For photographer Igor Gaidai, it turned out to be easier to get a thousand soldiers to pose than a hundred girls from a model agency.
The Kyiv photographer now has vast experience working with all types of people. For the last seven years, he has been taking pictures of bikers, seminarians, fellow villagers and pregnant women and other groups of Ukrainians that share something in common. The project is called Razom.ua, with razom meaning “together” in Ukrainian.
The idea of the project came to Gaidai when he was looking through old group photos. To make the task more interesting, the photographer set certain requirements for himself. The group he photographed had to be larger than 100 people and all of them must consciously show up for the shoot. For example, a photo of a crowd at a rock concert wouldn’t do.
A thousand-man strong squad from the presidential troops proves the easiest to shoot. (Courtesy)
He started to explore the intersection of the staged photo and a snatched moment. But the project yielded a kind of artistically flavored social experiment in the form of 30 black and white three-meter long pictures.
This is not the first long-term project Gaidai has carried out. One of the most well-known photographers in Kyiv and Ukraine, 50-year-old Gaidai is highly regarded for his famous series of naked women on brooms and “Ukrainians. Beginning of the Third Millennium,” showing portraits of Ukrainians. His first exhibition of the Razom.ua project will open in London on March 9.
Kyiv Post: What difficulties did you face while working on Razom.Ua?
Igor Gaidai: The difficulties were absolutely unpredictable. For instance, while working with Crimean Tatars we found out that there were opposite views regarding the status of photography among younger and older Muslims. In general, Islam doesn’t allow pictures of living creatures, which stems from the idea that “you shall not make for yourself an idol.”
Muslims take it more seriously than Christians. Photography emerged only 200 years ago, therefore some interpret it as a potential object for idolatry, while for others it is nothing more than a historical document. So we couldn’t make a group photo until the community made a joint decision, but we managed to persuade the elder of the commune.
It is very difficult to work with people. Even modern technology, such as a loud speaker, doesn’t help. There is an amazing observation: When everyone is standing still, facing the camera and only one person turns away, you start to correct him, he will face the camera but everyone else will look at him. That’s when we decided to let it be and not correct anyone.
Photographer Igor Gaidai organizes builders in Kotsubynske village near Kyiv for a group photograph. (Courtesy)
KP: Which photograph was the most difficult to make and which was the easiest?
IG: We shot a picture of the staff of Premier Palace hotel, which was about 250-300 people.
The pictures were taken very late at night, so no noise could be made as there were guests in the hotel. All the staff members were divided into positions on all the four floors and therefore couldn’t communicate among themselves.
We asked for a coordinator from the group on each floor but they were inexperienced and couldn’t understand what we wanted them to do. Besides, the hotel gave us the wrong elevator cards — we couldn’t get on all the floors. It took us about two hours to get this shot; we kept people for one hour. I shot while hanging by mountain-climbers’ rope. This is the only vertical picture we have.
All I can say is the problems that get in the way of this project are the same very problems that complicate our lives.
We had the easiest time taking a picture of a thousand soldiers of the presidential troop.
Up to 300 employees of Premier Palace in Kyiv pose for a photo
taken at night so as not to disturb guests. (Courtesy)
KP: All the pictures are black and white. Does it have any significance for the project?
IG: It does. We want to draw attention to the people and their faces. If the pictures were colored, we’d get a festival.
KP: Did your outlook on life change during the seven years you worked on the project?
IG: I realized how difficult it is to gather people, even for those top managers who seemingly have all the rights to do so. But as a citizen, I like that people had changed in that regard. During Soviet times people would do anything they were told. Yes, they would get pissed off or grumble but they wouldn’t rebel. People nowadays are more individualistic.
Even some pictures we made five years ago would be impossible to shoot now. Now I understand why foreigners are so surprised to see so many people gathered for the photo session — this will not be financially easy to do in the West.
KP: Which one of the pictures you did earlier would be difficult to make these days?
IG: Crimean [chemical] plant Titan. The managers wouldn’t want to intervene with the production process or workers themselves may refuse to take part in this. People became more independent and free.
Once we were taking a picture of construction workers. That firm has three managers. One agreed to cooperate in making a picture, the other didn’t get why this was necessary, and the third one added “some nutty photographer persuaded us.” Such cases were common, by the way. Nevertheless, when all of them gather for the shoot, the action starts — they move up and down this construction site, the top-managers stand separately.
I didn’t get involved that much — I wanted to observe the way people would place themselves. There was one guy who kept hiding — he liked being an outsider, though he knew that [participating] wouldn’t get him in trouble.
KP: Do you link the difference in reactions at the beginning and the end of the project to the political and economic changes?
IG: Yes. People value their time now. When we started the project, this tendency wasn’t widespread at all.
KP: The participants didn’t get any money, did they?
IG: It was all voluntary. We wanted to convince people through reasoning and the idea itself. We could try to motivate them financially but we didn’t try. I am sure if we promised to pay $100 for participation, everyone would show up. Such a mechanism is too simple, though, too tested.
KP: Were you turned down often?
IG: Half the time, but the reasons were different. For example, we had an idea to make a group photo of models. I was warned that the girls would probably not come unless I paid them. We gave it a shot, found a nice spot, but very few girls showed up and we couldn’t include the picture in the project. The second attempt also failed.
Once you deal with a group of more than three, everything becomes complicated, not to mention the situation with hundreds of people involved.
KP: Did you ever consider taking a group photo of Verkhovna Rada?
IG: I wanted to take their picture two years ago, even started negotiations and chose a place. But at that time there were serious problems. Besides, they are people who rarely come together. That crowd brings negative emotions in me, though I am not politically active.
At that time there were talks about a snap election, so I thought I’d take a picture of the new convocation. But after the election I took Rada off my list. They were all traitors there. At any rate, they wouldn’t want to take part in such a project.
KP: Can you think of any similar projects in the world?
IG: There is one American artist, Tunick Spancer, who takes pictures of a large number of naked people. He gathers them for a flash mob and photographs the crowd. I love this project. First of all, I love taking pictures of nude models. Moreover, I am a nudist by nature. I don’t practice such a lifestyle but I do support it and would love to walk naked if I weren’t afraid of angry people and police.
KP: Why will the first exhibition take place in London?
IG: Foreign art curators are more active. I think the project has the potential to be quite successful abroad and exhibitions are a doorway to sales. I do plan to make an exhibition in Kyiv this year — I live in this country and its people are the heroes of my project.
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Kyiv Post staff writer Nataliya Horban can be reached at horban@kyivpost.com.
