Introduction by the Btps collective

Yulia: Hi, this is Yulia, speaking from Boston, Massachusetts. And here it is: the collective Beyond the post-soviet emerged in 2021 out of the need and urge of producing and disseminating knowledge collectively, and to research and reveal interconnectivity of the colonialisms. The collective has its personal connections and understanding of the cultural regions previously referred to as ‘post-soviet space’ and ‘post-socialist countries’ and beyond that. We conceive active and attentive listening as a decolonial practice and as a political position. And through that we acknowledge the fact of not knowing but willing to understand. Each project and meeting is a potential to build relationships, which entails responsibilities.

Each of the projects creates the space for emerging spontaneous collectives or collectivity. Therehow we aim to create the space for discussion and being together.

Tatiana: Hi, I’m Fiodorova-Lefter Tatiana. I’m from Moldova. For our group, it was important to listen to each other and share our experiences. We connected both online and offline, using different messaging apps and video calls. Our work also took us on trips and to meetings. All this brought us even closer, despite the physical distance between us. We understood that—no matter the distance—deep connections, collective work, and friendships are still possible.

Wiola: Hi, this is Wiola speaking from Seyðisfjörður in East of Iceland. After many online meetings during which we were discussing what we as a collective could contribute, we came up with the idea of a sound archive that includes people which we have been working with, have been inspired by or we think their voice should be heard and be present in our archive. We decided to ask them “How to be next to each other?” and they were allowed to express themselves in a way that was honest to them and in the language of their choice—the only limitation was a medium of answer: sound.Danylo: Hi, this is Danylo, speaking from Quimper, Western Brittany in France. We discussed with Anna Zvyaginsteva, a Ukrainian artist working in different mediums, how to present the archive. In terms of subjects, she often gets inspiration from her experience with nature, her memory, and the ideas of life and death. She helped us to develop the concept. Anna gives her perception of this question by creating a bench with the collective, to have the audience be close to each other, to try to construct a sense of acknowledgment and mutual understanding. In an expression of her sight, Anna shared the passage: “Неначе дерево без листя стоїть моя душа в полях” —“Like a tree without leaves my soul stands in fields.”

Sasha: Hi, this is Sasha, speaking from l’Étang de l’Or, in the south of France. On the bench, we are very happy to welcome our colleagues and friends, who are: Epp Annus, a researcher, thinker, and writer based between Estonia and the USA, the collective Bishkek School of Contemporary Art, who work in Kyrgyzstan, a queer artist from Lviv in Ukraine, Yana Bachynska. Then: Zola Chichmintseva-Kondamambou, a cultural worker from France and a member of our collective, the artistic duo Dorota Gawęda and Eglė Kulbokaitė, artist and curator from Moldova Tatiana FiodorovaLefter, who is also a member of Btps, philosopher Kristupas Sabolius, based between Lithuania and the USA, a very young 7-year old lady from Ukraine Anastasiia, artist and poet Araks Sahakyan, and finally, Edita Stejskalová, a Roma activist from Czechia.

Please, be welcome in this space!

Yulia Fisch, cultural worker

Recorded in Boston, USA

Tatiana Fiodorova-Lefter, artist and curator

Recorded in Chișinău, Moldova

Wiola Ujazdowska, artist

Recorded in Seyðisfjörður, Iceland

Danylo Boiko, cultural worker

Recorded in Quimper, France

Sasha Baydal, interdependent art worker

Recorded on l’Étang de l’Or, France