Grandmother

My grandmother, Nina Demina, was born in Siberia. Her older relatives were immigrants from central Russia. The phenomenon of resettlement is mostly interpreted as the voluntary movement of peasants in Russia in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Behind the characteristic “voluntary” the main reason is hidden — the lack of land and the agrarian crises in central Russia. 

 The 3,000-kilometer journey was difficult: the Trans-Siberian Railroad came into being only at the very end of the 19th century, and it was not always possible to take advantage of it. The peasants were assigned special wagons, which the Soviets later used to transport convicts. Families arriving in Siberia were met with new land and a new climate. To survive in the desolate field, peasants set up dugouts for short periods. Everything that could be transported gradually became accustomed to the new place. All who managed to get there met the new conditions as a harsh reality. The step into the unknown had already been taken, it was important to continue living. 

 A succession of other historical events awaited the peasants in the new land: the World Wars, revolution, collectivization, dekulakization, work on collective farms… Her grandmother tells how these events affected her family and her ancestors. 

 Why do I need to remember these events, to bring up the past? The story of my grandmother and her family is about overcoming the road. Geographically, historically, internally. To see a land beyond which there is something, to step beyond it and make discoveries. To see the history of a country in the stories of one person. To see the person in the state and its structures. 

 The entire story was captured on black and white film and medium format camera. All works are scans from negatives of 120 type films. All artifacts (overlaps and gaps) in the film — accidentally appeared in the process of shooting, so I decided not to interfere and get rid of them.