Sand painting

Kseniya Simonova won the semifinals of the 2009 Ukraine’s Got Talent with this performance. It’s not “Nessum Dorma,” nor anything musical at all. She is a sand painter, telling an animated story using a light box, sand, and music.

Though the date Ms. Simonova wrote on her last image gave me a clue, I was still unable to follow all of the storyline. Her audience clearly had no such limitation, reacting with visible emotion to the images and sounds. After learning the details of the story, I understood…and ended up watching it again.

The story — and Ms. Simonova’s second performance, which won the finals — are below the jump.

The explanation below is from a FAQ written up for Kseniya Simonova and this particular video:

Q: Why do people cry?

A: It’s rather hard to explain to a person whose country has never been invaded. Consider one simple fact: nearly every single person in that audience has lost a relative (whether close or distant) in that war. Try looking at the recap of the events depicted, provided below — maybe it will help?

0:00-1:30: A peaceful evening somewhere in the eastern USSR (whether Ukraine, Russia or Belorussia, it’s not clear from the picture). He and she are sitting in the city park, a large Christian Orthodox church can be seen in the distance.

1:30-2:00: Radio announces German invasion into the USSR (June 22nd, 1941), German bombers appear in the air. She’s scared and crying. A patriotic song calling all citizens to arms is played, and her mate obviously heads out to protect the Motherland.

2:00-2:20: Troops are marching out of town, boarding trains and heading out to the frontlines.

2:20-3:05: The kid is born and she takes care of him during the long nights; her tears disappear, replaced with a loving smile.

3:35-3:40: Not quite clear. Could either mean that she and her kid end up under German air raid facing the scary turmoil, but escape alive. Or, it could represent him battling with the enemies (in the wartime propaganda pictures, German Nazi were often depicted with those ugly pointy noses).

3:40-4:10: She receives a letter from the frontlines. Could it be from him? She’s hopeful.

4:10-4:40: The letter announces that he’s dead. The harsh news turns the beautiful girl into a sorrowful old lady.

4:50-5:05: His grave. Some people in the comments claimed that it’s a Monument to Unknown Soldier. The confusion is understandable, given that these monuments were made to resemble the soldier graves (only scaled up). In other countries, it is common to mark their fallen by crosses; in the USSR, it used to be a wooden or metal pyramid (obelisk) crowned by a star. I am unable to find a photo of one from 1940′s, but here’s a more recent one to give you a general idea.

5:05-5:30: We can see an old lady mourning him; I would assume it’s his mother. Soon she’s joined by our girl and their little son.

5:30-6:40: A city razed to the ground by the war is slowly rebuilt.

6:40-7:10: She oftentimes looks out of the window, still hoping that was a mistake and he is not actually dead and will one day return…

7:10-7:40: She sees his image in the glass… In that image, he wears the Russian sailor’s uniform so we can conclude he was a sailor.

7:40-8:10: Their little son joins his mom in looking out of the window… he also wears the kid version of sailor’s uniform, so he’ll obviosly go in his father’s footsteps…

8:10-END: Conclusion of the… movie? ‘You are forever beside us. 1945.’

For those interested in the soundtrack, the FAQ also lists the songs used and translates the radio announcement.

Ms. Simonova’s second performance, which won the competition, is easier to follow because it depicts a universal story. The words she writes on the final image are, “Do not be late.”