– a hungarian rhapsody
HDV (transfered to Blu-ray), 8’17“, colour, stereo, 2012
The Budapest bathing culture is a rich cultural heritage. But while inside, there’s mainly tourists swimming, dissonant sounds from outside seem to disturb the flow of images …
On observing people’s bathing in different baths of the hungarian capital, a speech from the off is heard: Balázs Nagy Navarro talks on occasion of a hunger strike agains media manipulation in public media in december 2011.
The rhapsody as a poetic composition refers to the „good old times“ that seem to be preserved in the baths of Budapest. Many residents can’t afford regular visits of the Széchenyi or Gellért bath while Lukács is mainly frequented for curatorial reasons.
The recordings were made in 2009 and 2010 at different seasons. The idyllic image of the baths doesn’t seem to be more distorted by the modernization to wellness temples but by the changed political situation in the country.
Not only since the controverse media laws of Orbán’s government there’s international worries about the future of democratic freedom in the country.
Navarro and others http://deutsche-edpharm.com/viagra/ protested against a singular case of manipulated reporting as well as the media policy of the rightwing Fidesz-government in general.
As a consequence of this protest Navarro, who was previously employed by the channel that he protested against, has been suspended from his work.
In his speech as well as in the sentimental goodbye-song at the end of the video the word „ELÉG“ is central: it is ENOUGH.
NOTES ON THE PRODUCTION:
The footage was shot in companionship with photographer Julia Baier (juliabaier.de) who’s focussed on public bathing culture. The video was finalized in 2012 in exchange with the hungarian activists Gabriella Csoszó (photographer) and Lídia Nádori (translator and musician).
Recorded at these baths of Budapest:
Széchenyi, Gellért, Lukács, Palatinus, Komjádi, 2009 – 2010
speech: Balázs Nagy Navarro
sound recording: Gabriella Csoszó (gabriellacsoszo.com)
translation: Éva Zádor (hungarian to german), Fabian Baier (german to english)
music:
„Reset“ by Barbara Morgenstern („Nichts muss“, Monika; barbaramorgenstern.de)
„Elmondanám“ by HANEM (hanemzenekar.com)
Thank you:
Balázs Nagy Navarro, Lídia Nádori, Gabriella Csoszó,
Julia Baier, Éva Karádi, Éva Zádor, Astrid Nippoldt, Fabian Baier,
the public baths of Budapest who gave permission for the shooting