ALEXANDRA DEMENTIEVA

A capella singing (we are never alone)

Eating is a piece of art - Cream cheese traces

Alexandra Dementieva’s main interests focus on social psychology and perception and their application in multimedia interactive installations. Her artistic research process happens in the here and now, in the increasingly technologized present. It is deeply rooted in its cultural context. Photography and other digital media always record a trace, which indicates the former presence of something. Attesting to a certain event the trace at the same time enshrines the technology in use, thus acting as a witness to contemporaneous culture. In a similar manner, she tends to reflect on behavioural patterns and cultural mechanisms that are characteristic of contemporary society.

During the COVID 19-crisis, the isolation in her apartment, made her develop some new work about which she says:

“Physical isolation with a possibility to socialize virtually isn’t the worse situation. But still, being closed in and limited by wall space during a long period, destabilizes the human psychic and his/her growing demand for social contact can create an unexpected form of resistance.

Finding myself confronted with four walls and suddenly having a lot of spare time, triggered in me a desire to work with experiments that in everyday life could look stupid and useless.

I always wanted to sing a cappella – not because I feel I am a singer but just to try to keep rhythm and maybe melody, and train my memory. I made several try-out videos during a two-months period. The result wasn’t satisfying because all my doppelgangers never managed to make a nice melody and they weren’t able to sing in unison. But the process was funny and entertaining – exactly what we need being secluded.”

In addition to the a capella videos Dementieva also made ‘Cream cheese traces’ with a soundtrack by Belgian composer Guy De Bievre.