Annunciation by Cesaro Davolio
Annunciation, created by Cesare Davolio, was published in the first edition of Mediamatic Off-Line vol 10.2. The CD-ROM follows the story of Italian politician Aldo Moro's kidnapping and murder by the Red Brigade in 1978. Davolio zooms in on Moro's 54 days of captivity offering a precise re-creation of Moro's imprisonment and death; a personal, digital essay about a historical event which grew to be a contemporary drama, partly because of Moro's evocative letters to his family, the press and fellow party members, to whom he wrote: My blood shall be upon you. This personal reconstruction of Moro's imprisonment and death, set against the backdrop of Italy's turbulent political history, aims to show the traces of an honest, political feeling, a passion for a just political system, which takes on ever more violent and tragic forms as those in power become more brutal and corrupt.
For a better World by Mathilde ter Heijne
Mathilde ter Heijne's For a better World was published in 2001 in Vol 10.3 edition of Mediamatic-Off Line. The CD-ROM is a virtual essay on some of the public self-immolations that were carried out in the 20th century, illustrated with video footage and the spoken commentary of subjective and objective witnesses. The whole is comprised within, and coordinated by, a digital drawing through which the user navigates with the mouse. It is important to note that the CD-ROM was created a few months before the attack of 9/11 and before that martyrdom had a different connotation. These acts of self-immolation, often arising from deep despair or conviction, force us to confront stories of personal suffering, spiritual and religious devotion, and political protests in an attempt to create a better world.
Forgotten Flags by Florian Thalhofer and Juliane Henrich
The DVD-ROM Forgotten Flags was part of the last edition of Mediamatic-Off Line Vol 11.3 published in 2007. The movie goes into the concept of vaderland (fatherland) and the ambivalent feelings that national symbols may arouse. Germans think that showing the national flag is sinister. World Cup football in 2006 brought about a notable swing. Germans overcame — temporarily — their fear and put out flags en masse for the first time. Thalhofer started searching for people who had kept their flags flying after the World Cup was over, together with photographer Juliane Henrich. These encounters resulted in an interactive road movie that may be read as an image of those times, not just of Germany, but also of Western Europe. The flag appeals to feelings of unity and identity. But uneasy feelings about right wing radicals are never far away. Forgotten Flags poses questions about the stereotypes and prejudices of the viewer, and of the maker.
