The Playground: Cyanotype with pigeons and Eastern Blocks 1

They call dandelions weeds. They call pigeons flying rats. They are wrong about both.

Here's a series of cyanotypes about pigeons — or rather, with pigeons. It's about childhood, that specific freedom you feel running wild with your reckless friends on a construction site.

I combined photographs of Soviet apartment buildings (my sweet panelki) with dandelions. Both belong to the city. Both are treated like they don't.

Some people classify dandelions as weeds, which is complete nonsense. Dandelions are beautiful and virtuous — the star of every Soviet playground. And some (the same?) people classify pigeons as "flying rats", but they are sweet, fascinating creatures. (Also, this is disrespectful to rats, who are very smart.)

This project is that playground. A love letter to the birds, the flowers, the panelki, and the kids we were.

The handmade, analog aesthetic of cyanotype seemed only appropriate.