Like many of Farocki's films, Inextinguishable Fire adheres to a short experimental documentary format and an essayistic style combining text, narration, and images collected from the mass communications industry. Made early in the prolific artist's nearly fifty-year career, the film is a critique of the Vietnam War and the role of industry in the production of chemical weapons. It begins with the following narration: "When we show you pictures of napalm victims, you'll shut your eyes. You'll close your eyes to the pictures. Then you'll close them to the memory. And then you'll close your eyes to the facts." In analyzing the production, dissemination, and consumption of images, he revealed the inextricable links between media culture, politics, technology, and violence.
Gallery label from From the Collection: 1960-69, March 26, 2016 - March 12, 2017.