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?

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V I D E O   S T I L L S