the enforced memory
2022
The video is my momentary personal reaction on the events of August 2022, which took place in Estonia, in Narva, my home town. Since the war in Ukraine escalated, the removal of Soviet monuments in Estonia became intensively debated topic followed by the government’s decision to demolish any Soviet attributes and monuments from the public spaces. The tank monument in Narva became a stumbling block between the views of different communities within the country. It has especially became symbolic and problematic because it stood right at the border with Russia, on a riverbank of Narva river, facing Estonia. In the final scene I am standing on that riverbank facing Russia. As I grew up in Narva, I felt an urge to speak up about the situation with the monument. This video is my first attempt to express a personal take on the events and the war, happening at this moment in Ukraine.