MEMORY IS AN ANIMAL WHICH BARKS WITH VARIOUS MOUTHS
2 channel film, sound, 15'26'', 32:9, English and Russian with English and German subtitles
installation, 16 hand-dyed fabrics, embroidery, carpets
2023
Written & Directed by Jeanna Kolesova
Editor, CGI, VFX, Colorist, Motion Capture, Voice Recording, Title Design, Subtitles — Jeanna Kolesova
Sound Design — Alina Anufrienko
Dialogue Editing — Vica Kravtsova
Characters Voices — Maxim Avdeev, Syanda Iaptik, Jeanna Kolesova, Gleb Kovalski, Vica Kravtsova, Kira Shmyreva
Translators — Tilman Fries, Vica Kravtsova
Memory is an animal which barks with various mouths touches on the topic of collective memory in russia related to the Second World War and how it was manipulated to form national narratives. I identify personal experiences and memories that intersect with those of society to combine the individual and public spheres. Public commemoration, the aggressive patriotic upbringing of children and adolescents, the cult of state power, and the cult of victory form a war-oriented identity. In contrast, the individual memory about the Second World War among those who experienced it instead reflects on the violent, destructive, and tragic side. This discrepancy allows me to identify algorithms of violence and memory manipulation. By highlighting gaps between individual and collective memory one can demythologize the past. My main question is: When remembering past events, can we find a loophole to break out of the nationalist narrative?
V I D E O S T I L L S