Born: 1987 Russia
Work: Documentary Photographer / Documentary film producer
Lives & works: – / the city of Severodvinsk, Russia

 

Imagine yourself floating above one of the Russian villages in the far North. Take a look down and advertisements unravel before you: McDonald’s, IKEA, Tide, Milka. Who is the target audience? Why does it invite Heaven, God?

One can assume we are dealing with some kind of a cargo cult. But the real reason of this sight lies in human ingenuity. Locals buy used billboards for domestic purposes. These billboards are valued for durability and humidity resistance. A stunning example of unintentional recycling.

For a city dweller, a billboard represents a visual element of the capitalist society; for a villager, it is a cheap way of fixing the roof. Years take their toll – imagery slowly fades under the sun and rain. Consumerist and political meanings disappear from the billboard’s surface, which entirely assumes the function of a roof.