BERLIN: ZVIZDAL [Chernobyl – so far so close]
BERLIN’s Zvizdal is a cinematic play that follows the day-to-day existence of an elderly couple living in the abandoned Chernobyl exclusion zone. To create the work, the Belgian-based collective, BERLIN, traveled to the village of Zvizdal to document how the couple continues to live, work, and survive 30 years after the nuclear disaster of 1986. The resulting film, sculpture, and set portray the world of Pétro and Nadia, their love, and their stubborn refusal to allow an invisible danger to separate them from their home.
The presentation of BERLIN: Zvizdal at DiverseWorks is the final stop on a North American tour co-organized by Fusebox, Austin that includes presentations at the Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus, OH; the Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, OH; the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN; PuSH International Performing Arts Festival, Vancouver, Canada; and The Long Center for the Performing Arts, Austin, TX.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
BERLIN is a performance and filmmaking collaborative based in Antwerp, Belgium comprised of Bart Baele, Yves Degryse, and Cathy Blisson. Their work is interdisciplinary in nature and engages different media depending upon the content of each project. BERLIN’s performances have been presented internationally at festivals, theaters, and art spaces, including the Dublin Theatre Festival, Le Centquatre (Paris), and the Onassis Cultural Center (Athens), among many others.
BERLIN is supported by the Flemish Government. The North American tour of Zvizdal is supported by the General Delegation of the Government of Flanders to the USA.