documentary exhibition, 2015
In the exhibition Only the two of us, Albena Baeva uses archival video material, rare interviews, drawings and photographs by and with Dimitar Voev to create an intimate environment. Voev is a well-known Bulgarian poet, composer and musician, and was the driving force behind the most-famous Bulgarian dark-wave band in the 1980’s and 90’s; Nova Generatsia.
The concept and the interactive installations for the exhibition Only the two of us was created by Albena Baeva, in collaboration and with the support of photographer Neli Nedeva-Voeva and music producer Ivo Hristov.
Nails is an interactive installation inspired by Voev’s lyrics. It was created specifically for the exhibition and forms its centre. Copies of handwritten-notes by Voev with excerpts of his poems and lyrics, are pinned on large size nails, similar to how cash register receipts used to be stored around the time of Voev and Nova Generatsia. The audience can leaf through the notes by slightly lifting them, which causes fragments of music by Voev to become audible.
Hidden Life is an interactive video installation in which a video projection is completely blanked out by a bright theatre spot. The video projection contains unedited, archival footage from the life of Voev, on the road and at home.
Only by standing in front of the spot, audience members can create a shadow in which the video projection becomes visible, providing the audience with a temporary window into the life of Voev.
The third installation in this exhibition consisted of a living room chair, in a style that was typical during Voev’s time, next to which stands an old-fashioned rotary dial telephone on a small table. The audience is invited to sit in the chair. Once seated, the phone rings. When the receiver of the phone is picked up, the voice of Voev is heard on the other end of the line, as he begins to talk about the formation of Nova Generatsia.
photos by Ivo Hristov
