Steve Lyons
After the fall of the Berlin wall and the reunification of Germany, the former UFA film studios in Potsdam-Babelsberg were sold by the government to a French conglomerate, and a number of its oldest studios were either demolished or repurposed. In 1994, Canadian artist Stan Douglas produced the two-channel black and white film installation Der Sandmann in one of these old studios. Douglas’s film utilizes an early cinematic special-effect called the “doppelgänger trick”: a simple double-exposure which allows one actor to play opposite himself or herself on the film screen. This technique was first used in the German Expressionist silent film The Student of Prague (1913), and again in the second film version (1926), which was, not coincidentally, shot on the same UFA film lot as Der Sandmann. By imitating not only the aesthetic, but some of the technical limitations of The Student of Prague, Douglas engages in what film critic Marc Le Sueur might have recognized as “deliberate archaism”: a specific way of making nostalgia films that productively exploits both formal and technical features of films from the past. At the same time, Der Sandmann resists what Marxist cultural theorist Fredric Jameson reproaches as the ahistorical aesthetic of “pastness” that is produced and perpetuated by the nostalgia film. While Douglas directs us to the past, he does so for contemporary ends; he recodes the history of Expressionist cinema in order to explore the aftereffects of reunification on the former East Germany.
This thesis is the product of two years of reading, thinking, brainstorming, and growing, and a few people have held special roles in this process. Firstly, I would not have started my Master’s in Art History without the encouragement of Professor Christine Sprengler at the University of Western Ontario. Christine introduced me to the exciting worlds of avant-garde film, contemporary film installations, pastiche, nostalgia, and deliberate archaism, and it is no coincidence that all of these topics found their way into this thesis. Her continued support via email correspondence has been incredibly valuable at all stages in this project’s development.
When I came to Concordia, I was immediately intrigued by the prospect of working with Professor Martha Langford, an amazing—and prolific!—writer and curator. After working with Martha over the past two years, I can say with certainty that I have reaped the benefits of her sustained encouragement, her crystal clear direction, and the hours that she has put into thinking, reading, and responding to my project. Martha coached me through an independent study course on “The ‘Situation’ of Cinema in Contemporary Film/Video Installation,” guided me through a painstaking grant application, and carefully read many drafts of my project. Her critical eye has seen this project develop from conception to realization, and I thank her for her dedication.
I would also like to thank my second reader, Professor Kristina Huneault, who has graciously leaped outside of her research interests to evaluate my work. I thank the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for providing me the financial means to dedicate myself to my studies over the past two years, and for its continuing support as I pursue my PhD next Winter. My parents and parents-in-law have always encouraged me to do my best at whatever I do, and I am very appreciative of their unending support.
Finally, I thank my wife and editor-in-chief Ania Wroblewski, who has patiently listened to more of my thoughts about Stan Douglas, Fredric Jameson, and Hal Foster at the dining table, coffee table, and bedside table than anyone should ever endure. I dedicate this thesis to her.