Oana Clitan


Rebirth (Babaluda)

3D animation and single channel video installation, 6min30sec, 2025





Rebirth (Băbăluda)  is an interpretation of the Romanian tradition of Băbăluda, an ancient spring fertility custom taking place in a village called Buru. Traditionally, young single men from the village dress up in costumes made of tree bark and branches. 

In the video, the character of Măriuța (the only female figure within the group) becomes a vessel for questioning the relevance of myth and tradition in a contemporary world shaped by technological acceleration and environmental collapse, where rituals once performed to navigate the unknown forces of the natural world now seem unnecessary. Suspended in a digital void, caught between memory and the present, she moves beyond the limits of her prescribed role. In performing a ritual of purification, similar to the Romanian descântec, Măriuța initiates a new cycle of life, rebalancing the relation between humans and nature.

This project was developed during the residency 'Spring in the Romanian Village: Băbăluda' in Buru, Romania organized by Refugiu de Creatie and Liviu Bulea.

Video link upon request - trailer coming soon.

Project details
Technique: 3D animation 
Single channel video installation
Duration: 6min30sec
2025

Credits
Direction and animation: Oana Clitan
Sound design and mixing: Sebastian Pappalardo
Voiceover: Simona Urs
Cinematography advisor: Matija Pekic
Special thanks: Tess Martin, Phillip Morris, Ana Cucu Popescu, Mihai Gui, Nathan Marcus, Liviu Bulea.

"Overture: Semnal De Primávara"
from World Library of Folk & Primitive Music: Romania
From the Alan Lomax Collection Courtesy of the Association for Cultural Equity

The project "Spring in the Romanian Village: Băbăluda" is co-funded by the National Cultural Fund Administration and the Cluj County Council.

    
 
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