Anna Fabricius
Vaj-Voi
The series Vaj-Voi is based on that words which more or less the same in hungarian and finnish. This few words are just the only „proof“ for the common ancient family when the Finnish, Hungarians and the nation Vogul were the same.
„ The Vaj-Voi series reconstructs a common history based on the Finno-Ugric linguistic relationship. Fabricius found seven sentences that sound very similar in Finnish and Hungarian, and on the occasion of receiving a scholarship to Helsinki, she took photographs of situations corresponding to these sentences. Since the vocabulary has common root containing the most basic nouns and verbs, the sentences are brought to life by ordinary, everyday events. At the same time, the sentences structures and combinations are not ordinary, and the alliterations that emerge in the Hungarian text and the unique rhythms create a poetic effect: „Jég alatt télen eleven halak úszkállnak.“ Instead of documentary type photos, here we see staged photographs, making the moment accompanying the sentences last forever. Although the composition is clean and unobscured, using cold tones and showing everyday situations, every moment and detail makes a strong impact on our senses, and we have a lingering suspicion that they have an added meaning behind them. The scenes depicted make the viewer feel that „this could happen here“ , „ we are just the same“ , while at the same time, they are majestic and solemn, removed from our everyday routine.“ Judit Csatlós culture antropologist.
