Moulding

Moulding represents a visual investigation into the transformation of countries that were formerly part of the ‘Eastern Bloc’, that have since transitioned from communism to capitalism. The work studies neglected issues within Central European society. It's a visual exploration of how current circumstances in Central & Eastern Europe affect individuals and topographies – how political apparatuses ‘mould’ the layers of everyday life in different shapes and forms. In public spaces, interventions and alterations to our surroundings are made before our eyes, though sometimes change is more concealed – in nature, for instance. Here, the featured chapter of Moulding situates itself in Slovenia, traversing between cities, small towns and rural areas. The photographs draw a line between Slovenia’s past, from a lingering ‘Yugonostalgia’ among older generations to the country’s present-day concerns; such as new environmental questions. Concerned by a controversial 2021 amendment to the water law, which was meant to allow the construction of public service infrastructure in coastal areas, activists began collecting signatures for a referendum. Experts argued that such interventions close to bodies of water could affect both water quality and availability. Changes to the water law proposed by Janez Janša's right-wing government were rejected by one of the highest voter turnouts in Slovenia’s modern history. The work emphasises matters of ‘central/eastern-futurism’, the way the EU has changed since the fall of communism, and how former ‘Eastern Bloc’ countries have been adapting to capitalism since 1989.