Zemya Zemya
Watch here
2.57 min. B & W, sound, digital distribution 2008
Animation and sound design: Eva Nikolova
With sound files courtesy of the Freesound Project (http://freesound.iua.upf.edu)
A humorous if pessimistic meditation on geopolitics that eschews didacticism and a univocal reading through the use of a wordless, free-associative narrative and a highly individual visual aesthetic. Employing the characteristic form of the Orthodox Christian Church – an image which at no point conveys a static metaphor, evoking narratives of nationalism, history, power and tradition in a region ever at the mercy of larger geopolitical forces – the animation suggests the recent history of the Balkans. But while the images may evoke cultural specificity, the narrative offers a framework open for interpretation and association that may hint at more current events. The title Zemya Zemya is a double reiteration of the Bulgarian word for Earth /Land /Ground. The doubling referring to the signage on rockets designating the missile type – Ground to Ground /Surface to Surface.
