Heavy frost in the blazing sun

June 11, 2010

When the temperature outside is over 35 degrees and the blazing sun seems relentless, it may be hard to believe that there are spots on our planet where `minus 14` is the norm, the ice never melts and the frost makes rocks crack. These places do exist and evidence comes from the ongoing photo exhibition “Where time comes from”, organized by the Fund Forum, IJOD Association of Artists, Art Historians and Craftsmen, and “Lira”, an intellectual and creative association (St. Petersburg). With roughly 100 photos on display, the exhibition is being housed by Tashkent’s Center of National Arts and features views snapped during expeditions to the North and South Poles.

The exhibition is composed of 2 parts. The first part features works made in the North Pole offering photos of polar bears, drifting ice, formidable icebreakers, bright plants and dark waters of the Arctic Ocean. The second part covers Antarctica, Earth's southernmost continent, underlying the South Pole. This part of the planet is more inhabited that the Arctic. People lead more active lives. They make “high-tech” trees, record music in studios and eat cucumbers, a great delicacy in the Poles.

Yuriy Salnikov, Manager of Lira association (Russia):

“Where times comes from” was started five years ago, when 88 people embarked on an atomic icebreaker “Yamal” and went to the North Pole, and later to the South Pole, where these photos were made. The exhibition has traveled to 40 cities in Russia and abroad ever since. Time affects each of us, it is hard to perceive and therefore this theme interests everyone. We’re pleased that we brought the exhibition to Tashkent, a sunny and hot city where a contrast of time is particularly felt. We are thankful to the Fund Forum and IJOD Association for helping organize the exhibition.”

Once you are on one of the Poles you can move only in one direction. In the North one can only walk south, while in the South Pole one can only go north. “What is the time?” is a question one would never hear as all time zones converge here and it may be any time. Because the Poles are hard to reach, the photos of these places draw great interest from people.

The exhibition will last until June 20.

Further, it will be showcased in Russia, Ukraine and Baltic states.