About the project:
Odra (Oder) is the river of my childhood. I grew up in Wroclaw, Poland. As a child, I ran away from the city’s hustle to the river’s nature. Sadly, during hot summers the water was not fit for swimming due to its strong contamination. Fortunately, its condition is much better today.
As a teenager, I would ride a bicycle many kilometers along the river bank, enjoying my freedom.
At that time– in the 1980s– the river transport flourished. I loved to look at vessels. I always felt like jumping right onto a barge and going to a faraway place. Today, as a result of a deep crisis in river transport, a view of tugboats with barges has become a rarity.
As a student, I used to go on dates by the Odra.
This ongoing project which I’ve been pursuing now since 2008 is a natural continuation of my need to stay close to the river. I wished to find out what it is that connects people to the Odra and how strong that connection is. I realized that for people living in the river’s vicinity it is an unbreakable link.
Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, 2008-2019.