Audio-visual installation

This project is based on the tragic story of Sergei Parajanov’s love to Nigyar, his first wife, who became a victim of traditions. Nigyar, a Muslim girl, born in the family of Moldovan Tatars, was killed by her own family soon after the wedding, because of the religious differences. Parajanov was too poor to ‘buy out’ Nigyar’s life. Such ‘honor killings’ are still widespread among many nations today.

Nigyar’s image stayed with Parajanov forever – as his tragedy, pain, inspiration and shadow. In his films, he repeatedly pictured wedding rituals of various ethnicities, as well as obstacles set by traditional families for beloved ones (‘Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors’, ‘Ashik-Kerib’).

Bride’s white dress is the core element of the installation – a symbol of Parajanov’s love to Nigyar, of the first love in general as well as a ritual element of a girl’s initiation – her symbolic ‘death’ as virgin bride and rebirth as wife.

The dress serves as the screen for wedding rituals, love’s romantic and dramatic moments taken from Parajanov’s films. The projection is accompanied by the audio mix made of film music and dialogue pieces.

Artists:

Volha Salakheyeva (b. 1984 in Gudermes, Chechnya) – video-artist/VJ, curator, media specialist based in Minsk, Belarus.

Pavel Niakhayeu (b.1978 in Orsha, Belarus) – electronic musician, curator, researcher based in Minsk, Belarus. Lecturer at EHU, Vilnius, Lithuania

More about us: (VJ Solar Olga & Pavel Ambiont)

Supported by:

This project was created during the art residency “Shadow of Freedom” at the International Parajanov Festival in Levandivka (Ukraine) organized by Lviv City Council’s Department of Culture in partnership with the Adam Mickiewicz Institute in Warsaw, The Ernst Schering Foundation Program and MitOst Association.

Video report from the Parajanov’s Festival 2017: