Rozsypne. The (Virtual) Reality of a Forgotten War

Rozsypne is a village in a war zone. Since 2014 the villagers are caught up in a violent conflict between the Ukrainian government and a separatist movement backed by Russia. 2019 marks the 5th anniversary of this largely forgotten war. It is also th

Nina's Garden.

Studio ZZZAP created a virtual reality installation inspired by the work of our guest author Lisa Weeda. The Dutch-Ukrainian author wrote the monologue of Nina, an elderly lady who goes about her daily business in a war zone. Nina spends much time in her cellar where she is saved from the shelling that takes place at night. She loves sunflowers. The project portrays the reality of ordinary people caught up in a conflict and it is also a critical response to the often one-sided reporting on Eastern Ukraine in the Western media.

The installation will be presented in Brussels on 29 March 2019. In Sheffield, we have the privilege of a ‘sneak preview’ when Lisa Weeda talks about Rozsypne, her other literary work and her Ukrainian heritage on 28 February, in Jessop West G.03 at 5pm. All welcome. 


Sheffield's Contribution to Rozsypne

Sheffield students play a modest part in the project too. It is their translation into English that will open this important installation for an international audience. In collaboration with students at University College London and Nottingham, they are currently working on the translation of Nina's monologue and Weeda’s text Indexen van verwijtbaarheidJonathan Reeder is the literary translator who offers (online) professional guidance to our students.

The visit of the Guest Author and the Translation Project are kindly supported by the Dutch Language UnionDutch Foundation for Literature and deBuren, Flemish-Dutch House of Culture in Brussels.

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