TOTALITARIAN ECHOES
The "Totalitarian Echoes" collection delves into the dark depths of Soviet history, revealing tragedies and senseless losses. Each print in this collection is a visual narrative of terror, repression, and the pursuit of freedom.
These images remind us of the victims of a totalitarian regime, of the people who suffered and continued to fight. We hope this collection inspires reflection on the value of human freedom and the resilience of the human spirit.
In this article, we delve into the history behind our print "Music on Ribs." This print symbolizes a unique and tragic aspect of Soviet history, connected to musical culture and repression.
"Music on Ribs" (or "rock on bones") is a term describing underground music recordings made on X-ray films in the Soviet Union. In an era when Western music was banned, enthusiasts found creative ways to share their favorite tunes. These recordings were often made on used X-ray films, which were obtained from hospitals and clinics. On such films, one could see images of bones and internal organs, hence the name "music on ribs."
Of course, these records were not sold in stores; they could be purchased at flea markets, in alleys, and in doorways. Sellers often worked in pairs: one would offer the record and negotiate the price, while the other stood nearby with a suitcase full of goods.
As a result of these illegal transactions, music lovers received a thin record with a single song lasting no more than three and a half minutes. The quality of "bones" was often terrible: noise drowned out the music. Sometimes, instead of the long-awaited song, the record player would emit insults directed at those wanting to listen to foreign singers.
The pursuit of art and freedom despite the invisible chains of repression, spectral embodiment of hope and freedom, reached for by souls trapped within the body.
Energia-Buran
A Symbol of Lost Opportunities
The Energia-Buran project began in 1976 with the ambitious goal of creating a reusable spacecraft that would rival the American Space Shuttle program. However, from the outset, this project demanded enormous financial resources, estimated at 14 billion rubles, equivalent to tens of billions of dollars today. These funds diverted resources from other critical sectors, exacerbating the country's economic problems.
The construction and testing of Buran stretched over more than a decade, far exceeding initial timelines. Each phase was plagued by numerous technical problems and delays, which continuously increased costs and cast doubt on the project's feasibility.
On November 15, 1988, the "Buran" shuttle made its first and only flight.
Despite a successful launch and landing, the program was effectively terminated afterward. The invested resources and efforts proved futile as Buran was never used again, and its potential remained unrealized
The massive expenses of the Energia-Buran project significantly worsened the economic difficulties, ultimately contributing to the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. The funds spent on Buran could have been allocated to social programs, infrastructure improvements, and other critical projects that might have alleviated economic hardships and social discontent.
Initially, the project was envisioned as a reusable spacecraft for military purposes. However, political changes and the collapse of the USSR prevented this goal from being achieved. Despite technical advancements, Buran failed to compete with the American Space Shuttle program in terms of efficiency and flight frequency.
In addition to the emblematic decline of the project, in 2021, the unfinished Buran spacecraft, left abandoned in a hangar at Baikonur, was covered in graffiti by a group of street artists. They left inscriptions dedicated to Yuri Gagarin on the shuttle's hull. The graffiti writers had to walk 80 kilometers through the steppe to execute their plan.
"It was very difficult, there was a lot of security, searchlights, and we were constantly pursued by the police. We had to hide all the time. On the way back, we ran out of water and had to walk 25 kilometers without it. We even had to drink our own urine to survive," they told reporters.
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"Before reaching for the stars, humanity must learn to live on Earth."
The Energia-Buran project was an ambitious attempt by the Soviet Union to create a reusable spacecraft. However, due to enormous financial costs, technical difficulties, and political changes, it failed to meet expectations. The resources invested could have been used more effectively in other areas, potentially preventing some of the economic and social issues that contributed to the dissolution of the USSR.
"300 Days Without a Crust of Bread to a Meager Meal"
This is the caption on a photo taken by Ukrainian photographer Nikolai Bokan, whose family endured the Holodomor in Ukraine. During this time, he began documenting everything happening to his family with his camera, adding captions to the photographs.
Storage location of the photo: State Archive of the Security Service of Ukraine, fund 6, file 75489-fk, volume 2
In the middle of 1932, the Bokan family, which had seven children, began to starve. Nikolai could no longer earn money through photography – there were no clients.
"Storage location of the photo: State Archive of the Security Service of Ukraine, fund 6, file 75489-fk, volume 2"
"On his 25th year of life, Vladimir moved out to his own apartment away from his parents in 1932".
"When the bread was confiscated, the prices of other products became completely unaffordable," wrote a photographer from Baturyn in his notebook. "Therefore, it is time to think about how to save the children from extinction."
In June 1932, Nikolai Bokan forced his 25-year-old son Vladimir to leave the family home and try to make a living on his own. Vladimir had serious eye injuries since childhood, but Nikolai did not consider them severe enough to justify his son remaining dependent on the family during the famine. This led to a conflict between father and son. Vladimir even broke the windows in the house and threatened to burn it down. He reproached his father for being unable to feed the family.
In the spring of 1933, amidst the height of famine when the family had not seen bread for ten months, Nikolai Bokan's 22-year-old son, Konstantin, went to work in a collective farm. Evidently, this was his own initiative, as his father opposed collectivization.
Returning from work, weakened Konstantin lay down in the field and died two hours later. Nikolai Bokan immediately decided to photograph the place of his son's death.
Storage location of the photo: State Archive of the Security Service of Ukraine, fund 6, file 75489-fk, volume 2
"The place where Kostya passed away.
His brother sits to the left, having talked with him here just two hours before his death."
"Within two months of working in the collective farm, my son received a coffin, a grave, and a path to the cemetery— that was his entire earnings," wrote the photographer from Baturyn.
In the collective farm, 22-year-old Konstantin, like others, was fed buckwheat husks. To alleviate hunger, he also started smoking on the advice of his new comrades.
"Animals die from such feed," wrote Nikolai Bokan. "A farmer wouldn't let that happen, no matter how cruel he might be. You could always leave him and go to another. But if everything is 'organized,' where will you go?"
Storage location of the photo: State Archive of the Security Service of Ukraine, fund 6, file 75489-fk, volume 2
"In the coffin"
Nikolai Bokan took his son's body in a coffin to the cemetery. On his grave, he placed a plaque: "Died on June 30, 1933, in the field from excessive labor in the collective farm and malnutrition."
Storage location of the photo: State Archive of the Security Service of Ukraine, fund 6, file 75489-fk, volume 2
Storage location of the photo: State Archive of the Security Service of Ukraine, fund 6, file 75489-fk, volume 2
"Memories of Kostya, who died of starvation."
In late 1937, Nikolai Bokan and his son Boris were arrested. They were accused of anti-Soviet agitation and propaganda. During the search, 42 photographs and 20 negatives were confiscated. These materials became part of the evidence of their "counter-revolutionary activities." Nikolai Bokan was sentenced to eight years, while his son received five.
"Boris died in late 1939, and his father in the spring of 1942."
For more details about Nikolai Bokan and the tragedy of his family, read the research by Anastasiia Leshchysh and Daria Glazkova.
November 23rd in Ukraine is the Day of Remembrance for the victims of the Holodomor. This man-made famine of 1932-33 claimed the lives of millions. While exact numbers are unknown, estimates suggest up to 8 million perished. Peasants were forbidden from leaving the famine-stricken areas, leading to a mass genocide of the Ukrainian people.
Food supplies and harvests could have provided the necessary sustenance, but the authorities created artificial conditions that led to the mass confiscation of food and seed material. Stalin and his inner circle saw the Ukrainian peasantry as a threat to the Soviet Union and aimed to destroy a part of it. The goal was to suppress and subdue the Ukrainian nation, preventing the development of an independent Ukraine. The repressive measures during collectivization sparked a widespread insurgent movement, with over 4,000 uprisings in Ukraine.
The Holodomor remains a stark reminder of the devastating consequences of totalitarian regimes and the immense suffering endured by the Ukrainian people. As we remember the victims, we honor their resilience and courage.
The Grim Legacy of BelBaltLag
A Dark Chapter in Soviet History
"A tattoo of a criminal authority known as 'Fartovy.' According to him, he spent 42 years in places of incarceration.
*СЛОН (SLON) - Solovetsky Special Camp — the first and, until 1929, the only correctional labor camp in the USSR located on the Solovetsky Islands, operating during the 1920s and 1930s.
Under Stalin's regime, deportations to concentration camps were driven by political suppression and the need for forced labor. Individuals deemed threats to state security or ideological purity—whether political dissidents, intellectuals, ethnic minorities, or ordinary citizens accused of minor crimes—faced exile and imprisonment. This policy aimed not only to eliminate opposition but also to instill fear and consolidate power over the populace.
One of the earliest and most notorious camps was the Solovetsky Special Camp, or Solovki. Established in 1923 on the remote Solovetsky Islands in the White Sea, it became a prototype for the Soviet labor camp system. The camp was infamous for its harsh conditions and brutal treatment of prisoners, many of whom were intellectuals, clergy, and political activists.
Solovki was marked by severe labor conditions, where prisoners endured grueling work in extreme weather. It was here that the Soviet system refined methods of punishment and exploitation that would later be widespread across the Gulag.
One of the most grueling projects undertaken by BelBaltLag was the construction of the White Sea-Baltic Canal. This canal, intended to connect the White Sea with the Baltic Sea, was a grandiose and largely pointless project driven by Stalin’s vision of rapid industrialization. Construction began in 1931, with BelBaltLag as the primary source of labor.
Conditions were appalling. Prisoners were forced to work with primitive tools and outdated equipment, often in harsh weather conditions. They suffered from malnutrition, disease, and constant threat of violence from camp guards. The tools they used were inadequate for the scale of the project—manual shovels, pickaxes, and rudimentary cranes were the main means for excavation and construction.
Philosopher Pavel Florensky after being arrested for
"agitation against the Soviet system."
Florensky was sentenced to 10 years of labor in Stalin's gulags. He would not serve the full ten years. Just a few years after this photo was taken, he was dragged out into the woods and shot.
USSR. February 27, 1933.
The human cost of canal construction was staggering. Estimates suggest that up to 25,000 prisoners died during the construction due to the harsh conditions, starvation, and disease. The canal, though completed in 1933, proved largely ineffective and was scarcely used, symbolizing the wastefulness and cruelty of the Soviet regime’s forced labor projects.
The history of BelBaltLag and the White Sea-Baltic Canal serves as a grim reminder of the atrocities committed under totalitarian rule. The immense suffering endured by prisoners highlights the moral and humanitarian failings of a regime that prioritized political control and grandiose projects over human life and dignity. Reflecting on these dark chapters of history, it is crucial to remember the lessons learned: the necessity of protecting human rights, upholding justice, and ensuring that such horrors are never repeated. The legacy of BelBaltLag should inspire us to build a world where freedom and humanity prevail over oppression and cruelty.
припять
The Chernobyl disaster, which occurred on April 26, 1986, remains one of the most devastating technological catastrophes in human history. The explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine released a massive amount of radioactive material, causing severe consequences for people and the environment.
Causes of the Disaster
The disaster was caused by a series of critical errors and flaws in the design and operation of the reactor. A key factor was the faulty design of the RBMK reactor, which had significant safety deficiencies. Human errors and violations of regulations during reactor testing also played a crucial role.
Even before the accident, in 1983, the Soviet leadership in Moscow received information that the Chernobyl nuclear power plant was one of the most dangerous in the USSR and lacked the necessary safety measures.
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Over 49,000 people were evacuated from the city of Pripyat and other settlements within a 30-kilometer radius of the plant. It is estimated that up to 200,000 people died from radiation exposure and related illnesses.
The order to evacuate the area came only 36 hours after the accident.
On April 28, during the "Vremya" news program, the announcer read the first official TASS statement: "An accident has occurred at the Chernobyl nuclear power station. One of the reactors has been damaged. Measures are being taken to eliminate the consequences of the incident. The affected have been provided with the necessary assistance. A government commission has been set up to investigate the incident."
People left their homes in the belief that they were leaving for three days. Some took guitars with them instead of valuables, hoping to have fun on an unexpected weekend.
When reassured Kyiv residents took to the streets for the May Day parade on Khreshchatyk on May 1, one of the peaks of radioactivity was recorded in the capital.
The liquidators of the Chernobyl disaster played a crucial role in dealing with the aftermath of the catastrophe. These individuals, including firefighters, soldiers, engineers, medical personnel, and volunteers, were dispatched to the site to extinguish the fire, decontaminate radioactive areas, and construct a sarcophagus over the destroyed reactor. Their efforts helped prevent further widespread destruction and limited the spread of radiation.
However, the liquidators were exposed to significant levels of radiation. Many lacked adequate protection and were subjected to high doses of radiation, leading to severe health consequences.
According to various estimates, out of approximately 600,000 liquidators, around 10-20% died within the first 15 years after the disaster due to various causes, including cancer and radiation sickness. Specifically, data from the National Research Center for Radiation Medicine of Ukraine indicates that by the early 2000s, around 10,000 liquidators had died from radiation-related illnesses, including cancer. In subsequent years, the number of victims among the liquidators continued to rise, highlighting the long-term impact of radiation exposure on their health.
The Soviet Union attempted to conceal the scale and consequences of the disaster, putting millions of Ukrainians and residents of neighboring countries at risk. In the initial days after the explosion, Soviet authorities downplayed the real danger, which delayed evacuation and left people inadequately protected from radiation. It was only after the radiation levels were detected in other countries that the Soviet leadership acknowledged the problem, but they continued to downplay its extent. As a result, many people continued to live and work in high-radiation areas, unaware of the risks to their health.
The Chernobyl disaster remains a stark reminder of how disinformation and opacity, propagated by a totalitarian regime, led to one of the greatest technological catastrophes in human history. The concealment of the true extent of the accident and its consequences endangered the lives of millions, depriving them of a chance for timely evacuation and protection. This tragic event underscores the critical importance of transparency and accountability in governance, as well as the need for rigorous safety measures in the use of nuclear energy. The Chernobyl catastrophe serves as a somber warning that lies and misinformation can have catastrophic effects, impacting the health and future of entire generations. It is a grim reminder that trust and truthfulness are foundational principles that must underpin any responsible policy and administration.
