The film opens with a reference to the famous Swiss architect Le Corbusier, whose vision of the new architecture culminated in the term “dwelling machine”. In one of his theses he tried to measure human needs by units. How much space does a human being need? How much is he or she entitled to? A giant modern building at the centre of Katowice, the biggest in Poland, is the concrete embodiment of this idea. Endless corridors and rattling utilities connect the more than 700 flats built in the late 1960s. But every door conceals a mirror cabinet of desires and longings that emerge in various preferences and hobbies. Adieu tristesse! This is where people live, celebrate and, if need be, remove the casing of a garage, not because the car is too big, but because it’s the people who turn this building into a “super unit” and vigorously clear the necessary space. A few sketches are enough to portray the residents as they conquer this inhospitable space. The “dwelling machine” turns out to be an organism that’s borne up by the motto “live and let live”.
Cornelia Klauß