Decembers – performing a past
HD video projected on MDF board (8 min. loop), shelf with translated texts
In the video Decembers – performing a past, the project’s women participants simultaneously perform their stories about two historical protests in Gdańsk. This “choir piece” came out of a discussion on the notion of “collective”—a term heavily used during communist rule in Poland—versus “community,” which for the women is anchored in solidarity and a liberating agenda. The work functions to destabilise the archival style of the other two parts of Decembers, leaving it hovering between different interpretations and positions.
By not including subtitles, Decembers – performing a past might at first seem to exclude non-Polish speakers, but the possibility exists to immerse oneself in the women’s individual stories, which are presented as translated texts in the accompanying exhibition. If the viewer can overcome the wish for translation within the film, one can simply let oneself follow the flow of the chorus-like soundtrack, which makes the exhibition space vibrate rhythmically, without it necessarily being alienating.