Siegfried Mattl 1954–2015

The Austrian Film Museum mourns the passing of Siegfried Mattl. The historian and cultural scholar, who died on April 25, 2015, was head of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for History and Society and a lecturer at the University of Vienna. With his teaching, publications, research projects and exhibitions, he opened a new dimension in contemporary history studies. His work, bridging history with philosophy and cultural theory (from Kracauer to Rancière), was marked by an investigation of urban life and idioms beyond the dominating political and cultural terminology, and an intensive preoccupation with “visual history" and with film and media archives as historical repositories and catalysts for historical research that goes "against the grain". In the last 15 years, the Austrian Film Museum could realize a number of significant projects and events together with Siegfried Mattl and his team, and remains closely linked to his work and philosophy. The upcoming book "Archäologie des Amateurfilms" (The Archaeology of Amateur Film), which he initiated and co-edited, is due for release in fall 2015.