The project was made in Tver region, villages of Russian Tver region inhabited by karelians since 17th century. Tver karelians speak tver dialect of Karelian language. They have their own customs, mithology, cuisine, literature. With great concern we witness that too little karelian subetnos representatives have been left in Russia.
As a result of 1930s soviet repressions the number of there karelians decreased significantly (hundreds times). Several hundreds of elder people what is left from native speakers and native culture karelians. It's mportant for me to enmark them and to draw civil attention to the problem of small nations elimination.
Now karelian villages seem to be abandoned from the first view. While traveling before the sunset alongside in winter one would think there’s none living here. But when the dark comes on, and if you enter little cozy houses with warm and glow windows, you will definitely find real living in it.
Curtains framing the windows, potted flowers…and a Russian stove in every house; a cat on the lap and handmade floormats. All that felt like coming back to my own childhood, making me wait for my grandma entering the room and starting her inapprehensible, but melodic bubbling in Karelian.
The life hasn’t come to an utter stop…but it has slowed down significantly. And our high tack, hectic world seems so remote.
