New Jersey Stage Issue 51 | Page 44

realistic . I love doing art and I do math paintings as well . The concept of my artwork is what would be used in films and video games . I wanted to do something somewhat different with this because memories are not completely realistic and they ’ re not the complete truth of things at times . They are the concepts and important aspects of moments . So , in creating these art pieces , there ’ s nothing you can find online or even in archives that can portray the feelings and the emotional aspects of what these people endured , felt , or saw . Each of these pieces that is in there are intended to provide that memory aspect .” He continued , “ It was exciting because a lot of these people are sharing their story with me and then I go out and I work with another artist and we create something for different individuals and bring it back to them . They ’ re like , ‘ Wow , this is exactly what I was thinking about ’ or ‘ This truly brings across my memories and the feelings of it .’ Whether it ’ s exactly what they were thinking or not , it does help capture that important meaning .” Silecky says he sees himself continuing to do documentaries . He didn ’ t know what to expect from his first one , but enjoyed the experience so much that he would like to continue shedding light on vital stories from throughout history that need to be shared . Not just Ukrainian cultures , but all cultures he explained . Stories that hopefully can connect the world and history more together .

For a full listing of films at the New Jersey Film Festival visit www . NJfilmfest . com

NJ STAGE - ISSUE 51

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