Personal War
“...I decided to shoot the latest war using the first photography technique. I wanted to evoke the first documented war, fought in the same region almost two centuries ago – the Crimean War.
To juxtapose past and present.“
This film follows Ukrainian soldiers and civilians from the perspective of a photographer who decided to document modern war with the first photographic technique.
Using the technique that dates back to the 19th century poses a question of the absurdity and the timelessness of war.
When people used to live in a primitive society, wars were waged for provisions and fertile lands. With the development of humanity appetites increased and different political senses were made up to justify violence. After the appearance of the first photographic evidence humanity could not any longer ignore the atrocities being committed. But wars haven't ended whatsoever. Those who committed yesterday, today condemn others to justify their violence tomorrow...
The country I was born in disappeared from the world maps more than 30 years ago. My motherland shattered into fragments of various sizes like a huge mirror. All values and symbols collapsed with it. The WWII(Great Patriotic War) remained the last "sacred cow". But current war reuse and destroys old symbols. So, for me it became a personal war.
I decided to shoot the latest war using the first photographic technique. I wanted to close a certain logical circle. After all, the first documented war was the Crimean War in the middle of the 19th century.
With the beginning of this war, I bought Ford Transit in Germany, turned into a mobile laboratory, and went alone through several borders, to the front line.
Since beginning of the war I wandering to Ukraine back and forth physically and metaphysically through the time.
I've choose, to sacrifice a "decisive moment" for capturing time on fragile glasses. The face of the latest war.
All this series shot on clear glass ambrotype in 8x10' format.