Proletarsky Prospect series selected
in the ‘Best in Book’ category.
Caroline de Vries’ photographs of the Proletarsky Prospect (an area in the southern suburbs of Moscow) were taken during a week she spent at a flat rented by two young Russians, Anya and Lera.
“ When I’m away from familiar places I document my locality and how it touches me: the personal surroundings, the people living there,” says de Vries. “On that morning - as the first to be awake in a strange environment - I wanted to record a moment of unexpected intimacy. The fleeting morning light envelopes dreaming or awakening bodies, domestic or wild nature, in a climate of unfixed reality.”
De Vries’ images of the apartment, the surrounding housing estate ant its environs were all taken in natural daylight; the similar tonal qualities of the colour palette, as she moved from portraiture to shots of the surrounding woodland, became a deliberate link through the work. “The first image shot was of the girls and this gave the general tone for the others. I think these faded, outdated colours contribute to the nostalgic, dreamy atmosphere of the scene.”
Creative Review
Photography Annual. October 2006