Enter Paradise for €3.20

In the history of art and religion the myth of Paradise is based on the notion of exclusivity. Edith Stauber thoroughly demythologizes this premise with her animated documentary Enter Paradise for €3.20: Linz´s Parkbad outdoor swimming pool is portrayed as a more democratic model for a Garden of Eden, creating a paradisical pattern of associations from the temptations of a land of milk and honey to Hieronymus Bosch´s triptych Garden of Earthly Delights.
The swimming pool´s patrons leave the noise of summer´s annual street construction behind. After the ritualized exchange of money for access they stream through the civilizing standards of the changing rooms and lockers out to the sunbathing lawn and the pools. Stauber is familiar with this place and the people who frequent it, her digitally animated ink drawings are the result of thorough long-term observation. With great attention to detail, she documents the leisurely rhythm of the regimented leisure facility: swimwear (which tends to slip and reveal more of the body than was intended), satisfied and lascivious glances above and below the water´s surface, the annoying ringing of cellphones, the graffiti with the word FUCK and tabloid headlines read by lounging guests, all of which indicate the significance of carnal lust, or the obligatory announcements of the lifeguard. An earthly paradise. At the snack bar a slice of Austrian cake with enhanced flavor is consumed without inhibition. The lethargy and calm of the satiated patrons dominate the scene. At the exit a jackhammer pounds away. If only one could have stayed a little longer.

(Pia Feichtenschlager)
Translation: Steve Wilder