Chantal Akerman on Cinema, Installation, and the Domestic Space

In a 2002 interview, Chantal Akerman discusses her transition from cinema to installation art, her use of burlesque and the domestic space, and the relationship between time, repetition, and the viewer's experience. She reflects on her early works like 'Saute ma ville' (1968) and 'Jeanne Dielman' (1975), noting that the latter's rigorous choreography and framing led her to fear repetition, prompting experiments with comedy and musical. Akerman describes how her installations, such as the one based on 'D'est' (1993) at Documenta 11, emerged from museum commissions, offering a freedom akin to her early filmmaking. She contrasts the immersive time of her films with commercial cinema, which she says steals time from viewers. Akerman also addresses the shift of cinematic works to galleries, expressing ambivalence about the changing status of film as an art object. The interview covers her use of video versus film, her collaboration with actors, and her approach to reusing her own images without sacralization. She mentions her recent film shot in Mexico, incorporating immigration footage. The conversation touches on her Jewish background and the loss of ritual, which she links to the structure of 'Jeanne Dielman'. Akerman's filmography up to 2002 is listed, including 'The Other Side' presented at Cannes.