendt, Peter Schinlauer
Animal Trainers Wolfhound: Jose Miguel de la Torre Vazquez and Kicki
Catering: Gerwin Catering

Post Production Supervisor: Patrizia Jendrzej
Digital Compositing: Eric Schaechter, Uwe Maier, Marcus Ruhmke
3D Compositing: Kai Voepel
Colour Grading: Christian Kröhl, Nico Hauter
Foley Artist: Felix Kratzer
Sound Recording and Sound Design: Jürgen Schulz
Sound Editor / Sound Design: Roman Volkholz
Sound Mixing: Michael Riedmiller
Music Adaptation and Conductor Brass Orchestra: Michael Gross
Piano Accompaniment for René Pape: Julien Salemkour
Sound Recordist for Piano: Christoph Koch
Original Singers of Bavarian Song: Nikolaus Schlierf – Tenor, Michael Gross – Baritone, Sascha Friedl – Bass

Translation Subtitles: Allison Brown

Research: Janaina Pessoa

Acknowledgements:
The entire team of PICTORION das werk Berlin, ARRI Rental Berlin – Ute Baron, Stefan Düll, ARRI Film & TV Services Berlin, Agentur Schlag, Extras Berlin, Eidotech – Rolf Schmidt and Jogi Abrell, BMW – Thomas Girst, Caninenberg & Shouten Versicherung, Block & Graphics Filmservice – Sven Herrmann, Anhaltisches Theater Dessau, Miniatur Wunderland Hamburg – Sebastian Drechsler, Staatsoper unter den Linden im Schillertheater – Johannes Ehmann, Wildpark Potsdam, Nationalparksverwaltung Sächsische Schweiz – Jens Posthoff, Havelstudios Berlin – Jonathan Hosenseidel, Landesverband Lippe – Peggy Pfaff, Gespensterwald Nienhagen – Felix Weisbrich, Tourist Info Aschau im Chiemgau, Georg Ertel, Chiemgau Alpenverband für Tracht und Sitte e. V., Trachtenverein D' Griabinga Hohenaschau e. V., Julien Salemkour, Instinctive Film – Darryn Welch, Tschangis Chahrokh-Zadeh, Mandy Rahn, Santaverde Naturkosmetik, Hias Berlin, Studio Babelsberg – Requisiten und Kostümfundus, Theaterkunst Kostümausstattung, Sastreria Cornejo S.A., Adlershofer Fundus, Art at Large – Gunnar Zimmer, Wood Art Design – Marko Zahn, Eckart Keller, Petra Wellenstein Kostümfundus, Frank Leder, Hugo Boss, Wolfen, Liebig Berlin, Hien Le, Wood Wood, Weekday, Stine Goya, Kleemann Hüte – Doreen Persche, Zweirad Stadler, Ulrich Schulz Augenoptik, Manfred Geber, Niina Lehtonen Braun, N.L.C. Security, service-drone.de GmbH, Chiemgau Getränke, Priental Service GmbH, Gerüstbau Peter Schön GmbH, Tonbüro Berlin – Christian Riegel, Dirk Engelhardt, Tobias Wolf, Marcel Neumann, Santiago Ydañez

Special Acknowledgements:
Janaina Pessoa, Wassili Zygouris, Christoph Krauss, Bina Daigeler, Wolf Bosse, Anton Hötzelsperger, Herbert Reiter, Eckart Gillen, Margret Kampmeyer, Mirjam Wenzel, Helmuth Braun, Matthias Arndt

Music:
In der Fremde, Robert Schumann (after the poem of the same title by Joseph von Eichendorff)
Mir san vom Woid dahoam, Bavarian "Dreigsang" (author unknown)
Abschied vom Walde, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, adapted by Michael Gross With

Quotes from:
Heinrich Heine, Elias Canetti, Joseph von Eichendorff, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Tacitus, Theodor Lessing and Friedrich Nietzsche
and from the National Socialist Propaganda Film Eternal Forest (Ewiger Wald, 1936), directed by Hanns Springer and Rolf von Sonjewski-Jamrowski

Commissioned by:
Jewish Museum Berlin, 2011

Shot in Germany in Berlin, Potsdam, Hamburg, Oranienburg, Gespensterwald Nienhagen, Elbsandsteingebirge,
Teutoburger Wald and Chiemgau, 2011

Written, directed and produced by Julian Rosefeldt

All rights reserved © Julian Rosefeldt