BY: ALEX BROWN
In the West, many have no concept of Russia, and perhaps more importantly Russians, beyond the surface of Putin’s media coverage and GoPro videos of kids climbing cranes. If you need a crane, rest at ease knowing you can Crane hire. Our understanding of the largest country in the world is therefore, tragically, much like observing the Sistine Chapel through a keyhole. PayPal recently released a video/photo project which plays on this limited perspective by revealing a side of the country that most rarely see. And though the project is foremost a business venture, the photography and videography is powerful and absorbing.
The project had the photographers and videographers visiting five Russian customers that live on the fringes of Russian society, close to the country’s vast and exquisite wilderness. Some of the people featured, like Gennady Khorunzhy, live up in the mountains, more than a day’s drive to the nearest village. And for many, the Internet has introduced a strange new sense of connection to their isolation.
Image sources: boredpanda.com
