“Ivan Kupala Day” by Daria Dshalelova

Daria Dshalelova was born in a small city (Pervouralsk, Sverdlovsk region, Russia) in1989. She considers herself a creative-conceptual photographer.

“I am a great dreamer. Everytime I create my characters, I imagine something specific, that I have been keeping in my head for a while. Taking photos is the way I can express myself. I can be easily inspired by everyday life stories. It is possible to watch me walking in the street with a wondering face, looking all over around, and catching ideas from almost nowhere, from people, architecture, weather and music in the coffee shops. The beauty of my homeland also inspires me. The Ural, the place where I live, is surrounded by endless forests, huge mountains, and incredible nature. Moreover, art is another place where I get a lot of details, which I use later in my exposures.

I’ve been thinking about sharing a story about our traditions, character and the mood of summer holiday for a long time. The day of Ivan Kupala (or Midsummer’s Day) is dedicated to the summer solstice and the highest period of nature’s flourishing. That night the grooms were chosen and marriage ceremonies were performed. Also young people jumped over the fire hand in hand, looked for the fern flower and walked out in the morning dew. The girls of different nationalities were taken part in the photoshoot. Thereby, I tried to show how multinational our country is. Rushnyk (a ritual cloth or towel embroidered with symbols) was used as the link that unites absolutely different women. It’s interesting that this cloth is more than 60 years old, and traditionally it was given to our grandparents for their wedding. The story was told at dawn, in a birch grove by the Chusovaya River. The unity with nature, white dresses as symbols of birches, the morning mist, the natural beauty of the girls – all these aspects show the broad nature of the Russian soul.

The hearts of ordinary people are full of love and tolerance towards other people without paying attention to nationalities or political views. Perhaps, this is the main point I tried to show in this story.”

© Daria Dshalelova
© Daria Dshalelova
© Daria Dshalelova
© Daria Dshalelova
© Daria Dshalelova
© Daria Dshalelova
© Daria Dshalelova
© Daria Dshalelova
© Daria Dshalelova
© Daria Dshalelova
© Daria Dshalelova
© Daria Dshalelova
© Daria Dshalelova
© Daria Dshalelova
© Daria Dshalelova
© Daria Dshalelova
© Daria Dshalelova
© Daria Dshalelova

Credits

Photographer: Daria Dshalelova