Plovdiv, 2014

One thought on “Plovdiv, 2014”

Orel Bob says:

June 17, 2018 at 10:18 am

I had the great honour to accompany Dana Arieli in Bulgaria when this photo was taken. Beyond the pleasure of seeing the photographer in action, it is impossible not to be amazed at this place. I did not go in, with Dana at that moment but I got to see the cinema from the top gallery. The monstrous size, the sense of heaviness, the weight of the structure and the neglect, managed to convey the phantom concept in which the photographer meddles. This structure, a cinema that supposed to provide a refuge from daily hardships, looks (or even acts) as a bunker, where you can hide in the event of an attack. This photo represents this dissonance perfectly and exists in all of Plovdiv and other cities in this region. A huge shadow that is almost visible and tangible, heavy and terrifying that can not be erased or shaken, and you can almost feel it: the smell, the texture of the chairs, the peeling of the walls. You can not escape that shadow even if you try.
Plovdiv is a charming and graceful city but netted by massive buildings from the Communist period, which beyond functional use, glorifies the imperialist power of the Soviet empire. You walk around the city knowing that with all the life, nature and pleasure, heavy socialist responsibility rests on your shoulders and this picture is a good example for it.

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