Posts Tagged "Moscow"
Katya: Impromptu Picnic Organizer
Katya was sitting outside a mall on a sunny day before the New Year dressed in all black except for a big, white tank top that was over her turtleneck. As she smoked her cigarette, Katya told me that she had just done some holiday shopping (those are her white bags) and was waiting for her sister. A future designer, Katya said one of the most memorable events of 2014 was an impromtu summer picnick with her friend at 2am in a Moscow park with beer and sushi. She said their spot was an island of happiness amid the homeless, police and trash in the dark vicinity.
Arina: Star Wars Fan (2)
Arina was buying something from a kiosk in a Moscow street underpass, a schoolbag in the form of a Stormtrooper from Star Wars on her back. Arina said she became a Star Wars fan thanks to her older brother and subsequently showed me her Darth Vader t-shirt. She said she wants to become a fashion designer and create 'something different'... like her unusual schoolbag.
Arina: Star Wars Fan
Arina was buying something from a kiosk in a Moscow street underpass, a schoolbag in the form of a Stormtrooper from Star Wars on her back. Arina said she became a Star Wars fan thanks to her older brother and subsequently showed me her Darth Vader t-shirt. She said she wants to become a fashion designer and create 'something different'... like her unusual schoolbag.
Azeri Clothing Business Owner
I had just taken a photo of a guy selling coffee from a 'coffee van' when this guy came over, a briefcase in hand. He started asking the coffee guy what I was doing, so I turned around and told him I was working on a Russia photo project. He said he was from Azerbaijan, but moved to Russia some 10 years ago and has Russian citizenship.
I then asked if I could talk to him and photograph him for my project. He said yes and insisted on speaking English with me. He said he has a family clothing business, buying goods from China and selling them here. He said the clothing he was wearing - the jacket, scarf and sweater - was exactly the stuff he sells. He said he only buys his family the clothes that he sells. He said things have been a bit tough with the ruble move, though you would never guess that by the positive mood that he was in. He said he was working on 20 contracts with shopping centers in Russia, but the deals fell through after the ruble dropped. As we were talking next to a university, I asked him to stand in front of it so i could take his picture.
A university guard came up and said we couldn’t photograph. We asked why. ‘’It’s not permitted.’’ What are we doing wrong?' I asked. He repeated that it was not permitted, throwing in the ‘’What can I do, this is Russia’’ excuse as he shrugged his shoulders. The Azeri - perhaps in reaction to the guard's concern - then asked me if I was writing ‘compromat’ - or dirt - on Russia. No, I told him. He was relieved I was not doing compromat and we went to another spot to photograph. He then asked if he could take a photo with me. I said sure. He walked over to the guard and asked him to take our photo, but he refused. So, he walked over to three students - two guys and a girl - and asked them if they could take our photo with his phone. He told them I was American and was doing a photo project, adding it wasn’t compromat. The girl giggled. One of the guys took the phone and photographed us. He then gave me a traditional handshake and departed.
Anna: Lover of Indian Culture
I remember how some friends in NYC changed their look and image rather substantially after one or two years after highschool...Anna, who grew up in a provincial Volga town, entered university as an architecture student in Sept 2013 with brown hair. By January 2014, she had black hair. By June, when I first past her at a bus stop, she was blonde with dreads and 'India-inspired' clothing. She said she was on her way to a weekend-long outdoor music festival and dreamed of visiting India. When I saw her again at end of 2014, she said she was taking time off from university, spending her days drawing India motifs and doing yoga.
Akim: A Family of Musicians
In my previous post about Lera, she said both her parents were skilled at drawing, . Akim, pictured here, takes the family artistic skills to one more generation. I saw Akim talking to friends near a music academy in the center of Moscow on a snowy afternoon, carrying an instrument on his back. He said he plays the violincello, recently finished his Russian music studies and was planning to continue his education in Germany. I asked if anyone else played music in his family. He said his parents and grandparents play the violin, among the eight professional musicians in his family. Akim grew up in Obinsk, a town outside Moscow built around the world's first nuclear power plant that is known for its top-notch physicists and engineers, not musicians.
Sasha: Pop Singer at Diner
Sasha was eating in the back of a 1950s style American diner in Moscow late one evening. He was dressed in an outfit that reminded me of old-school rappers from the 1980s, so I walked over to chat. He said he is a pop singer in the duo 'In2Nation' and had just come from the studio. Having attended a highschool focusing on stage performance & jazz, he is is now studying singing at university. He did not follow in his parents footsteps, both of whom are winter biathlonists.
Lera: Teenager with Yankees Hat
Lera, 15 was sporting a Yankees winter hat as she walked on a coldy, sunny day with her friend Nastya along a pedestrian bridge that crosses the Moscow River. A highschool student, Lera said she "loves to draw everything", a hobby she said both her parents enjoy as well. She said she may pursue design in university.
Nastya: Japanese Music Fan
One thing I have learned from my Russian street portraits is that Japanese culture is more popular among Russian youth (girls in particular) than I thought. Natalya, who was sitting in a Moscow cafe with a friend at a table next to me, said her most memorable event of 2014 was attending a concert by One Ok Rock, her favorite Japanee band. "Their music is an escape from everything bad that has happened." Natalya, who works in HR, has been a One Ok Rock fan for 6 years and was planning to go see them in Japan as she never imagined they would perform in Russia...Natalya said One Ok Rock's visit was especially memorable because she got the chance to give them a picture she drew for them.
Starbucks: Girls Watching Fargo
As I mentioned in my last post, the Starbucks shops in Moscow attract a colorful crowd. Alina and Dasha were watching the American TV serial Fargo on their tablet as they drank their Lattes. Each shared one earphone to listen to the show. Alina, a journalism student, said after watching many serials, they can understand the peculiar jokes. I left shortly after taking their picture to run some errands. When I passed by the store about 75 minutes later, Alina and Dasha were still sitting their watching the serials.
