September 07, 2004

Alexey Titarenko: a crowd of ghosts - Russian photographer Alexey Titarenko's work uses long-exposure to create a haunting mood, reflecting Russia from after the fall of Communism to present; a time of change. 'People blur into grey shadow figures in a ghost-like crowd, with perhaps a solitary hand or shoe standing still in time.' Seen @ gmtPlus9

More here. I particularly like Stranger.

  • Beautiful. I had not thought death had undone so many of mankind.
  • Excellent post cheers
  • Some more photos, but those on Nostriladamus links are the best. Thank you.
  • "those FROM Nostrildamus", sorry :)
  • Comments here extremely welcome from people who speak English as a second language. Don't sweat too much on the details, it's completely OK. We want more internationalism. (I hope I'm speaking for most on this site, dissenting opinions also welcome.)
  • Great photos! This one impressed the pants off me. As a non-native English speaker, I really am confused about which preposition is more appropriate there. Hesitatingly, I claim that 'on' is better than 'from', assuming 'links' is left in. What makes you think CTB is an 'international', Wolof?
  • The Internationale British version Arise ye workers from your slumbers Arise ye prisoners of want For reason in revolt now thunders And at last ends the age of cant. Away with all your superstitions Servile masses arise, arise We'll change henceforth the old tradition And spurn the dust to win the prize. So comrades, come rally And the last fight let us face The Internationale unites the human race! No more deluded by reaction On tyrants only we'll make war The soldiers too will take strike action They'll break ranks and fight no more And if those cannibals keep trying To sacrifice us to their pride They soon shall hear the bullets flying We'll shoot the generals on our own side. Internatsional Russian version (translit) Vstavaj, prokljat'em zaklejmennyj Ves' mir golodnyx i rabov Kipit nash razum vozmushhjonnyj I v smertnyj boj vesti gotov. Ves' mir nasil'ja my razroem Do osnovan'ja, a zatem My nash my novyj mir postroim, Kto byl nikem, tot stanet vsem! JEto est' nash poslednij I reshitel'nyj boj. S Internacionalom Vosprjanet rod ljudskoj Nikto ne dast nam izbavlen'ja: Ni bog, ni car' i ne geroj Dob'emsja my osvobozhden'ja Svoeju sobstvennoj rukoj. CHtob svergnut' gnet rukoj umeloj, Otvoevat' svoe dobro - Vzduvajte gorn i kujte smelo, Poka zhelezo gorjacho! Dovol'no krov' sosat', vampiry, Tjur'moj, nalogom, nishhetoj! U vas - vsja vlast', vse blaga mira, A nashe pravo - zvuk pustoj! My zhizn' postroim po inomu - I vot nash lozung boevoj: VSJA VLAST'' NARODU TRUDOVOMU! A darmoedov vsex doloj! I flatter myself, that I am completely internatsional, comrade Wolof! Proletarii vseh stran, SOEDINYAYTES'! :)
  • Fantastic link, Nostril! I love this guy's work.
  • I think these two are my favorites. Definately a preternatural feel to them.
  • Nostril, these are wonderful! Thank you.
  • The one that struck me the most forcefully was the picture of the beggar. Such a powerful way of conveying loneliness, isolation and despair. The picture also takes the central conceit of the work a step further. In the other pictures, only the landscapes seem real, while the people move through them in a faceless mass. In this picture, one woman also seems real suggesting that she is somehow part of the landscape, but also super-emphasising (if that's even a word!) the grim reality of her situation.