The Russian Village Cosmos

The project explores the universe of the Russian village, where ancient pre-Christian holidays are still celebrated with great enthusiasm. Rather than surviving as museum pieces, many traditions continue to evolve and find their place in contemporary rural life. Elderly women still spin yarn, although no longer on wooden spinning wheels. Teapots often conceal not tea, but strong homemade spirits distilled from pure honey.

Residents of the village of Lokh proudly pose beside the village sign, despite the fact that the name is also a Russian slang term for a gullible person. And every year, locals and visitors gather in a circle around the burning effigy of Maslenitsa, an ancient symbol of farewell to winter and the arrival of spring. They hope that the flames will carry away their worries and misfortunes.

Some of these photographs were presented at the exhibition Is This Really Us?, which was first shown in the village of Popovka, where several of the images were made. The people featured in the photographs became their first audience. The exhibition was later shown in Saratov and Moscow.  

Photographers: M. Muzalevskiy, I. Kovalenko, E. Radionova, E. Nurueva, O. Rasparina, V. Storozhev, S. Maevskiy.