Slightly Altered by Synchrodogs at PhMuseum Lab

From November 18th to December 19th, PhMuseum Lab in Bologna is presenting Slightly Altered, the new project of the Ukrainian duo Synchrodogs selected within the open call PhMuseum 2021 Photography Grant. Here, the photographers Tania Shcheglova and Roman Noven explore the relationship between man and nature. 

This body of work is the result of several trips through the Carpathians, the largest mountain chain in Eastern Europe. As the artists progressively distanced themselves from urban centres, they sought to observe the extent to which human intervention remained tangible. By means of a combination of performative photography and installations, Synchrodogs investigated how simple alterations can produce visible and potentially protracted consequences on the environment. The experimental process adopted generated a form of participant observation that scanned the conjunction between the human subject and the natural landscape in an ethnographic perspective. 

In Slightly Altered, the absence of a widespread man-made hub spawns reflections on what it means to interact with the primordial landscape. The everyday connections of the metropolis are no longer available, so that new ties formed with natural elements maximise their meaning-making capacity. Therefore, this body of work evokes the contemporary paradigm of mobilities, which developed in the last two decades in response to the growing realisation of the significance that movement has on society and people. This notion highlights the importance of moving and not only that of the origin and the point of arrival, as it emphasises how the multidimensional motions flowing in society (migration, travelling, transportation, ideas) carry wider implications. The detachment from the urban context allows the human being to fully embrace nature, whilst the scope for individual expression is still retained, in spite of the absence of society.

“Slightly Altered” offers the occasion to meditate on the precarious balance, or imbalance, subsisting between humans and the space they inhabit and move in, so as to assess the impact individuals can have both positively and negatively. In fact, whilst human interference can be exploitative and destructive for the environment, it can also foster a form of synchronisation with the surrounding landscape. In due course, the footprints left in the trail might or might not mistreat it. The line dividing the two facets is thin, but it can be discerned if the right lens is employed.

The latter pursuit is the epicentre of the exhibition, aimed at discovering the dyadic effects of human engagement in an almost uncontaminated setting. Nonetheless, human presence is there, and things become “slightly altered”. 

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All works © Synchrodogs from Slightly Altered

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The exhibition is opening next week, the artists are going to be present at the vernissage. Below you can find all the practical info.

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Where: PhMuseum Lab, Via Paolo Fabbri 10/2a, Bologna, Italy
Admission: Free. Book your slot now.
When: 18 November - 19 December 2021
Vernissage: 18 November | 5pm-10pm
Opening times: Friday 5pm-8pm | Monday-Thursday by appointment only

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Synchrodogs is a Ukrainian duo formed by Tania Shcheglova (1989) and Roman Noven (1984), who have been working together since 2008. Their performative production is characterised by the combination of naked bodies, landscapes, artefacts, and installations, through which they explore the relationship between humankind and nature. Follow their work on Instagram.

PhMuseum Lab, founded in 2020, is a multi-purpose project that seeks to create a place to gather and learn, so as to share the online experience of the PhMuseum and stimulate a dialogue between digital opportunities and physical interactions. It pursues the same mission, which is that of working to discover, educate, and promote talented photographers whilst spreading visual culture. Follow PhMuseum Lab on Instagram.