“41515 Words”, a staged reading of a book by Vera Martynov.

https://www.volksbuehne.berlin/de/repertoire/41515-woerter-слов?id=18236

A staged reading with soundscape, unfolding across Russian and German, with fragments of English, Ukrainian, and French.

The work is composed of disjointed materials: personal notes, fragments of dialogues, correspondence, quotes, to-do lists.

These elements appear as scattered entries between languages, structured as a diary.

On stage, the author with the translator Yvonne Griesel and actress and publisher Gabriela Merz navigate this material together, alongside sound artist Alexey Kokhanov.

Martynov approaches diary material as a found object, exploring the textures of memory and analyzing personal experience. Her intimate writings trace how a personal story resonates in the context of global conflicts, intersecting with collective experience.
Mapping an inner landscape shaped by the presence of conflict, the work brings together reflection, emotion, and poetic fragments. A soundscape—combining electronics and prepared piano—extends the text into an acoustic environment.
The performance traces how unhealed trauma reverberates against the backdrop of ongoing global catastrophes, while searching for a possibility of grounding—of returning to the present moment and reassembling oneself within it.

With Gabriela Merz, Vera Martynov, Alexey Kokhanov
Direction, Visual Concept, Dramaturgy, Video Vera Martynov
Composer and Sound Artist Alexey Kokhanov