Hours Minutes Days

A wall clock with a ceramic dial clearly indicates the time elapsing, as it must. A rumpled bed is seen, a bathtub gradually filling with water, an espresso pot simmering on the stove. Ticking, dripping and hissing is heard. We see sunspots on a bright wall, a fleeting glimpse is gained of the green world outside the window of an apartment in which we cannot orient ourselves. These are snapshots of the start of a day in the life of a woman who is briefly reflected in the window of a washing machine in spin cycle.

A frugal breakfast is prepared, time and again a shadow horizontally glides across the wall, cast by an elevator mounted on the exterior of the building. One quarter of the back of a head is seen, half a PC monitor, an entire armrest, and so it goes: The viewer fills in the missing visual information. We accompany the protagonist on a walk, wonder about the directions "egg" and "death" indicated by arrows spray painted on the street, and gladly listen to a soundtrack consisting of every day sounds that seem to be organized according to the rhythm of a metronome.

Hours Minutes Days is the title of a film made by Linz native Edith Stauber that only appears to be composed of photographs. It seems like a continuation of her 3 Miniatures from Life with 47 (Miniaturen aus dem Leben mit 47): Once again there is a concern with the everyday life of the filmmaker herself, or everyday life in general, as constituted by many individual actions, observations, and events. In her film Stauber dissects the structure of the everyday and thereby draws attention to what would otherwise remain below the radar of perception. (Daniela Sannwald)

Translation: Eve Heller