Synopsis 

Window to the farmyard or Ferdinand sends his regards

The discovery of a box containing super 8 films at a second hand store was the initiation of that project. The amateurish filmed movies mainly scene a farmyard and people living and working there.The quality of the super 8 films itsself, the clothing, every day action and work, household items and tools turning up in the films give and idea how culture and fashion have changed over the years.
Pictures seem blurred,fuzzy and unsharp, but they appear more beautiful than the surounding present reality.
A friendly atmosphere is transmitted,that revives childhood memories and arouses nostalgic and romantic feelings.

The artist made effort to track down the cameraman and the protagonists involved in filming these idyllic pictures and finally found the farm seen on those films in Scheibbs. There she visited the family and talked to them several times.

The originator of these films was Ferdinand Pay. He and his wife used to spend their holidays as visitors on the farm every year. During these rather long stays a deep friendship between the couple and the family living on that farm was formed .
Ferdinand Pay was a quite talented hobby cameraman and used to keep his camera ready during their vacations. Although he was good at filming, he had problems handling the projector. Taht was the reason why nobody ever saw these pictures before.

Because of some carelessness these films ended up in a second hand store by mistake after his death in 2009. There the artist came across them by chance.

This cineatic document screens rather private scenes like a wedding ceremony and family members, but also shows seasonal work like driving the lifestock on alpine meadows or butchering a pig.

But most of the time Ferdinand Pray filmed quite unspectacular scenes without any special occasion or reason.
In those scenes people wear working clothes and every day wardrobe, tables are not decorated and plainly set, women peel potatos, men play cards, the garden is watered and ducks run around on meadows.

Whilst watching those idyllic, retro-style and romantic pictures and scenes, you are convinced to believe that the „good old times“ actually took place on a farmyard in Scheibbs 30-40 years ago.

• CV

• 1981 born in Feldkirchen b. M. /Austria
• 2004-2011 University of Art and Design Linz and University of the Arts Berlin / Sculpture-Transmedial Space
• 2006-2010 University of Art and Design Linz / Cultural Studies
• 2012 „Spaceship“, a street art projekt at Ukradená Galerie, Linz