The other 17 999 worlds

18 0000 worlds by Saodat Ismailova at the Eye Museum is a capturing experience in which truly 18 0000 dimensions are to be unearthed, whether these are worlds, landscapes or dreams.  

Saodat shares in an intimate and very powerful way her heritage and takes the visitors on a journey through 18 0000 worlds, in which rituals, myths, traditions and landscapes are essential elements in the retellings of an harrowing past of a suppressed culture and nation.  The exhibition is primarily held in one big openspace, complemented by one sideroom where a new work of Ismailova was presented. The exhibition is in an interdisciplinary manner constructed, in addition to big video installations, it also includes some neon light and textile installations that support the centralized cinematic works. The exhibition reflects on the survival and creation in Central Asia, and the role of the USSR in this horrifying history. It touches upon themes as colonization, regime changes, and gendered and political repression, but also on healing, protection, belief and faith.  

 The open exhibition space opts for freedom of movement, to navigate according to one's own plan or linger at a particular work at one's leisure. There is no rigid routing or imposed structure laid out by the Eye Museum. This freedom of choice is a privilege that is quite opposed to the narratives of Ismailova’s work, of which many revolve around the suppression of people, and in particular women. In Ismailova’s work women play a crucial role in passing on their collective cultural and spiritual heritage. The traditional practices are handed over from mother to daughter for generations. The Uzbek women are crucial in the survival of their heritage and culture via the intimate bond of motherhood.  


A work that emphases this strongly is placed right at the beginning of the exhibition, it is a 15 minute video montage named: Her Right (2020). This work is an assemblage of pieces of silent films dating from the Soviet era, interrupted with contemporary film footage. Under the Soviet regime women were forced to take off their veils and they found themselves trapped between traditional culture and their emancipation. This juxtaposition is in visual and artistic means recreated by interrupting the old footage with colorful new footage. This enables the visitor to reflect on a, almost forgotten, past as they are confronted with it in the present. This is possibly fostered by the various developments in women's rights movements and debates about female bodies and their ownership. It provides a sort of shock element that fosters engagement from the visits. 

It is as exhibitions project manager Claartje Opdam said, “everything indicates as if the time and audience is ready for this exhibition and these kinds of stories.” I would say not only ready, but eager to uncover stories that are unheard as they were unable to be told in the past. After spending one hour at the exhibition, it became very clear that beside the world we live in, there are 17 999 other worlds to be discovered. Thus, much more time was needed to explore the multitude of layers of the worlds Ismailova shared with us.      

 
Post by: Karmen Samson

Comments

  1. iblomMarch 16, 2023 at 7:38 AM

    Something went wrong with the video I guess. Good, critical review, though, even if I would have cherished some connections with our course literature too.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
 New media narration When we think about museums, our first thought is always about a painting hanging on the wall or imposing sculptures in the middle of a room, but is it only that, or have museums started to change their focus and identity?  Having already been at the UFO exhibition in the NXT museum, we can easily distinguish the differences from a "traditional" museum. The use of new media installations like videos, movies, and even video games creates a hypermediated space where the audience becomes a medium himself. The institution has found a new transmedial way to narrate its story. UFO exhibition in the NXT museum. Photo by Ioanna Paschali, 2023.  In recent years more and more institutions have used transmedia storytelling techniques in order to engage more and more people and be more entertaining, one can say a big queue makes a successful museum. However, that does not really mean that succession is only about big queues but also about the message. While new m...
Read more

Thinking about museums (and beyond)

Image
     Artifacts on display… that is the most common thought when people are confronted with the word “museum”. And yes, once upon a time it was so, but as new media approaches the museum new ideas and possibilities open up (Henning). NFT  Exhibition in the Moco Museum. Video by Erick Vázquez 2022      The first possibility is, of course the idea of how information can be spread around more easily. The digitalization of catalogues and the easy access to them is definitively a process of democratization of knowledge. Taking into account that there is no such thing as “one size fits all”, the possibility of accessing information relevant to each case is important and fundamental. (Hooper-Greenhill)      Interactivity is one upgrade that can be created by new mediums entering exhibitions. There are two ways that interactivity can be achieved in exhibitions and museums. Hands on vs Mind on, the former can be a mechanical gesture from the visit...
Read more