Camp/Anti-Camp: Carmen Miranda und Alla Nazimova

Camp is a lie which tells the truth. Camp is an unexpectedly strong commitment to the trivial. Camp is so bad it's good. Camp is so good it's good. Camp asks what would be if those who had made the film were queer. Camp, a term that was introduced into cultural studies discourse by Susan Sontag in 1964, and stems from queer subculture, is difficult to define. Denoting a perverse productive view of cultural products and a lifestyle at once, the term enables a new perspective on films, stars and styles of the past and present. As part of the "Camp/Anti-Camp" festival curated by Susanne Sachsse and Marc Siegel (19.–21. April, HAU), Arsenal is showing important camp-related films in March and April so as to question the relevance of the term.