"Parnassius mnemosyne" is a live audiovisual event within “White Night” festival. It incorporates contemporary poetry, experimental music and analogue cinema which focuses on the subject of memory as a phenomena in defining what it is to be human.
Within the event there are four performances that unite three creative disciplines: music, analogue film and poetry. There are both local and foreigner artists taking part: Andris Indāns (LV), Vytautas Juozėnas (LT), artist’s collective “Open Night Cinema” (IE), Jeļena Glazova (LV), Ieva Balode (LV), Toms Treibergs (LV), Henriks Eliass Zēgners (LV), Signe Birkova (LV).
All the participants are known for their experimental, high quality technical and creative approach, combining different analogue and digital mediums– modular synthesizers, electro-acoustic instruments, analogue film and projectors, which as a medium, is rarely found in Latvia. These performances will offer a unique opportunity to discover and experience ‘Corner House’ through multi-disciplinary arts engagement with rare audio and cinema equipment.
"Mnemosyne" is a reference to the personification of memory in greek mythology. Writer Vladimir Nabokov included the drawing of the butterfly Parnassius mnemosyne in his autobiographic work “Speak, memory”. Through their works, participants of the event will reflect both on the historical memories of Corner House, as well as the psychological, philosophical and social processes related, bringing foreward human memory as the main leitmotiv.
Corner House is a symbol of totalitarian power, it is a relic of 20th century war and repression and genocide in 21st century Riga. It opened to the public in 2014, offering various expositions, excursions and exhibitions which, from different points of view, examines relationships between human and power in the past, while reflecting in our present consciousness. Project Parnassius mnemosyne tries to emphasize the role of “unwanted memories” in formation of social self-awareness and with the help of artists and poets will try to approach the phenomena of collective memory.
Vasara Films
2016
