I, an Archeologist
HDV/ 20 min / colour / Rome / 2014
A young archaeologist working as a tourist guide is in a dark space with her light operator and an imaginary group. She would like to rehearse her tour in the Jewish catacombs of Rome. The scene becomes a monologue of the young woman, in which she mingles fragments of the history of the Jewish
catacombs with thoughts on her appearance and instructions to the lighting engineer. The narration hovers between a stage play and the real historical site.
The film shows almost nothing, but instead keeps things all but programmatically in the dark. Yet one does learn something about the Jewish catacombs, whose existence is not too well known in Rome either and that are very difficult to access. The viewers are told that six Jewish catacombs have been found in Rome until now and that a part of this catacomb was discovered by chance in 1918 during renovation work beneath the stables of Mussolini’s residence in the park of Villa Torlonia. One also learns about or at least gains an impression of the framework conditions of historical narratives between tourism and private economy.
catacombs with thoughts on her appearance and instructions to the lighting engineer. The narration hovers between a stage play and the real historical site.
The film shows almost nothing, but instead keeps things all but programmatically in the dark. Yet one does learn something about the Jewish catacombs, whose existence is not too well known in Rome either and that are very difficult to access. The viewers are told that six Jewish catacombs have been found in Rome until now and that a part of this catacomb was discovered by chance in 1918 during renovation work beneath the stables of Mussolini’s residence in the park of Villa Torlonia. One also learns about or at least gains an impression of the framework conditions of historical narratives between tourism and private economy.