After the Berlin wall came down in 1989 certain aesthetic characteristics of former socialist countries are still visible in the streets and day-to-day life of Eastern Europe, such as decorative figures in architecture, geometric patterns on fabrics and rhythmic motives on paper objects.

Where did these often abstract elements originate and why were they so often applied in the Eastern bloc? These were some of the questions Ella Klaschka posed to herself, when she undertook some five journeys to the northern, middle and southern part of Eastern Europe in 2003. During these trips she built an elaborate collection of video and photographic images of patterns and ornaments, held interviews with costume designers, art historians, musicians, ... and wrote down her thoughts and experiences during the journeys. These different sources of information finally formed the basis for an artist?s book instead of for a film, as originally planned.

Patterns and forms from former socialist countries. A film by Ella Klaschka

is a wayward travelogue about making a film. The texts have been written and edited in various phases. Additions and editorial changes have been visualised in the design: phrases have been marked, crossed out or given another colour. The different levels thus revealed show how a personal fascination for a socialist imagery gradually led to an artistic publication.