The Unknown Planet

Which stories lay hidden in an archive? How to recall memories that one have never had? How to navigate through a stage-set which masks reality? The Unknown Planet is a metaphorical attempt to reconstruct Hungary’s recent past. Yet, it is a guided tour through a fictional space. Archival photographs from the ‘60s to the ‘80s are analysed and collaged together seamlessly to create a narrative labyrinth. A close-reading of the images reveals the staged nature of the late socialist everyday life, and the recreations of iconic objects serve as props for this scene. The objects sculpted from ceramics appear as fragile fake relics of a fragile and dishonest system. The viewer is invited to explore this excavation-site of collective memory, where methods of interpreting archives and ways of curating the truth are examined.

graduation project
concept & production by Nóra Békés
video installation with ceramic sculptures
made in 2018