2016 marked the 100 anniversary of Dada, my favorite art movement.

Petra (a psychologist) and I (a filmmaker) were chosen to show our “joint venture”in Manifesta 11, the European Biennial of Contemporary Art that took place in Zürich from 06 June to 18 September, 2016. The concept developed by Christian Jankowski, Manifesta 11’s curator, was to pair an artist and a worker, while focusing on the fields of work found in Zürich and asking the questions “What do I do for money?” and “What does my work do to me at the same time?”

So we made a film -the ideal medium to combine dreams and storytelling- to celebrate the 100 anniversary of Dada, an artistic movement that was born in Zürich, Switzerland in 1916. The film is titled “Le roi cherche une toilette à louer”: Hand printing, cutting words, mental sounds, and random acts of poetry can lead you to unexpected places where the mundane blends with the sublime. The film is inspired by a poem by Tristan Tzara, one of the main founders of Dada, titled “L’amiral cherche une maison à louer.”

We presented on August 18 at midnight in Cabaret Voltaire, the birthplace of the Dada movement. We screened the film twice, and then had a really engaging discussion with the audience. On the stage, we positioned a camera on a tripod laying down on a couch like a patient in psychoanalysis while Petra and I sat on chairs at each end of the stage.

Why am I showing the film now?

Well, the film needed to be kept private for our show and for other presentations later on. Now, two years later, I can make the film public. In addition to the film, I include photos I took during two art shows that happened around the same time to celebrate Dada’s anniversary. One was about the Dada movement and the other was about Francis Picabia’s work, one of the original founders of Dada.

Enjoy the film and the photos.

Enjoy the under 3-minute video.

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Rubén Abruña

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Una mirada poética a uno de los pasatiempos favoritos de Petra.

El hilo roto
puede anudarse
de nuevo, pero
sigue roto.

Quizás nos encontremos
otra vez
pero ahí
donde me dejaste
no me encontrarás
otra vez.

A poetic look at one of Petra’s favorite pastimes.

Text translation:

The torn thread
can be knotted again
back to one, but
it is torn.

Perhaps we encounter
each other again,
but there,
where you left me
you will not
find me again.