RAPTURE

Directed by Alisa Berger

RAPTURE tells the story of Marko, an exiled Ukrainian vogue dancer, and his abandoned apartment in war-torn Donbas, Ukraine. In a VR experiment, Marko visits his inaccessible home. The two-channel installation unfolds as a diptych in two parts. In RAPTURE I – VISIT (an 18min video projection), Marko confronts his abandoned apartment, recreated through 3D scans and original photographs from the occupied area. This digital reconquest offers a powerful reflection on displacement, raising questions about recovery and loss in the face of war, as well as the possibilities and limitations of technology and its ultimate emotional impact. RAPTURE II – PORTAL (a 19min VR piece) shifts the viewer into Marko’s place and explores the body as an eternal home. Guided by Marko in a hypnotic session, the viewer moves through a virtual reconstruction of his apartment. Vogue dance elements juxtapose the strength of the human body in dance with its vulnerability in the face of war technology.