3553 is proud to host the screening of Tekla Aslanishvili's film, A State in A State. Curated by Damien Laing, the night will include the film screening with funds raised going towards supporting activists in Georgia in their ongoing protests for new and free elections.

Event Details:
Date: 20th March 2025
Time: 1900 Doors for a 1930 Screening
Film Duration: 47 minutes
Location: 35-53 Emma St, Collingwood

A State in a State is an experimental documentary film that follows the construction, disruption, and fragmentation of railroads in the South Caucasus and Caspian regions.

It examines railways as the technical materialisation of the fragile political borders that have re-emerged after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Revolving around the scenes of delay and waiting that constitute cargo mobility, the film reads the optimistic narratives about the New Silk Road against the grain. It observes how the iron foundation of connectivity can be used as a weapon of exclusion and geopolitical sabotage. Dotting the same lines, other forms of sabotage are deployed by workers to disrupt the political violence. Looking at historic and current practices of resistance, A State in a State explores the potential of railroads for building a different, infrastructural consciousness and the lasting, transnational, kinship among the people who live and work around them.

The film is developed in artistic-scientific collaboration with Dr. Evelina Gambino, Margaret Tyler Research Fellow in Geography at Girton College, University of Cambridge.

Research and script: Tekla Aslanishvili / Evelina Gambino
Music: Ani Zakareishvili / Nika Pasuri
Cinematography: Nikoloz Tabukashvili / Tekla Aslanishvili
Typography: Dato Simonia
Editing: Tekla Aslanishvili
Field recordings: Viktor Bone / Teona Rekhviashvili,
Sound mastering: Irakli Shonia
Color: Sally Shamas

Tekla Aslanishvili (b. Tbilisi, 1988) is an artist, filmmaker, and essayist based between Berlin and Tbilisi. In her practice, she observes the shifting relations between governments, people, and their territories through the lens of large-scale infrastructure projects. Through interdisciplinary collaborations and experimental documentary approaches, she excavates and weaves together fragmented layers of history, technology, geology and myth that underpin these logistics and energy infrastructures. Tekla completed her studies at the Tbilisi State Academy of Arts in 2009 and holds a Master of Arts from the Berlin University of the Arts in Experimental Film and New Media department. Her work has been showcased in several international exhibitions, biennials, and publications. She is a 2019 Digital Earth fellow, a nominee for the Ars-Viva Art Prize 2021, and a recipient of the Han Nefkens Foundation – Fundació Antoni Tàpies Video Art Production Award 2020. Currently, Tekla is a postgraduate fellow at the Berlin Centre for Advanced Studies in Arts and Sciences (BAS) at the Berlin University of the Arts.

3553 is a public event space dedicated to the exploration of ideas that affect the built environment. Operated by OFFICE, a design and research practice committed to advancing critical dialogue, 3553 fosters collaboration across disciplines, communities, and borders. The space offers a platform for local, national, and international practitioners, students, researchers, and academics to showcase innovative work, share insights, and engage in meaningful conversations. Through a diverse program of exhibitions, lectures, workshops, and public events, 3553 invites audiences to engage with the evolving landscape of design, while creating a space for education, critical thought, and creative exchange.