!["No Flood, Only Snow or The Absurd Ark" (Adox Silvermax 100)
Mazay stands steady,
hares argue about rescue -
the accordion laughs.
A direct line from Nekrasov to the park: Ded Mazay in his coat is more than a poem’s hero — he’s an archetype of the Russian people, calm and steady. The boat is crowded with hares of character: two on the bow parody Titanic, one plays the accordion, another the balalaika, one clutches a carrot, one naps, the rest gossip about weather and fate. In this scene folkloric kindness meets domestic irony; absurdity becomes a metaphor for endurance, self‑mockery, and the public theatre. The sculpture is not merely a depiction but a question: who rescues whom, and what do we call “the people” in a moment of trial.
Shot on Olympus μ[mju:]-II, film Adox Silvermax 100, scanned Epson Stylus Photo RX500 in “as is” mode. At the time of shooting (06/02/2016) the composition was installed in Muzeon Art Park, Moscow.
Title: “Ded Mazay and the Hares”
Authors: Alexander M. Taratynov and Glafira Taratynova
Artist credentials: Alexander Taratynov — Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Arts, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation; the work was created in collaboration with his daughter.
Year: 1999
Material and technique: artistic casting; principal elements cast in bronze (metal alloy), with possible armature and mixed‑material pedestal; monumental sculpture, casting and finishing.
Subject: inspired by N. A. Nekrasov’s poem “Grandfather Mazay and the Hares,” combining folklore, pop‑culture references and a humorous treatment of the hares.
Exhibition history: long exhibited in Muzeon Art Park (Moscow); suffered vandalism requiring restoration (including re‑casting of some figures); moved between storage and exhibition sites; after restoration parts of the composition were installed in Nekrasovsky Garden, Saint Petersburg (2020).
Note: at the time of shooting (06/02/2016) the composition was installed in Muzeon Art Park, Moscow.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:twfoosjibsbs4ivgvckiitol/bafkreifkkzmedsb66ev3iz4hrh2df57jrjdstjpdeuqln4st5aho226bia)
"No Flood, Only Snow or The Absurd Ark" (Adox Silvermax 100) Mazay stands steady, hares argue about rescue - the accordion laughs. A direct line from Nekrasov to the park: Ded Mazay in his coat is more than a poem’s hero — he’s an archetype of the Russian people, calm and steady. The boat is crowded with hares of character: two on the bow parody Titanic, one plays the accordion, another the balalaika, one clutches a carrot, one naps, the rest gossip about weather and fate. In this scene folkloric kindness meets domestic irony; absurdity becomes a metaphor for endurance, self‑mockery, and the public theatre. The sculpture is not merely a depiction but a question: who rescues whom, and what do we call “the people” in a moment of trial. Shot on Olympus μ[mju:]-II, film Adox Silvermax 100, scanned Epson Stylus Photo RX500 in “as is” mode. At the time of shooting (06/02/2016) the composition was installed in Muzeon Art Park, Moscow. Title: “Ded Mazay and the Hares” Authors: Alexander M. Taratynov and Glafira Taratynova Artist credentials: Alexander Taratynov — Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Arts, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation; the work was created in collaboration with his daughter. Year: 1999 Material and technique: artistic casting; principal elements cast in bronze (metal alloy), with possible armature and mixed‑material pedestal; monumental sculpture, casting and finishing. Subject: inspired by N. A. Nekrasov’s poem “Grandfather Mazay and the Hares,” combining folklore, pop‑culture references and a humorous treatment of the hares. Exhibition history: long exhibited in Muzeon Art Park (Moscow); suffered vandalism requiring restoration (including re‑casting of some figures); moved between storage and exhibition sites; after restoration parts of the composition were installed in Nekrasovsky Garden, Saint Petersburg (2020). Note: at the time of shooting (06/02/2016) the composition was installed in Muzeon Art Park, Moscow.
![«When the Boat Sailed into a Dream, or the Bronze Hares Dissolved into the Mist of Memory»
Camera fell asleep
Hares melt into silver mist
Where is reality? There...
Sometimes technology fails to give birth to art. The Olympus μ[mju:]-II froze at the most inappropriate moment — or the most appropriate one? And instead of a clear copy of the previous shot, something else was born: ghostly, dreamy. The bronze boat sailed from reality into the realm of blurred forms and elusive meanings.
Grandpa Mazay and his hares are no longer standing still — they move, dissolve, disappear. Like a childhood memory. Like Nekrasov’s poem read many years ago. Like the spring of 2016 itself, which is no more.
This shot is about how reality turns into a dream — how memory erases details, leaving only vague outlines — how everything material will one day become ghostly. A technical defect became a philosophical statement: a camera glitch, a metaphor for time — and blurriness, the poetry of oblivion. Sometimes what we consider a mistake turns out to be the most honest shot of all.
📍 About the shot: An accidental blurred version of the previous photograph
🎨 Location: Muzeon Art Park, Moscow
📅 Date: 06.02.2016
📷 Camera: Olympus μ[mju:]-II
️ Film: Adox Silvermax 100
🔧 Feature: The camera "froze" during shooting, creating an unintentional artistic blur effect
️ Scan: Epson Stylus Photo RX500 (as-is, no corrections)
Philosophy of defect: A technical camera error turned a documentary shot into an abstract-surrealistic image where reality dissolves into a silvery mist. Sometimes a glitch is not the end, but the beginning of a new vision.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:twfoosjibsbs4ivgvckiitol/bafkreiakbo5hosggkvo6o7b2ycwgpbhoqtff5zeou6klof7vpehd567rp4)
«When the Boat Sailed into a Dream, or the Bronze Hares Dissolved into the Mist of Memory» Camera fell asleep Hares melt into silver mist Where is reality? There... Sometimes technology fails to give birth to art. The Olympus μ[mju:]-II froze at the most inappropriate moment — or the most appropriate one? And instead of a clear copy of the previous shot, something else was born: ghostly, dreamy. The bronze boat sailed from reality into the realm of blurred forms and elusive meanings. Grandpa Mazay and his hares are no longer standing still — they move, dissolve, disappear. Like a childhood memory. Like Nekrasov’s poem read many years ago. Like the spring of 2016 itself, which is no more. This shot is about how reality turns into a dream — how memory erases details, leaving only vague outlines — how everything material will one day become ghostly. A technical defect became a philosophical statement: a camera glitch, a metaphor for time — and blurriness, the poetry of oblivion. Sometimes what we consider a mistake turns out to be the most honest shot of all. 📍 About the shot: An accidental blurred version of the previous photograph 🎨 Location: Muzeon Art Park, Moscow 📅 Date: 06.02.2016 📷 Camera: Olympus μ[mju:]-II ️ Film: Adox Silvermax 100 🔧 Feature: The camera "froze" during shooting, creating an unintentional artistic blur effect ️ Scan: Epson Stylus Photo RX500 (as-is, no corrections) Philosophy of defect: A technical camera error turned a documentary shot into an abstract-surrealistic image where reality dissolves into a silvery mist. Sometimes a glitch is not the end, but the beginning of a new vision.
“Two Truths of One Spring or A Dream About Rescue”
(Adox Silvermax 100 + Olympus μ[mju:]-II)
Camera held its breath,
a boat dissolves into the snow -
hares sing, soft and slow.
#blackandwhite #bnw #RussianArt #OlympusMjuII #AdoxSilvermax #FilmPhotography #35mm #believeinfilm #classicmono #film
![“Silence Carrying Itself”
Stone exhales its dusk,
the cross grinds against the sky —
wind speaks by staying still.
Sculpture: “The Way of the Cross” (2000)
Artist: Alexey S. Grigoriev (1949–2002)
Material: limestone; carving and polishing
Dimensions: 255 × 174 × 110 cm
Location: Muzeon Art Park, Moscow
Collection: Gorky Park Museum Collection
The work is part of the “White Stone Sculpture Hall” and symbolizes the path of trials, spiritual endurance, and the inner movement of a human being.
📷 Technical Credits
Camera: Olympus μ[mju:]-II
Film: Adox Silvermax 100
Date: February 6, 2016
Location: Muzeon Art Park, Moscow
Scan: Epson Stylus Photo RX500, “as is” mode](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:twfoosjibsbs4ivgvckiitol/bafkreibdnybyoj4tczo36ymlarugjlws6xzffgaxlycyum3znri4jt7yaq)
