Uncertain States Jonas Mekas
"Scenes from the life of Raimund Abraham“

Jonas Mekas (b. 1922), a seminal figure in New American Cinema, and Raimund Abraham (1933 - 2010), avant-garde architect and architectural theorist from Vienna, were close friends. One of Abraham’s last building projects, and one of his most important, was the Austrian Cultural Forum (ACF) opened in New York in 2002. While Abraham was working on the project, Mekas accompanied his friend with his camera in the style of one of his famous film diaries. The result was a six-hour portrait, allowing viewers to immerse themselves in Abraham’s private and professional worlds. As if we were directly involved, we are witnesses and empathetic observers of events – a tour of the construction site, the inaugural ceremony, and the convivial atmosphere of a relaxed group of friends.

For “Uncertain States”, a short version of the film is being screened focusing specifically on the scenes relating to the ACF. In this way, the screening also offers an introduction and link to the concert afterwards at 7 pm presenting, among other pieces, Bernhard Lang’s Monadologie XVIII “Moving Architecture”, inspired by the ACF.