MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME
At first glance, it seems that this film portrays a good-natured story about living on a train,
but this situation is not made up and is not so far from reality. On February 24, 2022,
Russian troops crossed the border of Ukraine, thereby starting a full-scale invasion
that forced me to leave my home country.
During the first month of the war, I experienced constant migration, moving from one couch to another,
feeling like there was no place in the world for me anymore. By portraying myself as a peaceful
inhabitant of the train, I aimed to reflect on and relive these moments of forced displacement
in a safe environment, which, at that point, was Switzerland.
This short film came to life during my first semester at Zürich University of the Arts,
marking the beginning of my artistic practice on an international level.
In addition to “Make Yourself at Home” project, I decided to make a series of “Culture Divided” zines.
These zines represent the split in a national identity, which was caused by
the linguicide of Ukrainian language in times of reoccuring russian invasions of Ukraine.
The main idea
was to sarcastically picture the exhisting of displacing
language,
while providing the actual historical facts.
All the pictures were made in the SBB train, while travelling via trains for Ukrainians was free all over Switzerland.
while providing the actual historical facts.
All the pictures were made in the SBB train, while travelling via trains for Ukrainians was free all over Switzerland.