Rebecca Jane Arthur, Ready-mades with Interest (UK/BE/AT, 2017, HD, 25')

Ready-mades with Interest was sparked by a 1967 concert ticket that I found in Vienna. While I was tracing the information on the ticket, a letter arrived from my father that prompted a more thorough investigation into the sociopolitical background of the music played that night. In the film we explore a number of eras, spanning from the Strauss family’s waltz era to the rise of fascism and the stain it left on today’s politics. While reflecting on the ticket, the film becomes a portrait of my father as he shares his knowledge and memories with me. This project inspired a continuing correspondence between my father and me. In my practice, I have been unpacking the information we share while reflecting on our relationship and its mode of communication, letter writing itself.