High Performance Dropping Out (art workers won't kiss ass)

About

Il Trasloco (Moving out of the future) is a 1991 independent documentary directed by Renato de Maria, now screened for the first time in the UK with English subtitles. Set in Bologna and retrospectively looking at the history of one of the key places where the Autonomia movement took place during the 1970s, the film is a surprisingly personal and heartbreaking recollection of the emptying of a household and the ending of an era, one that was possibly already dead. Initially, the protagonist of the documentary appears to be Franco Berardi, aka Bifo, who narrates the story of the Autonomia movement, which was by its nature deeply intertwined with the intimate and personal lives of those who made it happen. However, the real protagonists of this film are the increasingly empty rooms of the flat in 19 Via Marsili, in Bologna. The silent walls speak through the voices of Bifo and many other ex-dwellers about the simple story of the rise and fall of a different - now almost incredible - way of life. One of the most influential workerist social movements to emerge in Italy in the 1960s, the terms Autonomia or the Refusal of work have now become somewhat overused shorthand. However, what becomes clear watching this film is that they refer to a practical methodology of life rather than to the sterility of what remains in their theoretisation. This screening will mark the launch of High performance dropping out, which is a long term project hosted at Auto Italia. High performance dropping out is a series of events, discussions, group meetings, workshops and screenings which investigate alternative methods of community, collaboration and communion in both art and non-art contexts. § This first ever screening of Il Trasloco to an English-speaking audience was made possible through a collaboration of Auto Italia and Through Europe (www.th-rough.eu). The translation from Italian is by Through Europe member Federico Campagna. Auto Italia South East 1 Glengall Road Peckham London SE15 6NJ http://www.autoitaliasoutheast.org/ info@autoitaliasoutheast.org