Benera and Estefan
How to mend a broken sea?  2024
4K video, color, stereo sound, 19:40 min


The Black Sea stands at the crossroads between Eastern Europe, Asia Minor, and the Caucasus. It has long reflected shifting powers and ecological fragility, while serving as a vital hub for trade, energy resources, and contested territories. It gathers the waters of the Danube, Don, Dnieper, and countless other rivers, carrying with them Europe's interconnected colonial past and present.

The origin of the Black Sea is debated, with one theory suggesting it was formed by the Great Flood of the Mediterranean. This event created its unique bi-layered structure, with an oxygenated surface and an anoxic abyss that never mix. It is one of the youngest seas, a "baby sea". Inspired by these dynamics, our work explores the following questions: Can we say that this natural division of oxic and anoxic layers mirrors the region's geopolitical turbulence? How to calm the restless sea? Can water be an element of refuge when the land is an element of fear?

We read the waves of the sea as musical scores, and a water buoy, which usually marks the danger of drowning, transforms into a musical instrument. The sonic performance, derived from a collection of lullabies, act as a calming force—a gesture of reconciliation, seeking to
soothe the restless waters. The performer uses an invented vocabulary, drawing from the linguistic diversity of the Black Sea region and the phonetic textures of the many languages spoken along its shores. 


composer & performer: Diana Miron
DOP & editor: Tudor Cioroiu
sound composition: Diana Miron & Laurentiu Coțac
location sound recordist: Laurentiu Coțac
first assistant camera: Tudor Checheriță
color grading: Lucian lordan
project manager Radu Leșevschi
make-up: Andra Mirea
costume technician: Atelier Ștefan Dudu

co-produced by Solitude Project Cultural Association

Courtesy the artist and n.b.k. Video-Forum