video installation, 3d scans, archive footage
“Це посадка на зруйнованій землі:Rebuilding is not erasing the past.
It’s planting in broken ground.’
is a video installation project I realized for the exhibition “Het Vaste Grond’ in the Steinfabriek in Losser.
The project is dedicated to Natalia Starodub, an Ukrainian woman from Kyiv who at the start of the war had to flee from her country to save herself and her 2 children.
After a very complicated journey she managed to cross borders and find safety for a couple of weeks in Poland, where she was later on , through the help of some volunteers, proposed to move to the Netherlands. She went on a bus, not really knowing where it was headed to, which eventually ended going to Losser,Overijssel.
There, she lived for almost two years and was not only able to find a home again, but helped other refugees to do so by working as a manager in a
center that was taking care of Ukrainian refugees.
The video is a testimony of her journey, with videos and images she recorded. Through her perspective, viewers are invited to witness the human resilience and solidarity that emerge even in times of displacement and uncertainty.
Ultimately, this project reflects on themes of survival, community, and the reconstruction of home. It emphasizes the capacity for care, courage, and connection in the face of conflict, and challenges viewers to consider the personal and collective stories behind the headlines of war and migration.
The project has been exhibited at The Steinfabriek, Losser from 18th till 21st of October. Special thanks to Natalia Starodub and the Vaste Grond for its realization.