Victory Day
On the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II, when the USSR and Allied Forces, including the United States and Great Britain, were finally able to defeat the Axis Forces led by Nazi Germany, Fotodemic is collaborating with RT Creative Lab’s #VictoryPages to commemorate this historic victory over fascism.
With the youngest veteran in Russia turning 93 in 2020, it is important that their struggles not be forgotten. Because the pandemic has robbed people of the opportunity to mark this victory against Nazism in public with parades and festivities, millions of people around the world are now turning to various kinds of digital commemoration.
Lessons of Auschwitz: VR project
On the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz by Soviet soldiers we brought nine students from a Moscow high school — between 13 and 16 years old — to the Memorial in Poland to personally undergo this experience. After the trip, we asked them to express their reactions in VR animation under the creative guidance of Russia’s leading XR artist, Denis Semionov.
We always thought #VictoryPages would be an alternative way to celebrate V-Day in Russia, through art, through personal stories. We never thought it would become the only safe and appropriate way to mark the occasion, given a global pandemic and new quarantine rules.
Visual storytelling is key in digital. We wanted a digital art project from the start and began research in 2018: looking up digital artists, creating our signature font. Our art director was adamant we use muted pastel colours instead of black, orange and red - design staples for military projects created in Russia. We did. And we stand out.
Visual communication hits home: it provokes emotion faster than any text. Our hope is that through art, through honesty, through sharing personal stories as creators we can provoke an emotional response from our audience. Because when it comes to change, we stand a chance at creating a better world only if every single person starts their journey to a kinder version of themselves. Kindness is terribly underrated.
- Ania Fedorova, RT’s Creative Lab
COLORIZED PHOTOS OF Battle of Berlin
#VictoryPages presents rare historical footage of the Battle of Berlin for the first time in color, by Marina Amaral as part of RT’s commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the defeat of fascism.
Battle of Berlin in Color: Colorization by Marina Amaral.
#VictoryPages Social Media History
About RT’s Creative Lab Team
We’re a team of 11 with a background in international broadcast journalism. While the newsroom had a great effect on our work ethic - we fact check everything and move fast, switching to digital storytelling was exhilarating with its freedom and infinite possibilities. Our projects are Cannes Lions finalists, have bagged Webby’s, Shorty’s, Clio Entertainment and more, so we are grateful to be part of an international community of creative storytellers and educators.
About Marina Amaral
Marina Amaral is a best selling author and world-renowned digital colorization artists, specializing in surfacing stories that have been airbrushed out of historical narratives. For #VictoryPages, Marina colorized black and white images from the fall of Berlin, as the red army moved into the last bastion of Nazism.