Photo © Mikhail Lebedev
Documentary - NOMINEE: Mikhail Lebedev
Snow Desert
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Kola Peninsula is the most densly populated region in the world outside of the polar circle. At the start of the previous century, 25.000 people were living on this territory; at the time of the dissolution of the USSR, the population amounted to over a million. It is one of the major territorial conquests at the height of the industrial era.
The largest cities of the region are placed around ports, military objects, colossal natural resource fields and factories processing them. While looking for new opportunities, the pilgrims of the 20th century came here from different regions of the country in order to build roads, cities and factories. They brought with them their languages, traditions and cultures, forming a supranational identity.
Voiceless meditative landscapes, desolate roads with only few settlements, long winters with temperatures as low as -50°C and 40-day polar nights – all these things form an atmosphere of alienation and neglect. The gradual resource depletion and, as a result, the growing depopulation of the cities strengthens these feelings. Step by step, nature is winning back its space.
About author:
Lebedev Mikhail is a documentary photographer and photojournalist from St. Petersburg, Russia. In 2019 he graduated School of Modern Photography Docdocdoc (Saint - Petersburg). He works as a photographer and film director. The most important part of his professional life is personal projects. He is inspired by: hidden communities, social conflicts, progress and its consequences.
2020 | Winner of a scholarship from the VII Academy at the photo agency VII.
2020 | Finalist of The Kuala Lumpur International Photoawards. PORTRAIT PRIZE. Single images
2020 | Finalist of The Efremov photo contest.
2020 | The holder of the state scholarship for outstanding figures of culture and art of the Russian Federation
2020 | Finalist of the Kolga photo contest. Tbilisi, Georgia
2020 | Second place in the nomination "Portrait". Rovinj Photodays photo festival with the series Restaurateurs by chance
2019 | The holder of the state scholarship for outstanding figures of culture and art of the Russian Federation
2019 | Finalist of the International Photography Grant 2019
2019 | Finalist of the contest "Young Photographers of Russia"
2018 | Member of the Union of Photographers of Russia
2018 | Finalist of the contest "Young Photographers of Russia"
The largest cities of the region are placed around ports, military objects, colossal natural resource fields and factories processing them. While looking for new opportunities, the pilgrims of the 20th century came here from different regions of the country in order to build roads, cities and factories. They brought with them their languages, traditions and cultures, forming a supranational identity.
Voiceless meditative landscapes, desolate roads with only few settlements, long winters with temperatures as low as -50°C and 40-day polar nights – all these things form an atmosphere of alienation and neglect. The gradual resource depletion and, as a result, the growing depopulation of the cities strengthens these feelings. Step by step, nature is winning back its space.
About author:
Lebedev Mikhail is a documentary photographer and photojournalist from St. Petersburg, Russia. In 2019 he graduated School of Modern Photography Docdocdoc (Saint - Petersburg). He works as a photographer and film director. The most important part of his professional life is personal projects. He is inspired by: hidden communities, social conflicts, progress and its consequences.
2020 | Winner of a scholarship from the VII Academy at the photo agency VII.
2020 | Finalist of The Kuala Lumpur International Photoawards. PORTRAIT PRIZE. Single images
2020 | Finalist of The Efremov photo contest.
2020 | The holder of the state scholarship for outstanding figures of culture and art of the Russian Federation
2020 | Finalist of the Kolga photo contest. Tbilisi, Georgia
2020 | Second place in the nomination "Portrait". Rovinj Photodays photo festival with the series Restaurateurs by chance
2019 | The holder of the state scholarship for outstanding figures of culture and art of the Russian Federation
2019 | Finalist of the International Photography Grant 2019
2019 | Finalist of the contest "Young Photographers of Russia"
2018 | Member of the Union of Photographers of Russia
2018 | Finalist of the contest "Young Photographers of Russia"