Forever…Forever

Over the course of twenty-two months, Johann Lurf fixed the gaze of a specially developed 65 mm camera on a single fragment of the world: the Ottenstein Reservoir. What begins as a quiet observation of nature gradually transforms into a monumental image of cosmic motion. At first, the lake appears familiar – a place suspended between sky and water. But as the exposures grow longer, the dimensions themselves shift: stars begin to draw delicate lines, the sun inscribes bright arcs, the moon traces soft, almost calligraphic diagonals. The water surface becomes a perfect mirror that folds sky and landscape symmetrically into one another – above and below, light and shadow, becoming and fading.
Lurf explores the relationship between vision and cosmos: the reservoir turns into a planetary clock whose hands are made of light.
Finally, the panorama freezes into diagonal bands of pure light: traces written by sun and moon over many months. A film that does not narrate, but reveals how time and sky intertwine – a harmony of the world that ultimately unfolds with unexpected force. (Martin Reinhart)

Johann Lurf studied at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, completed an Erasmus semester at the Slade School of Fine Art in London and received his diploma with Harun Farocki in 2009. He was a recipient of the MAK-Schindler scholarship in Los Angeles (2011), Artist in Residence at SAIC Chicago (2015) as well as in Tokyo and Rotterdam (2016) and in Israel (2019), and was awarded a scholarship by the Academy of Arts Berlin. From 2021 to 2024 he was part of the PEEK project at the Academy of Fine Arts. Lurf’s works have received numerous awards and have been shown in exhibitions, cinematheques and festivals.

Director Johann Lurf. Cinematography Johann Lurf. Sound Design Jung An Tagen. Producer Johann Lurf.

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Films: 2005: pan. 2007: VERTIGO RUSH. 2008: 12 Explosionen / 12 Explosions. 2009: Zwölf Boxkämpfer jagen Viktor quer über den großen Sylter Deich 140 9 / The Quick Brown Fox Jumps Over the Lazy Dog. 2010: Endeavour. 2011: Kreis Wr. Neustadt. 2012: Sound Supression, RECONNAISSANCE. 2013: Picture Perfect Pyramid. 2014: Twelve Tales Told, Embargo. 2017: ★. 2019: Cavalcade. 2024: Revolving Rounds (co-directed by Christina Jauernik). 2026: Forever…Forever.