21st Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest People
Escapism

This photo from serie which tells the story of the life of an astronaut who arrived on Earth in order to find the Talker bird. But in this search, the astronaut does not forget to get acquainted with all the innovations of civilization, encountering various artifacts and wonders on his way: the transport of the future - a high-speed tram, brick portals to other dimensions, an analogue of the cosmic lilac, self-adhesive paper messages to the inhabitants of the planet, an adult Belka (unfortunately, already without Strelka), as well as various other inhabitants of the planet - traders of edible green balls, or people working on solar panels. An astronaut is a metaphor for a person living in another reality. The project is dedicated to thinking about the boundaries of reality in everyday life and about the role escapism plays in maintaining the internal stability of the individual. Does it help or is it a pathological pattern of behavior and a sign of infantility for modern society. The goal of the project: to actualize the problems of escaping reality through conjecture of reality and acceptance of what is happening through the prism of escapism.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 06.2023
Date Uploaded: 11.2023
Photo Location: Tomsk, Russia
Camera: X-T3
Copyright: © Alexey Shelestov