CPOY

Finalist: The taste of iron

Life is on pause. Such an impression is made by the city of Vyshny Volochyok. And this is not a prolonged theatrical pause, after which the climax will come. There is a need to speed up the viewing or rewind and refresh the scheme of action in memory. For 500 years, the city has served as a transport interchange between St. Petersburg and Moscow, and now a high-speed train stops here for one minute. Always passing by.

The city was caressed and successful during the Soviet years. Many initiatives and innovations began here. The leaders of production, heroes who wore stars on their chests, award-winning factories and factories thundered throughout the country. The ruby stars on the Kremlin are also from here.

Then came the "Achievement Depression" phase. Everything that happened is in the past. The last construction site in the city was 30 years ago.

It was not possible to save the dilapidated objects, they did not have time. Local residents sawed out iron supports at factories at night until the factories collapsed.

Thus, the topic of stagnation of society turned out to be in the sphere of my scientific interests. While working on the project, I turn to the topic of collective memory. Using the example of digital collages, I build a connection between space and time. I use archival photos from the life of the city. I bring characters and architectural structures to the modern landscape of Vyshny Volochok, forming new spaces. This technique creates the opposite effect - the illusion of being out of time.

The mixing of times allows you to get a collective image of a society immersed in its present and living with nostalgia for the collective past.

Caption
Slide 3 of 5
The taste of iron
November 6, 2023

The ancient Shopping Malls, which have been destroyed twice already only recently.

Natalia Dyurich / Academy Fotografika
Location
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