At the Kyrgyz National Museum of Fine Arts named after Gapar Aitiev, a very interesting project titled "The City Out of Focus" was presented. A photo journal was introduced to everyone present, created as a result of an artistic study, specifically photo drifts of the eastern industrial zone and the Tunguch microdistrict by the participants of the project "Photodrift as a Practice of Urban Exploration."
- In everyday life, our presence in the city is unconscious; movement occurs mostly automatically along predetermined routes, meaning the city ends up out of our sight. However, through the practice of drifting using the medium of photography, relationships with space are built differently – by creating our own routes, we rethink the urban landscape, and our relationship with the city becomes conscious, allowing the individual to engage with the city as an active participant. The project "Photodrift as a Practice of Urban Exploration" raises a discussion about the city as a human-made entity within various socio-political processes, as well as revealing the possibilities of artistic research and urban exploration practices in claiming the city, - say the authors of the idea.
For now, this is the first issue of the journal, which is distributed for free. The debut issue includes a series of photo drifts of the studied area, texts about photography, the processes of urban space transformation, the eastern industrial zone, and the Tunguch microdistrict.
- Our creative group is engaged in researching artistic urban space. This project is called "The City Out of Focus" because we want to cultivate a more conscious presence in the capital, as, essentially, we are so focused on our goals that we hardly exist in the city. We worked with ten participants over two months. We examined artistic practices in urban exploration and discussed photography as a language. It is a very accessible form that can not only capture something but also reveal aspects that we sometimes simply overlook, - noted one of the project leaders, Diana Uhina.
- Tell me, why didn't you organize an exhibition but instead released a journal? Such photographs could have made a wonderful exhibition?
- In the journal, besides showing certain things and spaces, we also publish texts and articulate ideas. After all, this is still a form of research; it was important for us to gather both visual and textual materials in one place. This way, a person can read the message and relate it to what they see, drawing their own conclusions, - emphasized Diana Uhina.
The walks included participants such as Guzal Azizova, Nellya Dzhamanbaeva, Adilet Karzhoev, Aida Akimalieva, Ulugbek Sadibakassov, Danil Usmanov, Tynymgul Eshieva, and others. The photographers themselves shared their impressions.
- The first drift in the microdistrict: typical apartment buildings, small shops, nothing that catches the eye. New houses and potholes, and disorganization – all of this indicated that this area has everything ahead of it. Yes, we were on the outskirts, but this is already part of a big city; in the second drift, we saw another face of the district – its working part, expressed by a large number of warehouses and industrial premises. Here, there is desolation, and only the hum of wires can be heard. The inscriptions of the Communist Party, mind, honor, brought us back to a distant past that is invisibly present in everything: in these buildings, gates, and pipes, - shared Tynymgul Eshieva.
As the project participants confessed, the idea of traveling through the nooks and alleys sparked their interest in their native Bishkek, its history, and structure. Most importantly, both the participants and everyone who later saw their works had the opportunity to rethink many capital objects through photography.
- Chaotic walks through a specific area of the city with a camera are very engaging for us. We have no specific boundaries or tasks; we are not in a hurry. Each participant independently chooses their goal from what they see and directs their gaze directly at everyday life: at buildings, the concrete underfoot, abandoned factories, nature, and even the depth of puddles, - noted photographer Ulugbek Sadibakassov.
The guests of the event were delighted with the publication, as in each presented photograph, one could see not only what is contained in the image but also consider what remains off-camera.
