Voice

Erhan Arik, 2010 | StrangerFestival (ECF) / Doc Next Network (Turkey)

"I had a dream. I’m in the house in Ardahan where I was born, a house ‘inherited’ from Armenians. And I’m in the part of the house we use as a barn. The voice in my dream is challenging me about this squandered wing of the house: 'Why is this room so dirty? Why is this stone hearth where we once cooked our bread now used as part of the barn?' And I woke up with a start, haunted by this and many more questions I now don't remember. The sun wasn't up yet when I set off towards that room in the barn. I opened the door, walked straight to the hearth, touched the stone and fell silent. The aim of this project is to tour the villages on either side of the Turkish-Armenian border and listen to stories, meaning a journey that will extend from Kars in the north to the southernmost tip. And by listening to the stories of Turkish people, which represent a source of fear for the Armenians, and the stories of Armenians, which represent a source of paranoia for the Turks, we will set out to rediscover the essence and spirit of Anatolia, to revive the memory we are letting slip by the day..."