Ukrainian kids are taking the photographic reins in a venture run by native non-profit Behind Blue Eyes, a crew eager to assist kids get via trauma with creativity. The crew journey throughout frontline villages and hand out disposable cameras to allow the children to doc their on a regular basis lives. The outcomes, then displayed on-line, are accompanied by the photographer’s wishlist, with Behind Blue Eyes elevating funds to attempt to realise it.
Myroslava, three years previous, Prymorske, Zaporizhzia area, 2022
(Picture credit score: Behind Blue Eyes)
For Artem Skorokhodko, co-founder of Behind Blue Eyes, the resilience of the native kids amidst ruined locations spurred the initiative. ‘This power and drive felt virtually weird again in April 2022, so we started cracking our heads [about] the best way to encapsulate this emotion and share it with different individuals throughout Ukraine who may desperately want it. On the similar time, we wished to have fun and assist what we admired in these children a lot. The pictures experiment addressed each [aims].’
The ensuing pictures seize generally idyllic-seeming scenes, jarring when set towards the glimpses of devastation behind. The youngsters take photographs of flowers, of one another, of their possessions in disarray, ignoring the encircling chaos.
Tanya, 15 years previous, Lukashivka, Chernihiv area, 2022
(Picture credit score: Behind Blue Eyes)
‘It is not even the images [that surprised us] as such, though they have been extraordinary,’ Skorokhodko provides. ‘We have now been majorly stunned to see how these children opened up and have become vocal concerning the traumatic experiences they needed to undergo due to the battle whereas they have been scrolling via their very own photos. They spoke about issues that may usually be prevented in dialog.’
Valya, 11 years previous, Lukashivka, Chernihiv area, 2022
(Picture credit score: Behind Blue Eyes)
He continues, ‘The best second was to gather all the cameras again a few weeks after distributing them [the first time around]. Provided that the youngest participant was seven years previous, and we [set] completely no limits on this inventive endeavour, my wager was that solely half of the cameras would make it via, whereas the remainder could be misplaced, broken, cracked open… I used to be unsuitable then and each single time [since].’
theblueyedproject.com
Masha, 10 years previous, Lukashivka, Chernihiv area, 2022
(Picture credit score: Behind Blue Eyes)
Diana, 14 years previous, Lukashivka, Chernihiv area, 2022
(Picture credit score: Behind Blue Eyes)
Bohdan, ten years previous, Lukashivka, Chernihiv area, 2022
(Picture credit score: Behind Blue Eyes)
Supply: Wallpaper
