43°32’ N / 28°36’ E

2002

Archival prints on Arches mould-made paper, 57x77 cm.

Edition of 15

43°32’ Northern latitude, 28°36’ Eastern longitude – these are the coordinates of the Shabla cape at the Black Sea. Every spring some 50 families from towns and villages from the Dobrudzha region change the geographical latitude and longitude, as well as their regular activities – and turn into old sea wolves for a couple of months. The fishing village near the Shabla lighthouse brightens up and the new season of burning sun, relaxing evening beer, minor neighborhood quarrels and real sea dramas begins.

The small community is constantly changing, some people leave, others come – and next to the old inhabitants, who have been piling up their shabby villas with numerous odds and ends for some ten years, come the new neighbors building their summer dwellings. The windowpanes of the abandoned Icarus bus do a perfect job replacing French windows in the dining room with a sea view. The captain fore-bridge of the rusty cutter turns into a toilet, the old freezer - into a fish store; and slowly the shed for materials at hand changes into a cozy home for family and friends.

The whole place is a strange mix of features that are both specific for Bulgarian life of the last two-three decades - and quite universal as well. The b/w TV set, the taxicab walkie-talkie or the yellow Lada car covered with a blanket bring a nostalgic note, reminding us of our own childhood and the Bulgarian movies of the 70’s. And at the same time, such places could be found on the African, Asian or South American coast - almost everywhere in the world where living the life is more important than adding expensive decor to it.