Description
The Baltic Sea has long served as a natural divider between Scandinavian and Eastern European countries, a role particularly pronounced during the era when it formed part of the Iron Curtain. For Scandinavians, it symbolised a protective barrier, a metaphorical moat guarding against external threats. Conversely, from an East-Central European perspective, the Baltic Sea represented a beacon of hope, a potential route to freedom. This cultural perception of the sea is richly depicted in cinema, where it often takes on the guise of a ‘blue boundary’ or a ‘horizon of hope’. Yet, alongside these idealised depictions, there exists a darker narrative – that of ‘Baltic noir’. This conceptual framework, akin to the ‘Eastern noir’ trope (Mrozewicz 2018), portrays the sea as a foreboding frontier, cloaked in nocturnal mystery and subject to stringent state control.The talk delves into the audiovisual representations of the Baltic Sea, viewing them as performative regioscaping practices. By adopting this lens, I aim to unearth insights into the collective memories and histories of human mobility across the Baltic Sea, transcending official narratives. Moreover, I seek to explore the intricate human relationship with the sea – both as a cultural boundary and as a tangible body of water. Through an analysis of select films, including Christian Petzold’s Barbara (2012, Germany) and Ilze Burkovska-Jacobsen’s My Favorite War (2020, Norway, Latvia), it becomes evident that the Baltic Sea remains a crucial spatiotemporal nexus in the transnational retelling of the region’s history and identity.
| Period | 2024 May 30 |
|---|---|
| Held at | University of Greifswald, Germany |
| Degree of Recognition | International |