dir. Elena Muchnaya
Russia 2023
in one sentence: “caught in the pause” – the main character allowed herself to stop for a moment, to fall out of the general movement. reflected in this pause, she makes it possible for something to happen. something that she still did not know about herself. something that threatens her time, her integrity, her existence – or not?
The material was filmed from August 2021 to September 2023, partly in Altai Republic, partly in Novosibirsk region. The doll I made in advance. In this project again we are collaborating with my favorite actress Ekaterina Basalaeva – dancer, choreographer, organizer of the Siberian Festival of Contact Improvisation at Altay. Doll’s face I made as Ekaterina’s portret, for the doll supposed to be her twin.
In this project I also act as a director, cameraman, editor, composer, puppeteer and stop-motion animator.
Elena Muchnaya
Elena Muchnaya lives in Novosibirsk (Russia). Independent artist, working in a field of visual art: director, filmmaker, photographer –
teaching and facilitating projects, related with film creation.
Cooperates with different dance festivals, residences and theater groups.
Her work is focused on opening up, discovering, “liminal” or “pure” spaces that shift the viewer’s perception or guide towards clear presence.
Often uses contemporary dance, contact improvisation and voice practices in her works.
In 2001 graduated from the Novosibirsk State Academy of Architecture and Art.
From 2016 to 2019 studied at the Individual Directing Workshop under the guidance of Boris Yukhananov.
Since 2009, within the framework of the Siberian International Festival of Contact Improvisation and Performance at Altay,
curating interdisciplinary projects aimed at exploring the space between movement, video and the environment.
Since 2015, together with A. Omelchenko, facilitating the Art-Continuum Nomadic Residence festival –
a creative experiment, multifaceted research, the process of creating short films and performances.
