otkriveno

Years long fascination with this temporary-permanent state, exposed in-between spaces and long moments, resulted in immense collection. Beside the motif that repeats at the facades, photos capture continuous city transformation, unbuilding, and stuckness in temporality. Some demolitions expose unexpected vistas, exciting opportunities to peek into usually closed yards, to grasp the potential of emptiness. The joy due to a spotted tree or garden that is still green instead becoming parking. Rapid changes, particularly desired and central city locations expose also clashes between new and old motifs and materials (decorated walls, old bricks that are resold to start a new West European life - just next to to siporex blocks, bath tiles used for corridors etc.). Sometimes one can see the city’s history and development in one frame: different styles and epochs collaged in the same scene on a small area create exciting postcards. Visible only while there is the hole, framed by styrofoam. This serial also shows situations that are like taboo, traversion of private life in the public realm, buildings in negligee. Scenes of destruction, broken relationships, former neighbours. Like scars on the skin of the city, holes in the smile. Experience of never finished sidewalks in front of the already inhabited buildings and abandoned projects can cause unrest - will this new hole stay here forever? Will some new building erupt here fast, with symbolic terraces, without parking and greenery? Being used to half-spaces, half-finished, semi-states creates certain resiliency with citizens and helps to live peacefully with these holes, torn down objects and their traces at neighbouring objects, because some of them stay that way forever, just change colour through time, becoming yellow like withered. Because of these permanent temporary scenes, The City becomes a simulacrum, Potemkin village, movie or theatre set to be dismantled as the lights go off and the audience leave. But, somebody stays here, to live behind isolation. Thus, these photos show attitudes - irrelevance for living quality, unawareness and impossibility to imagine a better city .. life in monotonous and unimportant new buildings, in a sandwich of too thin styrofoam, because thin was cheaper. This bareness, particularly after long exposure, emits also some vulnerability and transience. And only certainty and constancy - of change.