FIRE AND THUNDER. 2014
Video installation of two parts, 2 min. 58 sec. each
Video installation of two parts, 2 min. 58 sec. each
FIRE AND THUNDER I. The Tower of Flowers.
"Fire and Thunder I. The Tower of Flowers" documents a 9th of May celebration at the Memorial to Soviet Soldiers in the Antakalnis Cemetery in Vilnius. The Russian minority celebrates it as the end of the World War II and a victory against fascism. For Lithuanians, this day means the beginning of soviet occupation, which ended in 1993 when the last soviet soldier left the country. The tower of flowers rises around the eternal flame – a symbol of remembrance. But whose memory is it?
"Fire and Thunder I. The Tower of Flowers" documents a 9th of May celebration at the Memorial to Soviet Soldiers in the Antakalnis Cemetery in Vilnius. The Russian minority celebrates it as the end of the World War II and a victory against fascism. For Lithuanians, this day means the beginning of soviet occupation, which ended in 1993 when the last soviet soldier left the country. The tower of flowers rises around the eternal flame – a symbol of remembrance. But whose memory is it?
FIRE AND THUNDER II. Little Green Men Landing.
"Fire and Thunder II. Little Green Men Landing" shows the day after the celebration. No people show up in the rain and thunder, but the cemetery is not empty. Little green men appear close to the flowers and wreaths. Do they also belong to “the forces of self-defense who purchased their uniforms in a local store” (Putin), first spotted in Crimea? According to Alexei Yurchak, “chelovechki is not just little men, but small creatures that are like humans, but are not humans – an army of leprechauns (...) They were designed to be a pure, naked military force – a force without a state, without a face, without identity, without a clearly articulated goal.”
"Fire and Thunder II. Little Green Men Landing" shows the day after the celebration. No people show up in the rain and thunder, but the cemetery is not empty. Little green men appear close to the flowers and wreaths. Do they also belong to “the forces of self-defense who purchased their uniforms in a local store” (Putin), first spotted in Crimea? According to Alexei Yurchak, “chelovechki is not just little men, but small creatures that are like humans, but are not humans – an army of leprechauns (...) They were designed to be a pure, naked military force – a force without a state, without a face, without identity, without a clearly articulated goal.”