Photos by Ignas Maldžiūnas Text by Aušra Žilovaitė
Photographer Ignas Maldžiūnas has always been fascinated by the details, usually unnoticed by regular people. That’s where his love for abandoned places came from. His latest project “Work’n’Fun” is all about the leftovers of a human existence. Only Ignas way of seeing it makes them contrary to sad or quiet. Abandoned places are in whole new amplua here.
The analog photographs of peculiarly coloured abandoned places are taken in most famous and luxurious soviet leisure places where soviet people used to spend their holidays. Those places, now left empty and spooky – half collapsed, half still existing, are like a shadow of history in growing modern Lithuania’s landscape.
I. Maldžiūnas used difficult shooting technique of flashes with colour filters. Like a painter puts oils on canvas, he “painted” his films with bizarre colours. The goal was to revive those places for one last time and to create an impression of “fun” there. All photographs are made in the middle of the night, in entirely darkness, which made a process quite dangerous. Pictures are made with exceptionally long exposure, sometimes up to 5 hours long. “The magic of the process is that you never know how the colours of flashes will “paint” the film. You see the result just after the film is scanned, which is days after”, shares Ignas, when he was asked about the most thrilling part of the project. So I. Maldžiūnas had to trust his instincts during all the shooting process. The result is unrepeatable.
You may believe that the history is way behind you. But remains of a post soviet times are following our footsteps to the humming modern world way closer as you might think. “If we can not hide, we can highlight it” – says Ignas Maldžiūnas. Therefore he reflects the shadows of a modern Lithuania in a most beautiful and sensual way and brings it up to date. After confronting the history and accepting it, you can release it and catch the fresh air of the future.
About the author:
Ignas Maldžiūnas was born in 1978. He lives in Lithuania. He graduate at Vilnius Art Academy. Participated in 10th Kaunas Biennial “Networked”, curated by Nicolas Bourriaud. Exhibited in galleries “Meno parkas”, “Studio casa” in Kaunas, Lithuania. Member of a Lithuanian Photographers Union.
