Baba Zina rounding up her geese one evening to send them home for the night.
Taken on expedition with the American Friends of Russian Folklore in Rostov Province, Belaya Kalitva Town, Kakichev Khuter.
I’m very excited and proud to have had these two photos chosen for inclusion in a New York Photo Festival exhibition called, “Feast your Eyes.”
The first photo, “Portrait of Baba Zina in her kitchen,” was taken during my second meeting with Baba Zina and my first time in her home. Baba Zina was busy jarring tomatoes when we arrived and I had this wonderful, spontaneous opportunity to photograph her. I love this portrait because she is laughing and smiling and warm - most likely telling us something funny - but also busy working in her kitchen. This is exactly as I remember her! It’s also one of my favorite photos I’ve ever taken.
The second photo, “Marina Picking Apples,” was taken early one morning after a delicious breakfast, which Marina had cooked for us. We were about to leave on a six hour car trip west and Marina wanted us to have apples from her tree as a snack while on the road. The abundance of fruit trees growing all around us in Kakichev - apples, apricots, and berries - was nothing like I had ever seen or experienced before. I love this photo of Marina in her yard, picking apples from her tree, because it perfectly preserves that sweet memory!
Both photos were taken this summer while on expedition with the American Friends of Russian Folklore in a small, Cossack khuter (village) called Kakichev, in Rostov Province, in the south of Russia. The aim of this folklore expedition was to collect stories about witchcraft and magical spells and also to research musical traditions and record songs in the village. For me, the experience of learning about growing everything you eat, making cheese and yogurt from the milk of your own cow, preparing every meal and leaving nothing to waste; discussing food among lively and very long group meals was also as much a part of the experience as anything else. Having grown up in a suburb of New Jersey and now a city dweller for over a decade - I was fascinated by living in this small village and learning by experiencing their food culture.
“Feast your Eyes,” opens today at the Powerhouse Arena in DUMBO at 6pm and runs through January 27th.
Baba Zina! Her smiling face makes me so happy! Loving this Saturday editing day.
July, 2011 - Khuter Kakichev, Russia.
Day one in Moscow, sometime before 6am. I woke up with the sun and still couldn’t believe I was really there, Russia, ready to go on an adventure. I find it so difficult to take self-portraits! But it’s also such an interesting experience. I’m glad I did because now, looking at this picture, I feel I can better remember the sun rise and the heat in that tiny hotel room. The whir of the fan and waking up alone. How it felt to grab my camera, swing open the window, and cautiously dangle my legs over the ledge to get a better view of Moscow, with the sun slowly revealing the trees, the concrete buildings, and the asphalt below.
I’m working on a scholarship application to join a Folklore Expedition on a research trip this summer to Russia. I don’t want to talk too much about it yet until I know for sure that I’m going… But, for inspiration, I went into the photo archives and uncovered this image of a Russian man, en route to Siberia, by train. My friend Katya and I boarded this train in Moscow and spent some time getting to know him and his travel mates.
I want SO badly to return to Russia this summer. If I close my eyes I can still remember what it was like to fall asleep in my bed aboard the overnight train.
GPOYW (my first!) with my head covered for church.
I spent three weeks in Moscow last September and it was INCREDIBLE. There were churches everywhere - brightly colored onion domes against the skyline in pretty much every direction. I made sure to always carry a scarf with me so that, whenever I wanted to, I could leave behind the busy streets and duck into a quiet church to admire the beauty inside…
Red Square
Last fall I had the amazing opportunity to live in Moscow for three weeks… I wish I had taken more video, but I love re-living Red Square at night through these 28 seconds. Red Square never quite seemed real to me - it’s just beautiful.
