There Round the Corner in the Deep

Interplay of myth, power, and secrecy within closed city (ZATO). Drawing from archival photographs, facts, and personal memories, the project investigates the roots of uncertainty and the landscapes of collective memory.

There Round the Corner in the Deep examines the blurred boundaries between fact and fiction, inviting reflection on historical narratives and their influence on contemporary events. The title is drawn from Boris Pasternak's poem, which, along with the Strugatsky brothers' novel Snail on the Slope, uses the forest as a metaphor for the unknown and hidden aspects of human existence. Central to the work is the closed city of Sarov—both a place for the development of nuclear weapons and a spiritual center of Orthodoxy. Today, it's a city where religion and science, faith and militarism are intertwined. It remains in a transitional state between the past and something entirely new and unknown. The Russian government openly claims that Orthodoxy and nuclear technology are aligned, reinforcing the nation's strength and security. Thus, the boundary between fact and fiction becomes less and less visible.
Two central protagonists guide the narrative of There Round the Corner in the Deep: the artist’s grandfather, a nuclear physicist, and Seraphim of Sarov, an Orthodox saint. Their presences create a layered dialogue across time, belief systems, and historical traumas. Through them, the author weaves together archives, fragmented memories, and religious myths to reflect on how private and collective identities are shaped by forces both visible and concealed.