“One Step Forward, Two Steps Back” is a thought experiment on the dilemmas one is constantly
exposed to. How can one correctly in a political sense? How does one avoid betraying one’s ideals
on various levels and in various contexts? How can one avoid betraying oneself? Through Angela
Davis, her tour through the socialist countries, and Jiří Pelikán and his open letter calling for the
support of political prisoners in Czechoslovakia, this video – named after a quote by Lenin – delves
into our collective memory. This is represented by our 3D model of an IKEA store. As a flawless
sales model, but also as a metaphor for the process of forgetting, it shows us that the dilemmas
are the same and keep repeating. Only the environment changes over time, continually creating
new types of traps that are all too easy to fall into.
UHD video, 9:55, 2019
Sound design: Ian Mikyska, 3D design: Jakub Krejčí
Directed by Zbyněk Baladrán