On the bottom of the laundrybag

Adele Razkövi’s short film converges on a common myth—the empty laundry bucket. Starting from the documentary, most likely autobiographical, and in any case philosophical question of what might be hiding at the bottom of the laundry basket if it were ever to be reached, the protagonist positions herself for the leap. The leap into the supposed emptiness that turns out be an explosion of colors, materials, and sounds. Free from constantly dirty laundry—soaked by “tears, sweat, and love juice”—the protagonist swirls through a psychedelic round dance of colorful clothing, which as cloud and tangled ball let us only imagine their original purpose. Everyday monotony’s poetic side becomes evident in a dance of freedom—doing laundry as a Sisyphus task accompanied by birds’ chirping and guitar sounds, the ecstasy of the carefully completed task.

In the seven-minute animation, the Austrian artist’s rich diversity becomes evident: animation, painting, music, sculpture, literature, and dance—utterly different disciplines flow together and yield a polyphonic ode to a common object. The longing of people and living creatures, the modern world’s excessive demands, and the screen as motif run throughout Razkövi’s works. Here, the washing machine’s porthole is a blind pane to the world and the laundry basket a gateway to a carefree dimension, free of the anchor of eternally dirty clothes. At its bottom—freedom? The question appears to remain unanswered, but what is clear is that this fresh scented state lasts only until the next stain and at the most, until a child starts searching for their black-and-white striped socks. (Christina Wintersteiger

Translation: Lisa Rosenblatt

Orig. Title
Auf dem Grund des Wäschekorbs
Year
2021
Country
Austria
Duration
7 min
Director
Adele Razkövi
Category
Animation
Orig. Language
German
Subtitles
English
Credits
Director
Adele Razkövi
Idea/Concept
Adele Razkövi
Music
Ed Siblik
Sound Design
Ed Siblik, Adele Razkövi
Recording
Ed Siblik
Soundmix
Ed Siblik
Animation
Adele Razkövi
Text
Adele Razkövi, Ed Siblik
Supported by
Bundesministerium für Kunst, Kultur, öffentlicher Dienst und Sport / Federal Ministry for Arts, Culture, the Civil Service and Sport, Niederösterreich Kultur
3D CGI
Line Finderup Jensen
Available Formats
DCP 2K flat (Distribution Copy)
Aspect Ratio
16:9
Sound Format
stereo
Frame Rate
24 fps
Color Format
colour
Digital File (prores, h264)
Festivals (Selection)
2021
San Vito al Tagliamento - Piccolo Festival
Best Austrian Animation Film Festival (Best Analogue/Hybrid Technic)
Ljubljana - Animateka. Int Animation Festival
2022
Vilnius - Tindirindis International Animated Film Festival (Special Mention)
Wien - Tricky Women / Tricky Realities - Int'l Animation Filmfestival (Hubert-Sielecki-Award for an Austrian Animation & Austrian Panorama Audience Award)
Wien - Under The Radar - Festival and Conference on Animated Film (Special Mention)
Neusiedl am See - Pannoptikum int. Figurentheater-Festival
London Int. Animation Festival LIAF
2023
Washington - EuroAsia Short Film Festival
Bydgoszcz (PL) - Animocje IAFF