Victoria Minyazova, Driver, Russia

Despite our technological advancement and the fact that people have been chasing success, money wealth altogether, there are still places in the world where time has practically stopped. People here live a life without stress, are close to each other and their lives calmly flow by without any real obstacles. Victoria Minyazova visited such a place, a village called Novaya Utka, where she tried to capture the local atmosphere and the lingering countryside lifestyle. The resulting images speak for themselves and take us on a journey into time that many of us have already forgotten, and some of us have never even experienced. (WoL)

“I closed my eyes and pointed blindly to some place on the map. It turned out to be Novaya Utka village.”

Every year I try to visit at least 2 villages or regional towns in order to document its vanishing rural way of life, because life in these remote places is gradually changing, slowly abandoning the countryside lifestyle. Some villages almost completely switched to the city lifestyle, people don’t farm anymore and rarely work on their vegetable gardens, even though the place where they live is rather far from the city. I prefer going there in autumn, when the nature is so rich and varied and the sky is just fabulous.

At the beginning, I was a bit confused what direction to take, east, north, west or south. I found an easy decision. I closed my eyes and pointed blindly to some place on the map. It turned out to be Novaya Utka village.
This village is quite big. It was founded in 1749 on the bank of the Utka river, which is the left feeder of the Chusovaya river. There, an iron-smelting and ironworks plant was built, called Utkinskiy state plant. The enterprise was funded by the government, but later in 1758 it was purchased by an entrepreneur Yaguzhinskiy, and in 1778 he sold the enterprise to Savva Yakovlev.
From then on, the plant together with the village had been called Utka Yakovleva.
After the revolution in the 20-s of the XXth century the place received a new name Novoutkinsk or Novaya Utka. Why Novaya (New)? Because there was one older plant by the Utka river, which was built much earlier than that one. In order not to confuse these two plants they were called after the surnames of their owners – Utka Demidova (or after the revolution Staroutkinsk, which is situated about 325 km upstream) and Utka Yakovleva (or Novoutkinsk after the revolution).

“Usually it is the older generations that stay in the village, but here, I saw a lot of young people as well as children.”

The day when I set off to the village was cloudy but with beautiful autumn sky and approaching the place it started raining which I didn’t expect at all. At first I began wondering how I can shoot without a raincoat and without a camera cover, but luckily it stopped raining when we reached our destination. It was the nearest town to the village, Pervouralsk, which turned out to be deserted and the road which according to our map should have lead to the village was closed. Once again, we were lost. After a while we saw a local car and decided to follow it. The “road” was through the forest, which was basically just mud and tree roots with stones after the rain and our journey turned into somewhat of an off-road experience. Finally, we got out of the forest and asked locals for directions. The road we were shown ran through a beautiful coniferous forest.

After two hours we reached Novaya Utka village.
Making our way into the village, the first thing that struck our eyes was the construction of a church, that was being done not only by builders but also nuns and the congregation. I think it is going to be a beautiful church. We left the car right next to the building area.

The air was clean and a mist lay above the fields as a result of the previous rain.
The locals were rather curios about our shooting. We expected it to be an unfriendly gesture but it turned out to be the opposite. Usually it is the older generations that stay in the village, but here, I saw a lot of young people as well as children, meaning the future of this village is quite promising.
The village is really a fabulous place with a wide twisting river and generous fields. The old buildings are gone, only the houses of Soviet time constitute the architecture of the place. Almost every homestead has cows, goats, chickens and cocks. Many of them freely walk around the village. The firewood, stored up for the winter, is in stacks. The village is big and really beautiful but we weren’t able to see it entirely. During autumn, it gets dark early, so we had to leave before nightfall.

It started drizzling but at that time, we were already in the car making a long journey back home, listening to music by The Beatles and Visotskiy.

Weeks of Victoria Minyazova

Zdeněk Dvořák, Special education needs teacher, Czech Republic

When water freezes outside and the land is coated with snow, it is the right time for the annual hog killing. This dated Czech tradition is usually organized between November and March and it is such an event that many families rank its importance along Birthdays or Christmas Holidays. One of the families to hold such a tradition is the Prčík family, well known from the weeks of Zdeněk Dvořák. And due to the decline of this tradition, mainly because of financial reasons and lack of time, we now have a single opportunity to experience what goes on in the backyard of the Prčík family and enjoy the atmosphere of everything that is involved with this event. Before continuing further however, we would like to warn you that the content of the photographs is not for individuals with a weak stomach. Additionally, we’d like to emphasize the fact that the time and care devoted to the animal as well as the process of killing the pig, which is by the way fast and almost painless, in this case favors the Czech local hog killings as opposed to the wholesale slaughter houses. Still, today, local hog killing is considered as animal torture and condemned by a wide spectrum of people around the world. (WoL)

Year by year, every summer, farmers venture out to buy a grown piglet. For several months, they cater for it day by day. They feed it leftovers from the kitchen, potatoes, turnip, moist bread, grouts and even goat milk. The piglet keeps growing and growing, gains an appetite for almost anything and its weight starts closing in on the 200 kg benchmark. As the weight grows, the winter season slowly approaches and with it the season of traditional hog killing. It is a village tradition, which is slowly fading away from most farms and estates. The main reason for it is the fact that it’s not worth it to take care of a single pig for almost half a year. People tend to buy their meet in shops these days. It’s a shame however, since annual hog killing belongs among the largest traditions of the countryside, where the whole family gets together and it is often considered as important as the Christmas holidays. This is the case of the Prčík family in the village of Slup located in the Znojmo region, where hog killing still prevails as an annual tradition.

The date of the event is planned several weeks ahead by the family who organizes it. Every year it is held on a Saturday at the end of November or beginning of December. It all depends on the family’s butcher, who above all is the reason for success. You can’t just kill and portion the pig; the butcher needs to prepare all the goodies such as blood sausages or collared pork.

The day before the hog killing, water needs to start boiling in a large caldron. The place where the hog killing happens, usually a yard of the estate, is thoroughly cleaned by then and all the necessities such as a hand barrow for the pig are prepared. Tables are cleaned, wood for heating the fire under the caldron is prepared in a sufficient amount and the pig is no longer fed anything else than water.

It’s Saturday morning, still dark outside and Mr. Prčík wakes up to heat up the kitchen and keep the fire going under the caldron outside. Someone has to go for several loaves of bread and some rolls that are later used in making the sausages. The dawn approaches and the family members are starting to get together. Cars are lining up and among them, the car of the butcher. The yard is filled with around 15 people from the ages of 3 to 85. It’s 8 o’clock and the butcher is ready. The last necessity before it all happens is a shot of plum brandy to keep the people warm. The moment is here, disliked by many from the village still after the years. It is time to get the pig from the barn.

It is calmly taken outside, where the last thing that awaits him is the fatal knock on the head. Pain and stress is minimal and it only lasts a few seconds, unlike the process in a slaughter house. Hence, the hard, dirty and demanding work begins. A fair amount of weight needs to be put on the pig, so it usually takes several men to smother the pig and it can often be dangerous. At that moment, the pig’s throat is cut and the blood is immediately being used for the blood soup and mixed with pre-prepared groats for blood sausages. Next, the pig is put onto the hand barrow, covered with rosin and scalded, in order to be able to rub off the pig’s bristles.

It’s a messy job, usually handled by several men, who are deep in the reeking smell of the rosin and the pig’s rubbed down skin. Then, the pig is hung and it’s time for the butcher to do what he knows best; he disembowels and portions the pig. While the butcher continues his work, it is time for another shot of plum brandy, mulled wine, a piece of cake or a bottle of Pilsner. The Pilsner Urquell beer is somewhat of an indication that it is a special day in the Prčík family. Mr. Prčík is not a frequent visitor of pubs and only on occasion buys beer from Pilsen, which really has become an important part of every significant day in the life of the Prčík family. From here on, work for the female part of the family begins in the kitchen. First, pork brain is fried and mixed with eggs and the first food of the hog killing can be served.

“…annual hog killing belongs among the largest traditions of the countryside, where the whole family gets together and it is often considered as important as the Christmas holidays.”

First small parts of roast meat are being prepared and the caldron, covered with clouds of steam, is full of boiled pork. The yard is finally filled with a tasty smell. At this moment, the hog killing becomes more of a form of entertainment for most, since most of the hard work is done. However, it is necessary to keep watching the boiled pork or start preparing skin fat for frying. So, even though it’s time to have fun, there is still work to be done. Once the butcher portions the meat, intestines are immediately cleaned and used to make various sausages. The more experienced start to prepare skewers. The yard is slowly emptied and everyone moves to the adjacent porch where the preparations of the food are finished.

“You suddenly feel the urge to take a slice of bread, some pickles, put salt on the fried skin fat and enjoy the taste.”

The work is distributed by the butcher and so the stirring, seasoning and the rest of the hog killing alchemy is in motion, resulting in the best collared pork, sausages, blood sausages and so on. The time passes by and it’s almost time for a second bottle of the plum brandy. Everyone’s hands are greasy and the only thing you can smell in the air is meat. People are having fun and feel at ease. One of the last things to do is to finish up with the sausages and leave them to cool off. You need to be extra careful though and keep out cats and other animals that could spoil the day. If it’s not too late in the day, it is the right time to fry the skin fat. A smaller caldron is filled with the fat and left to fry in its own grease. It soon reaches the correct golden color and rest of the sizzling fat is taken out. You suddenly feel the urge to take a slice of bread, some pickles, put salt on the fried skin fat and enjoy the taste. Even though your intake of fats is long over the daily limit, you just simply cannot resist.

Darkness covers the event and work is done for the day. Much work is left for the next day. The meat needs to be smoked, portioned for other forms of cooking and the rest has to deepfreeze; and of course, we cannot forget about cleaning the yard and all the other necessities. And yes, it all needs to be done on a Sunday. At dusk, everyone who contributed in one way or the other gets a small taste of what was made to take with them and slowly departs for their home. And that is how it goes at the Prčík’s each year! A pig named Vašek recently reached nearly 200kg of weight and so the day when the whole family gets together once again happened.

Weeks of Zdeněk Dvořák

Tomas Loewy, Fotograf, Florida

Tomas Loewy opět přichází s reportáží z nevšední události, kterou je Art Basel Miami Beach. Ani zde se neubráníte dojmu, že obyvatelé naší planety mají občas naprosto šílené nápady. V každém případě je však důležité zdůraznit, že Art Basel Miami Beach je společenská událost, jejímž tématem je umění, kterému se, jak v následující reportáži zjistíte, hranice nekladou. Přejeme vám hodně zábavy a inspirace! (WoL)

„…nejvýznamnější současná umělecká výstava ve Spojených státech…”

Art Basel Miami Beach je nejvýznamnější současnou uměleckou výstavou ve Spojených státech, která se každoročně pořádá v prosinci v Miami na Floridě. Jedná se o odnož události Art Basel ve Švýcarsku, která je nejprestižnější uměleckou show na světě. S postupem času popularita a velikost Art Basel Miami Beach vzrůstá a pomalu začíná překonávat původní Art Basel.

„…zahrnuje všemožné druhy parties a setkání lidí, jejichž společným zájmem je umění.”

Nejrenomovanější galerie a muzea v Miami vystavují práce od více než 2000 umělců, kteří jsou vybráni z předních uměleckých galerií ze všech koutů světa. Tato událost také představuje nové a trendové umělce a umělecké obchodníky, což umožňuje divákům objevit novější galerie, alternativní umění, veřejné umělecké projekty a neokoukané tváře současného umění.

„…více než 2000 umělců…”

„…ze všech koutů světa.”

Nezaměňujte však tuto společenskou událost za některou z velkých uměleckých výstav v Miami. Tahle totiž zahrnuje všemožné druhy parties a setkání lidí, jejichž společným zájmem je umění. Představuje se zde film, hudba, architektura a design. Jedná se o kulturní a společenskou událost roku, kde se umělci setkávají se sběrateli a uměleckými obchodníky a kde můžete narazit na takové celebrity, jakými jsou Sylvestr Stallone, Brad Pitt, Calvin Klein, Stephen Dorff, John McEnroe, Jane Holzer, Naomi Campbell a mnoho dalších.

Týdny Tomase Loewyho

Photos: Juraj Sucharda, Businessperson, Slovakia

The news about a toxic sludge spill from the aluminum works in the city of Ajka in western Hungary traveled the world. The entire region suddenly turned red from the alkaline mud and the catastrophe, the largest ecological catastrophe in Hungary as the locals claim, has even taken several human lives. The villages affected the most are called Kolontár and Devecser. Thanks to Juraj Sucharda, we have the chance to visit the region once again and think about how ruthless we are towards our environment and how easy it if for normal peaceful lives to turn into pure desperation. We are not here to moralize, as everyone has the right to their opinion or perspective of this catastrophe. We would simply like to draw the attention to the fact that human actions can have devastating consequences and have been the major cause of natural disasters in recent times. Nature is a strong opponent for humans and will certainly not leave our actions go unpunished, the ecological catastrophe in Hungary included. (WoL)

On a calm Monday afternoon, residents of several Hungarian villages in the area around the city called Ajka were interrupted in their everyday activities due to a red toxic sludge leakage from the nearby aluminum works. Specifically, it is the waste that is created by the production of aluminum oxide – a raw material needed for producing aluminum. Visiting the affected villages a week after this ecologic catastrophe resembled a visit to the cinema to see a disaster movie. This time, it was no ‘virtual experience’ but an actual sight at the destructive red ‘layer’ of the earth. Empty buildings, wrecked cars, soldiers, the Red Cross, volunteers….. and people absently starring into the ‘red’ future. The moist and acrid smell affected the lungs and eyes and left dirt under everyone’s fingernails.

The sight at this catastrophe would mentally afflict even the toughest of individuals. The abandoned toys, fallen trees, broken windows, dead animals and red marks almost two meters up on buildings. The desperate attempts of people struggling to gather their belongings from their homes. The thought that they will never go back to their homes is devastating and most people covered their agony in the palms of their hands, standing tired and helpless. We reached one of the houses where an old lady tried to explain what happened with a broken voice, making sure we realize how much she has lost and the effort she put into building her ‘cozy’ home, all gone in a matter of seconds. On a nearby ledge, someone lit candles and in between, placed a ‘red’ cross. They have lost everything… except faith.

“The moist and acrid smell affected the lungs and eyes and left dirt under everyone’s fingernails.”

The residents moved around with mouth covers, rubber gloves and working boots. The soldiers in their alien-like gear were giving direct orders to keep panic at the minimum. Utter silence ruled over the area. There was no longer the need for words.

We stood in front of a house where everyone was trying to get rid of the red sludge piled in the front yard. A woman, owner of the house, starred at the yard in silence and started to realize that LIFE in her house as she knows it may cease to exist. The danger seemed to be gone, but people remained skeptical. They considered this catastrophe as the second Chernobyl. Considering that a large amount of red toxic waste escaped into the environment, the estimates of the leak were terrifying, calculated at roughly 50 tons of arsenic. The water samples in the village of Kolontar showed 0.25 milligrams per liter, a value 25x higher than the tolerance for drinking water.

It’s especially hard to talk about the victims and the wounded. There were over 120 injured and 4 dead. After such a catastrophe, one can only hope these numbers are final. It has no meaning to talk about ones that were affected mentally, since the number would be at least as high as the population of the area. The feelings left with the people not even directly affected are indescribable. The grief and fear of what could come in the future was evident from the eyes of all, involved or not.

“They have lost everything… except faith.”

On the parking lot, near to something that once was a park, soldiers with hoses in their hands were trying to wash off the ‘blood-colored’ stains from the clothes of their colleagues and the rescuers, as well as from the heavy machinery. The red world however cannot be washed off. Everything is now contaminated. Several buildings were taken down and life will not be back any time soon. The lost confidence in safety is now beyond recall.

The weather affected by global warming, caused by humans in many aspects, will keep haunting us year by year. Our lifestyle and our ‘achievements’ of the 21st century prove our guilt and hold us responsible for the climate changes and the condition our planet is in. What will we leave behind for our children to experience? What else will we go through ourselves? When will the next time bombs go off? When will the guilty be held responsible? And if they plead guilty, what good will that do? Not much. The only thing that will remain is the unavoidable emptiness…

Text: Monika Suchardová, Parental leave, Slovakia