Die Schöpfer der Einkaufswelten

Shopping malls have become a familiar sight for everyone, an unavoidable element of the consumer’s everyday life. In his new essay, The Creators of Shopping Worlds, Farocki tries to show how such spaces are conceived, commercially, architecturally and visually, in order to entice the regular customer, to reassure, provide a feeling of well-being, to ensure he will proceed to spend. Farocki systematically films the various discussions and brainstorming sessions of the designers and financiers as they assess projects for a large shopping mall in Münster; charm offensives for creating an enjoyable and congenial atmosphere; surveillance technology, and managing potential customer traffic-flow; establishing a system of marketing slogans and logos. From overall concept of the shopping space to the way a cake is positioned in a window display, nothing is left to chance. (www.2001.pardo.ch)