Von Trier's Challenge to the People to premiere in Copenhagen on Oct 12

With contributions from people in Colombia, Ukraine, Brazil, Denmark and Germany, among others, film installation Gesamt - Disaster 501: What Happened To Man is set to premiere at Charlottenborg in Copenhagen on Oct 12.

The user-generated project was started this August when Lars Von Trier asked people worldwide to submit an intepretation of one or several of six artworks: James Joyce’s novel Ulysses, August Strindberg’s play The Father, Albert Speer’s Zeppelinfield monument, the painting Where Do We Come From? Who Are We? Where Are We Going? by the French painter Paul Gauguin, the French composer César Franck’s Sonate In A Major and Sammy Davis Jr’s step dance performance Choreography.

More than 400 people from 52 countries submitted a total of 501 contributions of up to five minutes of material, either in film, video, stills, music or sound form, with director Jenle Hallund putting together the final piece.

Hallund commented: “I am very grateful for all the wonderful, personal and original testimonies that people have sent from around the world. It is impressing to experience how much work people have put into this.”

Gesamt - Disaster 501: What Happened To Man will be displayed on four screens with four audio systems in a black box theatre and will be open to the public during Copenhagen Culture Night on Oct 12, and will be on view until Dec 30. For more information, visit its website.