PUZZLE TO PUZZLE

"Puzzle to Puzzle" is the second installation created by Maria questioning the social problems of orphans.
In the cultural space of the Eastern Europe the New Year Eve is the most important family holiday that can be compared to Christmas. Those who do not have family - orphans - are initially left out of the general season of joy. Only 10 of 2542 orphans in Belarus older than 10 years old were adopted by families in 2020. Maria's installation communicates with the public through a patchwork of visual codes and builds a complex metaphor in order to call for action every visitor.

The installation plays with the juxtaposition of two symbolic systems. One of them is a patchwork of “happy family holidays" moments selected by AI following the cluster principle. The second one represents what is actually missing in orphans' lives during the holidays season.

Every visitor gets a numbered puzzle piece with the entrance ticket. In the hall of the installation everyone is asked to find the matching number and attach the puzzle to the wall. The final puzzle composition will represent the image of a happy family on the New Year Eve created by the AI. Required was collected by the one of the project partners in November 2021.