Katrina Kepule
Arrivals and Departures
[ EPF 2014 SHORTLIST ]
The series “Sit Silently” examines the signs of time in the rites of subcultures surrounding the capital of Latvia, Riga. It captures the places where “modern Europe” meets the elements of the Soviet times, which conflict and overlap at the same time, while appearing creatively in interiors, exteriors, portraits and still-lives depicting the everyday and the leisurely pastimes. The pictures also capture author’s searches for a slower time zone with more vivid and more open expressions, as well as the sense of home and specific creativity of daily routines beyond the downtown.
The series is also an author’s journey of recreation – escaping from the “focus” and looking for her own (Latvian) identity or core, admiring peripheral moments with their own significance, values and feeling. If, for example, one looks from the East, Kengarags is periphery of Riga, Latgale is the periphery of Latvia, and Latvia is the periphery of Europe.
The series’ title is an abbreviation of a piece from “Google Poetics” and consists of phrases that are popularly searched on the internet and are associated with sitting: “Sit silently /sit silently doing nothing / we sit silently and watch the world / we sit silently and watch.”
This reminds of a passage from Franz Kafka: “You do not need to leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. Do not even listen, simply wait, be quiet, still and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked, it has no choice, it will roll in ecstasy at your feet.”
Bio
My name is Katrina Kepule and I am a photographer based in Latvia. Photography for me is an important way to relate to the world and translate my angle of view to others. My chosen field is documentary photography through which I can communicate narratives often understandable on an intuitive level.
I have completed several photography courses such as Professional Photography Course, Vocational School N38, Riga, Latvia (2000), B.A. Audio and Visual Culture and Theory, Latvian Academy of Culture, Riga, Latvia (2008), and International Summer School of Photography (ISSP) Ludza, Latvia (2009). I curently graduated from a two-year informal education program for emerging photographers, run by International Summer School of Photography (ISSP), Riga, Latvia (2014).
I have participated in a masterclass by Jan Grarup :Essence of photojournalism ( 2013) and an Artist’s Book making workshop by Nico Baumgarten (2014).
I have worked as a photo reporter at Chancellery of the Latvian Parliament.
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Brilliant! Those poor judges…
I love photograph 14. One of those moments when everything comes together.
Mike.
There is a nuance in this I apreciate , in what order the photo’s are placed , the humor from 11 to 12 for example( well I thought it was anyway ) , how every photo connects with the following .
I love the mood , this raw romantic feel at times ,colors and it is a story with a beginning and an ending .
My favorits are almost every pic but it is difficult cause even the pics I like less are meaningfull in the whole story .
Thank you for posting .
A brilliant series. It kept me captivated.
I found several of the individual compositions really atmospheric and interesting on their own, and the way it was put together as a series also kept me guessing.
Nice one.