Philosophical Film Salon #13: Agnès Varda

Philosophical Film Salon #13 presents Agnès Varda's 1976 documentary about life on Rue Daguerre in Paris, where Varda herself lived with her young son. The film portrays the street's residents and shopkeepers - bakers, perfumers, butchers, tailors - in their daily work.

The title references the daguerreotype, a photographic technique from the first half of the 19th century that produced images without negatives and thus could not be reproduced. Like the daguerreotype's unique portraits, Varda seeks to capture individual moments in what appears to be monotonous working life.

Following the screening, historian of ideas Freja Værnskjold Dzougov will give a brief talk drawing on Walter Benjamin's thoughts on memory, mimesis, and the nature of photography. The talk leads into a shared discussion. Freja Værnskjold Dzougov holds a degree in the history of ideas and is writing a PhD on the angel's return in 20th-century philosophy, with particular interest in medieval philosophy's relevance to modern thought - including themes of love, beauty, and forgiveness.

The event takes place in the Small Hall at Hovedbiblioteket in Aarhus.