"Western"

Video on DVD, color, sound, 11min

signed and numbered on extra sheet

The film "Western" (11 min) shows Hans Schabus rowing and sailing through the labyrinthine tunnels of the Vienna sewer system. His endless, Ulysses-like journey through sewage, darkness and waste raises the question of the universal striving for escape, both literally and metaphysically. Schabus travels through this labyrinth in a self-built boat, which is modeled after a small, unsinkable children's sailing boat - an optimist. He calls his collapsible version on wheels "forlorn", already anticipating his challenging journeys.
(James Cohan Gallery)

Hans Schabus' journey through the underworld reminds of Felix Nadar and the photographs of his series "Égouts de Paris" from the Paris sewer system, which he took between 1864 and 1865. This images are the first photographs taken with artificial light.
(Christoph Fuchs)

Camera and technology: Robert schabus
Collaboration: Hannes Böck
Mastering: pkm Mario Kreutzer
DVD production: PBO Ossi Kurek

with the kind support of the City of Vienna and Wien Kanal