“Once again, Jan Machacek shows himself to be a virtuoso poet who mixes analog and digital realities. EWIGE 80er presents itself as a picture-sound-text essay, refined and unabashedly subjective.“ (Helmut Ploebst, Der Standard)
EWIGE 80er is a performative video that targets a time when fear of a nuclear catastrophe grew and in which a conservative backlash formed after the optimistic mood of the 1960s and 70s in the capitalist West. Jan Machacek and Oliver Stotz bring that time to life and ask what connects the spirit of the 80s with our society today.
EWIGE 80er is an audio-visual essay, that transfers analogue techniques into digital. The aesthetics of the 1980s is cited excessively, such as the format of the music video. The topics range from childhood memories in Austria in the 80s to the “dream couple” of the conservative turnaround Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher to the beginning of digitization, a process of becoming digital that culminates in our presence of virtual encounters. From the charming retro atmosphere the unpleasant impression emerges that the mood of the 80s with its fearfulness and paranoia extends into the present day.
Jan Machacek is a media artist and performer. His performances show humans in conflict with visual media and other annoying devices. Machacek’s works have been presented at the Wiener Festwochen, brut, Residenztheater München, Museo Ex Teresa Arte Actual Mexico City and the Chelsea Theatre in London. He most recently appeared at brut with activist/director Gin Müller (Fantomas Monster) and choreographer Georg Blaschke (Bodies and Accidents and ani_male).
Oliver Stotz (born 1971) is a musician, composer and programmer. He lives and works in Vienna. He performed at concerts with the groups Pendler, Bernhard Schnur & Band and Gustav & Band. From 1994 to 2002 he was a member of the amateur theater group VOLXTHEATER FAVORITEN. At the Schauspielhaus Wien he composed music for various theater pieces. Since 2006 he develops theatrical and performative works with Sabine Marte, Billy Roisz, Jan Machacek, Helene Weinzierl (aka Cielaroque), VRUM, Gin Müller, Oleg Soulimenko, Daniel Aschwanden, Akemi Takeya, Georg Blaschke, Lisa Kortschak, Lisa Spalt and Eva Jantschitsch (aka GUSTAV). As a stage musician he was seen in Proletenpassion (Werk X, 2015) Alles Walzer, alles brennt (Volkstheater, 2016/17) Der gute Mensch von Sezuan (Volkstheater, 2019).
idea, video, set design, performance, cutting, production manager Jan Machacek music, video, performance, video programming, audio mastering, cutting Oliver Stotz dramaturge Sabine Marte camera Victor Jaschke costume Anke Philipp, Michaela Landrichter participation Deborah Hazler, Frans Poelstra buildings Rahmen Wallner a coproduction by am apparat and brut Wien with the kind support of the City of Vienna’s Department of Cultural Affairs and the Austrian Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture, Civil Service and Sport
