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Friday, August 14, 2009

The Sands of Time




One of the most remarkable examples of video footage has surfaced on YouTube, in the form of what might best be described as a cross pollination between performance art and avant-garde, but that doesn’t even describe it accurately.

In fact, there really isn’t a pure term to nail it down, other than an artist performing the act of creation.

Kseniya Simonova is the artist, and she recently claimed the winning spot on Ukraine’s own version of our popular, “America’s Got Talent” television show.

Simonova, who utilizes sand as her artistic medium, wowed and reduced her audience (as well as the show’s judges) to tears as she drew pictures with sand, telling the dramatic story of the invasion and occupation of Ukraine by the Nazis during World War II.

Her drawings, illuminated in a PowerPoint format and accompanied by dramatic music, reveal through morphing images, the horrors and losses suffered by the Ukrainian people.

It is estimated that between five to eight million Ukrainians perished during that dark period in history, and it is obvious that very few if any family histories were not touched by the devastation over 65 years ago.

See for yourself this remarkable and touching performance, which was signed at the end, not with her name, but with the simple phrase, “You are always near.”

In my humble opinion, this truly redefines the term “talent.”

8 comments:

BarryGillogly said...

I am speachless. Thank you, Paula!!

Anonymous said...

That brought tears to my eyes. It's like "Guernica" in motion.

I'll bet if someone did that here on "America's Got Talent," the judges wouldn't know what the heck to to do with an act like that. It actually is in touch with the whole point of art, and not just pure entertainment or novelty.

TallTchr said...

Thank you. I really enjoyed it.

Jo said...

That was the most extraordinary thing I have ever seen. Thank you.

Omigosh!

I am speechless too.

Paula Slade said...

Barry, you are welcome! I too was speechless when I first viewed it!

Paula Slade said...

samgillogly, it brought tears to my eyes as well especially as the woman morphed in age - thinking how long they have had to bear this tragedy.

Paula Slade said...

TallTch, I'm pleased you enjoyed it!

Paula Slade said...

Jo, I totally agree, it was indeed "extraordinary," and as I said to Barry after I saw it the first time, I was speechless as well. It took me quite awhile to figure out what to post about, as I was initially at a loss for words.