Church, Chora, Chersonese

25th Jan 2026 25th Jan 2026 16:30 17:30

Screening

17:30

Conversation with the Center for Spatial Technologies and Gascia Ouzounian

18:00

daadgalerie

Free entry

2

  • Gascia Ouzounian

    Discourse

    A sonic theorist and practitioner whose work explores sound, space, urbanism, and violence.

  • CEE

    Workshop

    A shared language of collaboration and circulation.

    • A layered forensic study on warping archaeology and history to serve expansionist and imperial narratives, through the lens of Crimea.

    A layered forensic study on warping archaeology and history to serve expansionist and imperial narratives, through the lens of Crimea.

    Photo: Konstiantyn Hlyvias, 2025

    »Church, Chora, Chersonese« shows how the archaeology of the ancient city Chersonese (or Chersonesus) on the outskirts of Sevastopol (Aqyar) has been conscripted for political ends from the late 1700s to Russia’s present occupation of Crimea. Drawing on maps, excavation plans, wartime reconnaissance photographs, newsreels, and contemporary footage, the installation follows three spatial protagonists: Church (sacred architecture), Chora (agricultural hinterland), and Chersonese (walled city).

    From the first imperial digs of the late 1700s through Soviet and Nazi surveys to Russia’s current occupation of Crimea, this work by the Center for Spatial Technologies shows how archaeology is repeatedly conscripted to serve territorial claims, forging a durable alliance of military power, sacred architecture, and heritage science. The synchronised, looping projections invite viewers to read laterally across media and centuries, revealing how each »objective« layer of evidence overwrites its predecessor to legitimise new regimes.

    Originally conceived as an installation, the work will be shown as a screening followed by a discussion with Maksym Rokmaniko (founding director of CST, and director of this work), and Gascia Ouzounian.

    Event Access

    Please consult our Accessibility section for information on volume / lighting, mobility, age restrictions and other access information.