Artist Choice by Sirje Runge: "Pink Floyd: The Wall"
Saturday 14. February at 18:00 - 19:35
Kai Art Center, Tallinn
In the second half of February, Kai Art Center’s cinema will present a film program curated by Sirje Runge, created in dialogue with her solo exhibition “On Fragile Ground. Sirje Runge and Light.” The films will be screened over four evenings and form part of the exhibition’s public program.
The special program opens with Alan Parker’s Pink Floyd: The Wall (1982), based on Pink Floyd’s 1979 album of the same name. The screenplay for this surreal musical film was written by the band’s singer and bassist Roger Waters.
At the centre of the film is Pink — a famous rock musician who is mentally falling apart. He has locked himself in a hotel room, withdrawing from the world and from his own sense of self. In his isolation, he begins to relive the traumas of his life, which over the years have formed an imaginary “wall” around him.
The story unfolds through memories and symbolic scenes: a childhood without a father, an overprotective mother, an oppressive school system, a failed marriage, and the pressures of fame. Each experience adds another “brick” to his inner wall, distancing him further from reality.
Music, animation, and visual metaphors intertwine to depict Pink’s psychological breakdown and inner struggle. In the film’s climax, he faces his own “trial,” where he must decide whether to tear down the wall and confront reality or remain trapped behind it forever. Through Pink’s experiences, the film highlights the fractures and anxieties of modern society.
The film has achieved cult status among Pink Floyd fans, and the lead role is played by Bob Geldof, vocalist of The Boomtown Rats.
Each screening begins with a video introduction in which Sirje Runge explains the background of her film selection and offers viewers possible perspectives for experiencing the work. According to her, the films chosen for the programme form a unified whole together with the exhibition and reflect a small fragment of what she finds meaningful in the world.
Screenings can be attended with an exhibition ticket. A limited number of full program passes is also available. To experience Sirje Runge’s video introduction, please arrive before the screening begins.
The film selection is brought to audiences in collaboration with Sõprus Cinema, and the programme has been compiled by Sirje Runge together with Sõprus’s programme manager Johannes Lõhmus.
Program:
14.02 at 6pm — Pink Floyd: The Wall (1982)
15.02 at 6pm — Federico Fellini’s Roma (1972)
21.02 at 6pm — Carine Asscheri’s James Turrell: Passageways (1995) + Christoph Schaub’s Architecture of Infinity
22.02 at 6pm — Two episodes of National Geographic’s One Strange Rock (2018)
Genre: drama, fantasy, music
Duration: 1h 35m
Country: UK, 1982
Director: Alan Parker
Cast: Bob Geldof, Christine Hargreaves, James Laurenson
Language: English, German
Subtitles: English
Kai Art Center • Peetri tänav 12, 10415 Tallinn, Harju maakond, Estonia
