Chronotopia

Julian Irlinger’s film takes the history of Kulturkirche Liebfrauen as its point of departure. It uses the style of mid-century modern animation to portray architects who seem to have no control over the drawings and environments that change around them. The work highlights a contrast between the church, designed by Toni Hermanns in the mid 1950s, and its locality, including the less magnificent underground car park, district court fence and building site that now surround it.

Chronotopia loops seamlessly, visualizing a never-ending competition between clashing styles and forms from different time periods. Modernist design is sometimes associated with the assertion of grand artistic visions onto society by individual “geniuses.” Here, however, architects and planners appear powerless against the unpredictable forces of history and the chaos of urban life.