Zuzana-Markéta Macková


CV
Instagram
Eastern, but make it central! 2022
Video essay, 10 min., installation

The film was created in collaboration with artist Maxine Vajt. It was originally made for a Western audience and premiered in Basel, Switzerland, in 2022. This ten-minute video essay looks at how Eastern European identities are presented and performed within the context of Western art spaces.

The narrative is built around the repeatedly delayed construction of Prague’s Metro D line. This state project has been announced since the 1980s but remains unfinished. In the film, it serves as a symbol of political stagnation and empty promises, reflecting similar patterns seen in other parts of the world.

Two voices guide the viewer through the story. One belongs to an elderly woman known for voicing announcements in Prague’s public transport. She reads an official government statement in a flat, robotic tone. The second voice is that of a young girl who sings headlines from independent media to the melody of the Czech lullaby Vyletěla holubička ze skály. The lyrics remain mostly the same, but key facts are replaced by the uniquely Czech letter “Ř,” used here as a playful cultural symbol.

The visuals show the underfunded district where the futuristic metro line is supposed to appear. The film also includes sound design inspired by classic PC games, especially those set in imagined Eastern European environments. These soundscapes are often dominated by industrial noise, constant rain, and distant, ghostly children’s voices.

2024 Exhibited at Artmill (Mířenice, Czech Republic)
2022 Exhibited at Galerie Ladislava Sutnara  (Pilsen, Czech Republic)
2022 Exhibited at DOCK gallery (Basel, Switzerland)

video here

Feel free to reach out,
and let’s do something together <3
Index   Next →