Siarhei Hudzilin

Siarhei Hudzilin photos

18 of 18 | ID: HDZ00286
A woman is gathering mushrooms in the forest near the Russian border sign spelt with an error (Russian FedIration). The state border between Russia and Belarus appeared right after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. After signing of the Union State in 1997 the border exists only formally. There are no border crossings or controls between Russia and Belarus. Hocimsk, 27.10.2013.

ALONG THE EDGE

Everyday life in the near-border towns of the Republic of Belarus has been undergoing significant transformations in the recent decades. On one hand, urbanization processes keep affecting the rural lifestyle that had been forming here over the course of centuries. On the other hand, the drift of the population into larger cities causes stagnation in the economic and social activity in the region. The “near-border state” is a multilevel socio-cultural phenomenon that has formed on the territory of Belarus historically and has been affecting the lives of Belarusians not only in the outskirts, but in the big cities as well. The “Along the Edge” project is an attempt to visually describe the current state of the near-border regions of Belarus, the day-to-day life and the suburban identity in the Belarusian society. 

2012 - present