THE ROUTINE OF SILENCE

© Aleksandra Cherniaeva - 1. SmileThe practiced expression of normality. A gesture learned for survival. © Aleksandra Cherniaeva - 2. ApplauseThe sound of others celebrating what you no longer feel. © Aleksandra Cherniaeva - 3. RoutineThe mechanical rhythm of days that repeat without meaning. View all images ↓
View all images ↓

A visual study of depression hidden in everyday gestures. The body continues its routine — smiling, working, moving — while the silence inside grows unbearable.

The Routine of Silence explores the quiet, invisible weight of depression.
In these monochrome fragments, everyday gestures — a smile, a cup of coffee, a morning commute — become rituals of survival.
The images reveal no drama, no tears, no chaos; only the still persistence of a body that continues to function while the soul stands still.

Through light, shadow, and repetition, the project asks what happens when the performance of normality replaces genuine emotion.
It’s not about sadness, but about endurance — the discipline of appearing fine when everything inside is silent.

© Aleksandra Cherniaeva - 1. SmileThe practiced expression of normality. A gesture learned for survival.
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1. SmileThe practiced expression of normality. A gesture learned for survival.

© Aleksandra Cherniaeva - 2. ApplauseThe sound of others celebrating what you no longer feel.
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2. ApplauseThe sound of others celebrating what you no longer feel.

© Aleksandra Cherniaeva - 3. RoutineThe mechanical rhythm of days that repeat without meaning.
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3. RoutineThe mechanical rhythm of days that repeat without meaning.

© Aleksandra Cherniaeva - 4. NoiseToo much to hear, too little to understand. The world keeps speaking over you.
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4. NoiseToo much to hear, too little to understand. The world keeps speaking over you.

© Aleksandra Cherniaeva - 5. CollapseWhen the body bends under the weight the mind can no longer carry.
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5. CollapseWhen the body bends under the weight the mind can no longer carry.

© Aleksandra Cherniaeva - 6. TransitYou move, yet remain unmoved. The world rushes, you fade into stillness.
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6. TransitYou move, yet remain unmoved. The world rushes, you fade into stillness.

© Aleksandra Cherniaeva - 7. Stillness Life continues around you, but time stops inside.
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7. Stillness Life continues around you, but time stops inside.

© Aleksandra Cherniaeva - 8. BedSilence becomes both refuge and burden. The act of rest turns into surrender.
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8. BedSilence becomes both refuge and burden. The act of rest turns into surrender.

THE ROUTINE OF SILENCE by Aleksandra Cherniaeva

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