August 2016
I decided to go to the single-industry town of Yurga and explore it as a potential object for shooting a photo project. For the beginning just to walk there a bit and understand what I will feel there, and decide whether I want to shoot there or not. In that period of time it was an issue of strong interest to shoot the post—Soviet heritage, and hardly would someone shoot a single-industry town.
The reality has moved me to the core.
Yurga is a Russian single-industry small town lost in time. I’m not sure that Yurga knows about the collapse of the USSR. Surely I’m joking, although it feels like it really is. The town is smaller in number than a small residential area of Moscow. And as if forgotten by everyone. Perhaps, this “forgetting” could happen due to not attracting excessive attention also.
The main city-forming enterprise does not function. People live very simply but I was struck by the fact that I did not feel despair, despondency, bitterness in people. They live in a dimension of happiness and acceptance of reality. And people say they are Happy. They mention problems not as problems but as just moments of life. And seeing my sympathy or perplexity, they are perplexed by my reaction themselves responding “but everything the most important is alright, ” “we live amicably with our daughter-in-law, ” “the main is that everyone is healthy, ” “but what a great granddaughter I have!” and so on. I’ve talked to different people. Many are very contacting and good-natured and were easily opening to our talks. One old man was so happy that he was photographed by a photojournalist from Moscow. It was an incredibly warm, long and sincere conversation. By the way, policemen buying ice cream in this weird Soviet triangular-shaped tent have become a separate reason for fun. To be honest, I got such a strong reboot after that small trip.
Finally i decided not to shoot a photo project there. I wouldn’t cope with it emotionally. But the experience was really incredible, even for me as a for a Soviet child. Non-touristic.
Taken with Leica M7 + summicron asph 35 mm film camera and Kodak 400-2TMY photo film
