Rebecca Horn: La Ferdinanda: Sonata for a Medici Villa

La Ferdinanda: Sonata for a Medici Villa (La Ferdinanda: Sonate fur Eine Medici-Villa)

Federal Republic of Germany 1981, 35mm transferred to video, sound, 90 min, German with English subtitles

La Ferdinanda: Sonata for a Medici Villa (La Ferdinanda: Sonate fur Eine Medici-Villa) 1981 is staged in a grand Renaissance hunting seat. The setting serves as a haven for tranquil repose (for Caterina de Dominicis, former opera singer and owner of the villa), convalescence (for young ballet dancer Simona), hiding (for Dr. Marchetti, after a series of scandals), rehearsal (for the cello player) and celebration (for a wedding party). The villa is a symbol for hidden stories and faded glories, especially for its larger-than-life owner, who wishes to maintain an illusion of luxury and grandeur. In truth, the villa’s residents are all living in a state of suspension or impotence: even the peacocks’ plumage is not strikingly colourful but a ghostly white.