Human Violins – Prelude

During the Holocaust, many Jews were allowed to choose only one object before being brought to the camps and some of them chose their violin. Some of the violins saved lives, while others accelerated the pain and terror caused by the guards. We follow the fictionalized story of Alma, a 15-years- old violin lover inhabiting a world of terror. Through music, she can liberate herself. The user is offered the chance to play and take the legacy of her music further. The interactive playable architecture allows the user to transform the claustrophobic wires into instruments and advance the story.
There is a progression of philosophy from a dark outer world to a bright inner world, from a vast scale of pain to sublime liberation, from noise to music, from listening to music creation.
As Yehudi Menuhin used to say, “music lives and breathes to tell us who we are and what we face. It is a path between ourselves and the infinite”.
Towards the end of the gamified experience, as a transmedia extension, users will be able to explore a selection of the real stories of the surviving violins.

We believe this project is needed more than ever in a time troubled by pandemic bursts and wars, as its hopeful tone shall keep us going. We inhabit dark times in which the arts remain some of the most powerful self-healing forces. One of the major inspirations for this project was the Violins of Hope exhibition, initiated by Amnon Weinstein. Many Holocaust violins survived thanks to violin restorers and travel the world in top-notch orchestras.
Music is healing. Music is life. Music is, unlike us, eternal. And VR allows us to reach its beauty and strength in unprecedented ways.

PRODUCTION 1: Ioana Mischie - Storyscapes
Bulevardul Libertatii, nr. 22, Bl. 102, Sc. 6, Ap. 114
050707 – Bucharest, Romania
Tel. +40 724741411
ioana.mischie@studioset.tv
http://www.facebook.com/storyscapes

PRODUCTION 2: Jeremy Sahel – Daprod
21, rue Alexandre Dumas
75011 – Paris, France
Tel. +33 610218490
jeremy@daprod.net
http://www.daprod.net

PRODUCTION 3: Sorin Baican – Studioset
Str. Mendeleev, 2
010364 – Bucharest, Romania
Tel. +40 746156753
sorin.baican@studioset.tv
http://studioset.tv

OTHER COPRODUCTIONS: Neo-Fi Studios

PRESS OFFICE 1: La Biennale di Venezia – Biennale College Cinema
Ca’ Giustinian 1364/a
30124 – Venezia, Italy
Tel. +39 041 2726644
presscinema@labiennale.org
college-cinema@labiennale.org

PRESS OFFICE 2: Ioana Mischie – Neo-Fi Studios
Str. Mendeleev, 2
010364 – Bucharest, Romania
Tel. +40 724741411
ioana.mischie@studioset.tv