Staburags

My Scholarship entry - When we were children

Latvia | Tuesday, November 18, 2014 | 5 photos

I was a child when Union of Soviet Socialist Republics broke down; over a fortnight I ceased to be a member of 1/6 of the world and became a citizen of independent, tiny country of 2 000 000 inhabitants desperately trying to connect to their remote, pre-USSR past of 1920s. I felt and saw all things happening with great acuteness - utter chaos out of which points of transitory stability were created and then disassembled again. This was when I first felt the urge to take a picture, to capture the moment - not to testify by documenting, but to capture the moment when world, human existence unravels itself in its contradictions, fragility and magnificence.
There are people who believe that being photographed takes ones soul away, however I feel it as a way to connect, to embed oneself into the real.

I should be chosen because I'm of great endurance both physically and psychologically. Living in a time and place of constant changes has taught me to have courage, not to fret and the willingness to learn. Also - that all things important have to be kept close and heart is the best place for that.