opening tonight!

"standing still", presenting photographs by Alexey Ostrovskiy and Sergiy Lebedynskyy, is opening tonight at 6 in Market Hall Cinema in Brynamwr - so come along, everyone is welcome!

If you don't know the area, you can find directions on the cinema's page here.

"standing still" - installation

Evening everyone,

here are a few images from the installation of "standing still", an exhibition of photographs by Sergiy Lebedynskyy and Alexey Ostrovskiy, in Market Hall Cinema in Brynmawr.

 

  

The opening is tomorrow at 6 - everyone is welcome to pop in!

Dear all,

we have some sad news to share. We have just found out that our funding application was unsuccessful.

"standing still" will open as normal in Market Hall Cinema in Brynmawr, but all the exhibitions that we planned for this year after that will now be put on hold until further notice.

We'll do our best to see what can be done - we'll keep you posted.

Keep your fingers crossed for us and our Valleys' projects!

Market Hall Cinema

Evening everyone,


here are a couple of pictures of Market Hall Cinema in Brynmawr where "standing still" is opening on the 31st of March:

You can read about the history of the cinema on their website and in Wales Online.

We are very excited that the exhibition will be presented in the oldest cinema in Wales!

"standing still" opening in Brynmawr

The exhibition is opening on the 31st of March at 18:00
in the foyer of Market Hall Cinema Brynmawr - the oldest cinema in Wales!
It'll last until the 30th of April.

Check Market Hall Cinema's schedule for the exact opening hours
(open 10am -10pm most days, depending on the screenings)

 Address:
Market Hall, Brynmawr
NP23 4AJ 
tel. 01495 310576
for directions, follow the link.
 

"standing still" deinstallation

Dear all,

yesterday we de-installed "standing still" in The Abacus. Images of the exhibition walls and information about Brynmawr opening coming soon!

You can also read interviews with Sergiy Lebedynskyy and Alexey Ostrovskiy here and here

if you haven't yet!

Interviews with the artists from "standing still": Alexey Ostrovskiy

Afternoon! 

Here is the second part of the "standing still" interviews - today Alexey Ostrovskiy shares his thoughts on photography and Ukraine. Enjoy!

Tell us a little about the photographic techniques you use.

I have very cheap equipment. As you know, I am doing my shots using a homemade camera, 18 by 13cm, and photograph exclusively on photographic paper. I love working with photo paper so that I can watch the process of developing; it gives extra flavour to the creative process. Besides expired paper can be cheap enough to buy. Traditionally, I use modified lenses from 35mm film cameras, with a few exceptions. I sometimes use an ordinary magnifying glass and "ortagoz"*.

*an old Russian lens made by GOMZ 

What does photography mean to you?

Mainly the process. I like the mood that I get into when I mess around with my camera. It is much more complicated than when photographing with a digital camera - in the viewfinder the image is flipped, for long exposures the exposure is calculated intuitively by eye, when a picture is shot it also needs to be processed in a darkroom, and the camera itself is quite heavy to handle. Thus photographing turns into a kind of ritual, and this will inevitably be reflected in the photographs themselves.

Do you think that Ukraine is understood by the West?

This question is difficult to answer, any answer will say more about my attitude. Of course I want to believe that Ukraine is understood beyond its borders, that we live in a humane world based on mutual understanding and cooperation. But I think Ukraine is too silent and quiet, maybe even expressionless, if I may say so. Time flows slowly here.

What aspects of Ukrainian life and culture would you like to show to people?

I’d like to focus on the role of the irrational in the life of Ukraine, on what is called cardiocentrism. I think Ukrainians are prone to melancholy, contemplation and self-reflection. 

What was your initial reaction to Euromaidan and hopes for its outcome?

I didn’t resent the decision of Yanukovych to delay the signing of the documents as much as his reaction to the demands of Maidan, to the events that occurred there. That’s  why I supported the Maidan to a certain extent. But this year we had a lot of unpleasant things to learn. Something that had always been with us, and we didn't notice or did not want to see.

Do you think this has influenced your photography or your art?

Not affected directly. At least on a mental level these areas do not overlap in any way.

Thank you Alexey!

"standing still" ending

Dear all,

yesterday was the final day of "standing still" in Cardiff.

A big thanks to all the visitors and to The Abacus for hosting the exhibition! If you couldn't make it, do not despair - Brynmawr edition coming soon! 

Stay tuned for updates and, in the meantime, interview with Alexey Ostrovskiy - coming to this blog in a day or two! 

 

One last thank you to Alexey and Sergiy for taking part!

Interviews with the artists from "standing still": Sergiy Lebedynskyy

Mornin' all,

As part of "standing still" we've decided to ask Sergiy and Alexey some questions regarding their ideas about photography, views on contemporary Ukraine and the recent events that have dominated the country for the last 16 (or so) months. They were happy to indulge us and offer their thoughts.

Here is our brief conversation with Sergiy: 

Can you tell us a little about the photographic techniques that you use? 

I shoot with a Leica M6 and Olympus Pen D, I use b&w film, typically the cheapest I can find. And, of course, the darkroom is the most important part. For printing I take soviet photographic paper from the 80s and use lith developer. Lith printing on aged paper is unpredictable, you have a feeling that the time is working on every print with you. In the end you receive an archive-like looking print, which I call document. With this method, I make prints of what I photograph in Ukraine. The changes in the country are so rapid that what you photograph today is already history tomorrow. Therefore the method becomes a part of the concept. 

What does photography mean to you?  

Photography for me is the continuation of the personality. I put my statement and life’s position into it. It makes your work concrete and strong. 

How do you think Ukraine is perceived in the West and do you think it’s accurate? What aspects of Ukrainian life and culture would you like to show to people? 

The West is huge. All countries have lots of their own problems. It is very difficult to understand the situation from a distance, as there are lots of details which count. Mostly we are well understood only by countries which had to deal with soviet aggression in the past. Ukraine is a young country with a typical post-soviet syndrome which is looking for its place in the world. This decisive historical period I’m trying to interpret and show to others. 

What was your initial reaction to Euromaidan and hopes for its outcome?

I was very indignant after the sudden change of course of the government, after the bare lies. And I fully understood why students gathered at Maidan. What happened afterwards, made me speechless. We have seen such pictures only in Russia, when people were hit and taken into prison. It was such a shame, just a no-go. The first hope was that we’ll have a political solution, but Maidan has revealed all the problems Ukraine had.

Have events over the last year changed your relationship with Ukraine and how you see it? Do you think this has impacted on your photography or your art?

Last year showed me how many active, smart, hardworking people we have. I feel better now, Ukraine is not lost. Of course photography as part of my reaction became more rush, bold and expressive. I have more to tell and show, and I will. The importance of every opinion today is tremendous.

 A big thank you to Sergiy and this is a first for us, so we hope you found it enlightening.

"standing still" re-opening

Dear all,

we're very happy to share good news about The Abacus not giving up and re-opening after the burglaries.

This means that "standing still" will be open again between Thursday and Sunday the 8th of March.

Make sure you come and visit if you're in Cardiff!

18-20 St David's House

Wood Street

Cardiff

CF10 1ER

Grandiflorum's Adventures in Colour - a new fellow kickplate*project project

Dear all,

one half of the*kickplate*project, Dafydd, has started a tiny fund-raiser on Kickstarter to experiment with making positive images on 8x10 colour paper & his homemade camera.

We'd really appreciate your help sharing and supporting the project!

You can find more details here.

Thank you!

Exhibition Update

Dear all,

Unfortunately The Abacus has suffered once again at the hands of some opportunist burglars. Due to this both the gallery and "standing still" will be closed until further notice. 

For further updates you can follow them on facebook and twitter, we will also be posting updates regarding new opening days and times on our event page when we know them.

Thankfully it looks like they were interrupted and didn't manage to get away with too much.

All we can do for now is offer our condolences to The Abacus team and hope that those feckless bastards will be caught...