Renata Poljak – Wonderland

“Wonderland”- video by Renata Poljak (Croatia)

Preparation of project: March 10 – 15, 2001
Production: August 21 – 29, 2001

“The video projection, entitled Wonderland, shows a mix between private pictures and images of Sarajevo which were shot in 2001. From a series of old private footages shot with super 8 camera, we move on to a field of red poppies. During the whole video, one can hear the artist saying excerpts from “Alice in Wonderland”:

And if he stops dreaming about you, where do you think you will be?
How can you wake him, when you’re only one of the things in his dream?
I don’t know why you are crying you won’t become real that way.

The video finishes with a harmonious scene filmed in a city park in Sarajevo. One can see two looped videos on two TV screens installed at the same space. The video shows a close up of the artist,walking along  the streets in Sarajevo, dissolves in the field of red poppies dissolving in the close up of the artist over and over again. There is a sound mix with the artist’s voice singing a song “Crveni Makovi” (Red Poppies).

The song “Crveni Makovi” (Red Poppies) was most frequently sung during young pioneers’ ceremonies and this was one of the elements that deeply defined Renata. In the song, red poppies are a metaphor of the fight of Yugoslav partisans in WWII .
The song Red Poppies is also used as a symbol of a common background, evoking the history of a nation which no longer exists.
The sound part of this installation is very important as different sounds complement each other.”
(Taken from the web site of Renata Poljak.)