Commonplaces of Transition
August 2007 - October 2008





Commonplaces of Transition is a video project by D Media, in collaboration with Videoaktiv (Germany), Interspace (Bulgaria) and KSA:K (Moldova), that seeks to represent postcommunism from the inside, in contrast to the dominant stories told from the outside. The title plays upon the double meaning of 'commonplaces': it explores both the common places (or geographical territories) of transition and the commonplaces (or ideologies) of transition. The aim of the project is to open up a critical dialogue about the meaning of transition and other alternatives than simply “catching up” with the global market.

The partners have produced 8 videos on themes including the remapping of borders and identities, the transformation of labour and the evolution of activism. The 3 videos produced by D Media are:


In Transit. 30 min, 2008.......
Video by Joanne Richardson
In colaboration with Liviu Pop and Stefan Rusu (animations, camera)
A diary of a journey through space and time, composed of subjective impressions of the present and childhood memories of the past. While traveling across Romania in the year of its EU accession, the narrative reflects on postcommunist transition, the re-writing of history and the relation between images and memory..[ descriptions and stills ]... [ download ]

Precarious Lives . 43 min, 2008 ....................
Video by Joanne Richardson
In colaboration with Andreea Carnu and Nita Mocanu (animations, camera)
Documentary mixing archival footage depicting women’s labour over the past century with ten portraits of Romanian women working today. The video challenges the dominant discourse about precarity and its disregard of differences based on gender and of economic disparities between the first and third worlds of Europe. ..[ description and stills ]..  [ download ]

2 or 3 Things about Activism. 73 min, 2008. .. ..... .....
Video by Joanne Richardson
In colaboration with Marius Stoica and Nicola Zambelli (editing, camera)
A counter-documentary about activism in Romania that simultaneously questions the difference between making a film about politics and making a film politically. While various protagonists discuss their views on activism in Romania and its historical context, the voiceover reflects on the motivations behind the video. . [ description and stills ] .. [ download ]


The 3 videos were presented during a tour from September - October 2008 in: Timisoara (Project Space), Belgrade (Kontext Gallery), Novi Sad (Kuda), Zagreb (Multimedia Institute, HDLU), Budapest (Central European University, Studio of Young Artists), Vienna (qu[e]er Beisl), Bratislava (InfoPolice), Prague (FAMU), Berlin (Globale Film Festival), Tallinn (Art Academy), Copenhagen (Overgaden, Mikrogalleriet), London (Mute, RampART), Helsinki (City Library).


The DVD of the project is featured in: [ IDEA art+society nr. 30/2009 ]
This project has been supported by : [ European Cultural Foundation ]