This essay describes and analyses the discourse within three short films - The Time We Danced, Testimony of Chaika-II, and Backgrounds - which comprise Julia-Anna Simonchuk's The Vilnius Project. The text introduces the project's background before delving into the subjective realm of the author's experience. It explores the feelings and observations gathered during her visits to Luki & scaron;k & edot;s Prison 2.0 and the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights, which ultimately led to the development of this moving-image trilogy. Links to the films are available at the end of the article.
This article examines 'guitar poetry' in Czech and Polish culture through a comparative analysis of two of its most prominent exponents, Karel Kryl and Jacek Kaczmarski. Drawing on close readings of their lyrics, the study focuses on the theme of self-referentiality in their poetry in relation to the perceived public reception and institutionalisation of their works, as well as the relationship to politics, ideology, and notions of freedom. Particular attention is given to how the authors reflected critically on being cast as the focal points for civil resistance in their countries. While both resisted mythologisation, their differing responses illuminate broader contrasts between the Polish and Czechoslovak opposition movements and traditions of lyric poetry. This article argues that guitar poetry functioned less as a vehicle of protest than as a medium for aesthetic, ethical, and existential (self-)reflection.
