2023
Flooded Memories
Collaborative project built from family photographs recovered after the flooding caused by the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station.
When volunteers were clearing the ruins of houses after the horrors of war and floods caused by the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station by the Russian military, we literally stumbled upon a piece of the past: family photo albums. Almost all of the black-and-white photographs became blank sheets under the influence of water, but several dozen photos from albums of the 1990s survived, even if marked by prolonged exposure to water.
In one of the albums, you can see a man in a wheelchair and on crutches. Later, we found out that he was the brother of the woman whose house we helped clean. He and his sister used to live in the same yard, and his house, located closer to the river, was badly damaged by the flood. At the age of twenty-five, he became disabled after a motorbike accident. For two decades, despite physical limitations, he raised his son, who can also be seen in the photographs.
After his father’s death, the son became the owner of the house. With the beginning of the full-scale invasion, he joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine, was later captured, and after liberation and a short rehabilitation returned to service. His fate is currently unknown.
Photos used with the permission of the homeowner.
