THESIS LITTLE ODESSA Uliana Bazar New Media Photojournalism In partial fulfillment of the requirements For the Degree of Master of Art Corcoran College of Art and Design New Media Photojournalism Washington, D.C. Spring 2013 Uliana Bazar Thesis 2013 “Little Odessa” 2 www.ulianabazar.com All Images and Writings are Copyrighted Uliana Bazar 2013 Uliana Bazar Thesis 2013 “Little Odessa” 3 www.ulianabazar.com III. Project Abstract This project concerns Post-Soviet community in Brighton Beach, New York. Little Odessa is as much a state of mind as a location on a map. It is stuck between two worlds; a place of ceaseless nostalgic fantasy of countries left behind. It was in Brighton Beach during the 70ʼs that Soviet immigrants forged a common bond through language and pop culture; guarding an identity that prevents them from adapting to their new world. Cultural similarities echo in everything the locals do and say – from what they eat and wear, to how they socialize and worship. However, as the younger generations living in Little Odessa assimilate and the older generations pass away, this microcosm of Post-Soviet culture is both changing and disappearing. I have documented this community for the past year, and I hope that these photographs will serve as a valuable record of early-21st- century life in this vibrant neighborhood. IV. Introduction to your project My decision to document this community was an easy one. In 2007 I, myself, emigrated to the U.S. from Ukraine. (However it wasnʼt until five years later that I actually visited Brighton Beach.) Because I have shared the experience of immigrating to a new country with most of my subjects, I can relate Uliana Bazar Thesis 2013 “Little Odessa” 4 www.ulianabazar.com to them on a very intimate level. The people of Little Odessa have embraced me like family. In many ways their lives mirror my own. Like them, I have struggled with identity and the disconnectedness experienced from attempting to reconstruct a world from memories of my past. In addition, because I speak both Ukrainian and Russian I could communicate with and relate to people on a very personal level. Ultimately it was the way that the people welcomed me into their lives that led to my decision to turn this project into my final thesis. I have made numerous trips to Little Odessa over the past year, each time meeting new people and deepening my connection to the community. It didnʼt take long for me to realize that the Little Odessa, as people know it today, is headed for change. Many of the people belonging to the older generations yearn for the countries they have left behind. Because of this yearning they often cling to certain fashions, traditions and cultural characteristics that, without their knowing, may already be outdated in their native country. It is inevitable that as these generations pass on they will take this strong cultural heritage with them. At the same time many of the young people in Little Odessa are all too eager to assimilate into the standard methods of American life. Cell phones, Facebook, and English slang are ubiquitous. As a result of my perceiving this impending change I felt compelled to expand my relationships there, encompassing as many elements of the community as possible, and forge deeper into my photographic project. It was my goal to work in a traditional documentary tradition and portray the entirety of this Uliana Bazar Thesis 2013 “Little Odessa” 5 www.ulianabazar.com community as best and truthfully as I could. During my time there I photographed many different layers of the self-contained society of Little Odessa. I spent time with multiple families in their homes and photographed many religious ceremonies, from weddings to baptisms to Easter to Epiphany. I also spent a lot of time photographing on the streets. The streets of Brighton Beach are a fascinating place where people love to shop at open-air markets and socialize with each other, just as they do in Ukraine. I hope that the portrait of Little Odessa that I have created through this set of photographs will serve as a valuable historical record. In May of 2013 I returned to Little Odessa to show the community the photographs I made. I presented the images to them in a self-published magazine, and the response was overwhelmingly positive. V. Project Rationale Little Odessa is a unique environment where many inhabitants have rejected assimilation into U.S. society and strive to preserve whatever commonality possible with their homelands in Eastern Europe. As a result of multiple generations failing to adapt to a new society, particular and distinct cultural ways, such as dress, social mannerisms, and certain facets of language, all prevalent in Little Odessa have actually become outdated or no longer actually exist in the immigrantʼs countries of origin. This, in effect, has made Little Odessa Uliana Bazar Thesis 2013 “Little Odessa” 6 www.ulianabazar.com somewhat of a time warp. There are also many younger immigrants eager to embrace the American lifestyle offered here. It is a matter of concern for many in the older generations in Little Odessa that their cultural heritage could be lost and diluted in what was once a firm enclave and refuge for Eastern European immigrants. This situation, in effect, creates a source of strong tension between the younger and older members of many families living here. The physical landscape of Little Odessa does not look any different than other neighborhoods in New York City. It is the people inhabiting this five-block stretch along the Atlantic coast that give it its name and unique characteristics. Many inhabitants of Little Odessa fear that as the first wave of immigrants that arrived in the neighborhood in the late 1970s enviably grow old and pass away, the last threads of cultural connection with Eastern Europe will be broken, and the place that has served as a safe haven for Russian speaking immigrants will no longer exist, taking with it one of the last vestiges of this culture in the Western Hemisphere. The clock is ticking in Little Odessa, and the feelings of change are palpable in the air. This vibrant stronghold of Eastern European culture is quickly fading away. I am Ukrainian by birth and lived there for the first 21 years of my life before moving to the United States. My discovery of Little Odessa was like a revelation for me. To be so far away from the people and places of my youth, yet to be able to experience so many things familiar to me in this neighborhood made Uliana Bazar Thesis 2013 “Little Odessa” 7 www.ulianabazar.com it an obvious choice for my thesis project. By spending time in Little Odessa I am also was given an opportunity to be present with my feelings of attachment and sometimes rejection to the culture of my childhood, which allowed me to photograph in a way that is personally meaningful. I think that this is a fascinating slice of the exotic in America that had to be documented. Because I speak both Ukrainian and Russian fluently, and am so intimately familiar with the customs of the people, I had access that not many people could even hope to attain. From my first trip to Little Odessa the people have embraced me as one of their own. I was treated as family in Little Odessa, not just as a photographer striving to work my way to the “inside.” The people there freely invited me to take their photographs even during their most private moments and occasions. Their trust for me was unequivocal. From an artistic standpoint it was a good match for me as the social and physical environment of Little Odessa resonates with me and spurs me to take pictures. Very rarely does my work felt forced there. With every visit a new situation presented itself to me and provided photographs. I enjoyed working with the abundant color and intriguing look of the people. The floral patterns that can be seen everywhere and the streets teeming with Russian speaking immigrants are exciting elements of the place that inspired me to push hard to make strong images. Uliana Bazar Thesis 2013 “Little Odessa” 8 www.ulianabazar.com Overall I am satisfied with the body of work that I produced and the thoroughness of my coverage. However, there is no definite end to a story like this, as the story of Little Odessa is continuously evolving and changing. VI. Summary of Research The bulk of my research was conducted in the field. There is not much academic material available to the Brighton Beach neighborhood. I did some preliminary research online, but most of what I learned about Little Odessa occurred as a result of spending time with the people and observing their ways – in addition to extensive conversations and a few interviews. There have been a few superficial articles published about Brighton Beach, but most portray Little Odessa as a potential tourist attraction for those wishing to experience Russian culture and donʼt delve into the complicated social and cultural issues present there. During my time in Brighton Beach I found that the stories and historical anecdotes held by the community were far more engaging and revealing and what I could find online or in any books. Putting myself in a position to make pictures was a very straightforward process in Little Odessa. During my first trip I was invited into someoneʼs home within my first hour of being there. From that point on I was introduced to a series of individuals that graciously brought me into their lives and gave me permission to document their world.