Maria Sedyaeva / b. 1985, Russia / lives and works in Ekaterinburg

The 5th Ural Biennial Main Project features the work:
«Immortal Jellyfish» (Animation, Installation, 2019)
Courtesy of the artist

Animation director Masha Sedyaeva poses the fundamental and existential question, “What am I doing here?” in the title of her series. The animated documentary series started in 2017 and is based on scripts taken from real life, in which protagonists are asked the title question. In episode 10, produced specially for the biennial and titled Immortal Jellyfish, a priest, a scientist, and a witch talk about God, life, and death. One of the subjects here is an immortal jellyfish—beautiful, but seemingly futile as a dead end in evolutionary development. The audiovisual projection is complemented with an installation inspired by the narrative of the film, with audio commentary from the film’s protagonists.