Werner von Mutzenbecher created Rom 70/71 with an Agfa Microflex super-8 camera, during a residency at the Istituto Svizzero (Swiss Institute) in Rome, from autumn 1970 to spring 1971. As he wanders the city streets in the afternoons, the artist captures, without any preconceived intentions, urbans details, or micro-events that draw his attention. Mutzenbecher describes Rom 70/71 as "reflex cinema" and develops a spontaneous form of filmed diary about a location, in this case a city, without focusing on human presence.