Constructing Putin

Constructing Putin is a project that brings together documentary filmmaking, digital storytelling, photography, audio, social media and interactive data mapping. At the centre of the project there are twelve portraits in which the portrayed people will provide us with the personal perspective and broader context of their perception of the Russian president.

In each portrait we will dive into the soul of its character to experience his/her live. What are the surroundings they live in? Where do they work? What are their rituals and fears? What do they watch on TV? What are their favorite books and poems, their old photos and memories?
The portrait of each character will be composed of different pieces from which the viewer can choose. Here are a few examples of such pieces:
-  Short film
-  A flash moment in the life of the character, like a jump into the ice cold water or a peace of a TV program
-  An interactive tour, like of the supermarket where one character buys his groceries
-  An interview with one of our character’s enemies or with a politician he/she knows only from TV
-  We can hear the character in audio telling about his past, while we can freely browse through his photos

What links the pieces together is the answer to what the characters think about Vladimir Putin. From this starting point we will have a chance to go through and explore the fragments of their life, opening doors to understanding their motivations and choices.

We hope to create perspective, broaden the debate and invite reflections. The goal is to assemble a mosaic of videos, archives, interviews and testimonials to compose a monument in picture, sound, and text, opened in objective way to interactive exploration by the public. We hope to allow the audience to look at Russia through “Russian” eyes.