Lukasz Trzcinski & Wojciech Nowicki. NEW EUROPE
The aim of the "New Europe" project is to create a photographic portrait of societies from Central and Eastern Europe at the time of intellectual and economic changes which started 20. years ago after communism fell in this part of the world (1989-2009). The idea behind the project is to find subjects most representative of the legacy of the former system in landscapes or in aspects of everyday life, like: workers' towns, landscapes changed by wasteful mining of natural resources, villages which had not changed for 50. years and the mentality of people forced to survive under socialist rule.
After 20. years the socialist unity of Central and Eastern Europe is slowly disintegrating whereas local cultural identities and openness to neighbouring countries are becoming more evident. "New Europe" is coming into being although the economic and intellectual transformation is likely to last for the next 50. years or so. Today nothing hinders free choice of the inhabitants of this part of the world who can finally decide about their lives themselves. This especially refers to the young generation, unburdened by history, suffering from no complexes who are ready to join the ranks of modern Europeans. This is an ideal moment for observing and fathoming out the mentality of the people in this region and at this time of change and to create a picture of "New Europe".
The research area includes 22 countries of the former socialist block: DDR (Germany), the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Ukraine, Moldova, Hungary, Slovenia, Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Croatia, Monte Negro, Bosnia, Serbia, Albania, Kosovo, Byelorussia, the Kaliningrad Region (Russia).
ALBANIA As a result of defensive obsession of Enver Hoxha (Albanian dictator: 1945-1985) almost 700 thousand of bunkers were built in Albania. Durin Hoxha's propaganda all inhabitants had to be ready to defense the country, regardless of age or sex. Nowadays bunkers are an omnipresent element of the Albanian landscape. Forgotten, destroyed, adapted and modified into bars or byres are inseparable part of that living space. ©Lukasz Trzcinski 
Jugendweihe a secular coming of age ceremony practiced by German; a form of laic confirmation, para-religious ritual of symbolical entering an adulthood. It was especially widespread in East Germany, where atheism was encouraged under the GDR. After reunification Jugendweihen came under heavy pressure, with public recognition and state assistance gone. Currently it is prohibited in some eastern states to perform Jugendweihen in schools. Nonetheless, in the eastern states sixty to seventy percent of the age group take part in Jugendweihe ceremonies. ©Lukasz Trzcinski
As a result of the project about 22 photo reports will be made in all countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The review of them will be exhibited with the exhibition moving to countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Full photo essays will be showed in the book which is planed to
be publish in 2010/2011.
The author of photographs: Lukasz Trzcinski
Texts by: Wojciech Nowicki
Exhibition of Łukasz Trzciński potography in L'Espace Photographique Contretype Brussels: 14th september - 16th october 2011 see more
Exhibition by Andrzej Kramarz in Refleksy Gallery in Warsaw: 22nd June-17th July 2011. see more