Changeover in the Blue Salon: Experience analog film projection in Karlsruhe
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Film on: A behind-the-scenes look at analog projection
When light shines through the projector in the Blue Salon and a 35mm film reel writes its images on the screen, cinema becomes an immediately palpable sensory, craft, and technical experience. The four-hour workshop Changeover – 35mm Workshop opens on September 26, 2026, the screening room of HfG Karlsruhe and invites participants to not only observe but also co-create the analog film projection.
The exhibition atmosphere of the hidden screening room
The screening room is considered a secret place in cinema where a filmic world is created from light, material, and movement. The workshop introduces participants to this special working area in the Blue Salon. Among projectors, film reels, and mechanical processes, attendees encounter a cinema technology whose precision and physical presence have become rare in the digital age.
The focus here is not on painting, sculpture, or installation, but on the film material itself: its surface, its perforation, its light sensitivity, and the traces that an analog projection makes visible. Each film reel carries both the history of technology and cultural memory within it.
Film history to touch
The workshop provides an introduction to the history of film projection and categorizes different film materials as well as image and sound formats. Thus, the format connects technical expertise with cultural education. Participants learn how the cinema landscape has changed through digitalization and why analog 35mm projection still possesses its own aesthetic quality today.
The focus is on practical engagement with the material. The film reels are inspected, prepared for projection, and examined in terms of their condition. The sensory experience arises from the interplay of forms, movement, light, and mechanical sound – an aesthetic experience that digital reproduction cannot fully replace.
Load yourself, project yourself
After the introduction, it goes directly into practice. Participants manually load analog film material into the projector and project it. The crossfade operation with two projectors is also addressed. This makes it understandable how projectionists once synchronized reel changes, image position, and sound.
The artistic experience of this workshop lies in the connection of technology, film history, and concentrated handwork. The Blue Salon becomes a projection laboratory where the creation of moving images remains an experiential process.
Cinema as cultural memory
The cinema in the Blue Salon of the Karlsruhe University of Design maintains analog film projection when a 35mm copy is available and an analog screening is sensible. The university cinema hall provides space for film history, experimental film, short film programs, and student productions. The workshop consistently continues this curatorial stance and makes the technical infrastructure itself the subject of the mediation.
The event is supported by the Riemschneider Foundation. Participation costs 40 euros per person, reduced 20 euros; for HfG students, participation is free. Registration is required.
Conclusion: Experience analog film art live
Changeover – 35mm Workshop promises an intense artistic experience for all who want to understand film not only visually but also in its material and historical depth. Visitors can expect a rare combination of film history, technical practice, exhibition atmosphere, and aesthetic experience. Anyone who wants to experience how a moving image emerges from film reel, projector, and light should not miss this unique insight behind the scenes of cinema in Karlsruhe.
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- Website: https://kinoimblauensalon.de/de/events/changeover-2026-09-26
