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Chillahona (2022) reflects on the significance of marginalised ancestral cultural practices in times of political and social turbulence that characterised Central Asia in the 1980s. Implemented shortly before the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the radical economic and political reforms known as perestroika resulted in a sense of disorientation. Filmed in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, this three-channel video installation refers to an ancient architectural form of underground (chillahona) chamber, which is used in Uzbekistan for 40-day periods of ascetic seclusion. Opening with the archival footage from the perestroika period, the film unfolds a story of a woman who visits the chamber to navigate her memories of such troubled times. Throughout the narration, various archetypical animals accompany the character, manifesting in her reconciliation with ancestral knowledge. Presented alongside the film is a modern reinterpretation of the traditional Tashkent embroidery – falak – which features depictions of the moon cycle, a womb and various animals. It is animated with the light projection inspired by Sufi mysticism, symbolically translating the character’s spiritual experience. 

A Project By: Saodat Ismailova
Photography: Carlos Casas
Acting: Feruza Ruzieva
Music: Tomoko Sauvage
Producer: Aziza Pulatova
Camera assistant: Andrey Morozov
Video effect: Philippe Cuxac
Animation: Stefano Zeni
Colour correction: Yannig Willman
Sound design: Marc Parazon
Uzbek translation: Ibrat Safo