Frame Works (India)
Frame Works
is a New Delhi-based collective whose practice lies at the intersections of film, research and art. The collective comprises filmmakers/visual artists - Amit Mahanti and Ruchika Negi. Their works are centered around questions of ecological transformation and sustainability, development and cultural practice. Their research interests lie in investigating the relationship between social ecologies, landscapes and the environmental changes caused by human intervention.
The idea of water and rivers as the metaphor of change, but at the same time of memory and endurance, serves as the point of departure for the project that the artists will carry out during their residency at U–jazdowski. The Vistula River together with the surrounding areas are the place where the artists perform their actions and research, in order to explore diverse layers of life sustained and preserved by the river over the centuries and today.
In the last few years, summer drops in water level in the Vistula revealed objects from the past: Jewish mazevahs thrown into the river by the Nazis, relics from the 2nd World War, fragments of loot stolen by Swedish invaders during the Deluge, such as big elements of palace decorations. The artists are interested not only in the material value of those objects, but most of all in their meaning for contemporary society.
In the Vistula Museum in Wyszogród, the artists discovered a wreckage of a Soviet Pe-2 plane that was shot down over Wyszogród and fell into the river on 18 January 1945. The recovery of the plane from the river in 2015 and its presence in the museum, as well as the funeral of the three aircrew members inspired the artists to reflect on the genesis of myths, local legends and tales that constitute the value of contemporary communities. An important part of the research is devoted to the impressions of the inhabitants of Wyszogród concerning contemporary history and, especially, the 2nd World War that left its mark upon them. During last year’s and this year’s residency, relations with members of the Wyszogród community allow the artists to scrutinize the community’s links with the river that “does not allow to forget”, as relics from the 2nd World War keep appearing on its shores.
During the residency Amit Machanti i Ruchika Negi will conduct the workshop with young people that will facilitate an articulation of local, micro narratives with relation to the World War-II era as well the town’s history.
- Curator
- Ika Sienkiewicz-Nowacka
