Catalogue > At random

SWIMMERS is a sketch of an attempt to maintain collective belief on the border of cosmology and psychedelic trance theater. Run-down houses in an abandoned settlement in the southern corner of Russia. A controversial physicist, Boris Zolotov lives here. In the mid-1980s, Zolotov decided to leave the walls of the Soviet research institutions to follow his own beliefs. Today these take the form of hour-long swimming rituals and night-time theater performances. A group of people have collected around him, who choose to share his journey Like many in the group, the young Ekaterina was led here by the many questions which remained unanswered elsewhere. Together with Boris Zolotov, she discusses the concept of happiness in contemporary Russia.

Kristina Paustian, born 1985 in Omsk, Russia. 2003 she moved to Germany to study at the University of the Arts in Berlin. She worked as a director of photography and editor for other artists before starting out as a video artist herself. Today Paustian`s artistic practice covers video art, film and installations. In her art she always tries to find and preserve a particular human constant into cinematographic forms. This constant (if there is any) goes far beyond language barriers, geographical borders, collective and social concepts or political structures. SWIMMERS is her first feature film.