On February 7 and 8, the Museum hosted an animation workshop for children aged 10–14, where archival stories were given new life through children’s imagination, movement, and imagery.
Over the course of two days, participants immersed themselves in the filmmaking process: working with museum materials, trying on the roles of directors, cinematographers, actors, and animators, and learning to collaborate, negotiate, and build a shared narrative together.
The animation is based on the life and creative work of Oleksandra Pelekhatа, a former Ostarbeiter (forced laborer). Symbolically, archival records show that February 7 was her birthday—the very day we began the series of animation sessions based on her story and works. Thus, archival memory was transformed into a living narrative seen through the eyes of children. Stories of her labor at a pharmaceutical factory in Munich and how local girls would secretly share food with her were brought to life.
The final session will take place on February 15, during which we will finalize the work and screen the completed animation. It will be a moment of encounter with history that has truly come alive.
We are grateful to the children for their sensitivity, courage, and creative freedom, which allowed the stories of Oleksandra Pelekhatа’s experience as an Ostarbeiter to be heard.
