A decade ago, Seattle-based photographer Andrew Miksys became infatuated with, of all things, the run-down discos of Lithuania. For Miksys, a Lithuanian-American, the clubs, most carved from Soviet-era community centers with back rooms stuffed with "broken Lenin paintings, Soviet movie posters, [and] gas masks," were "a perfect backdrop to make a series of photographs about young people in Lithuania, a crumbling past and the uncertain future of a new generation," he writes. The resulting series, "Disko," showcased recently on Flavorwire, shows off the country's displaced young adults, debauched portraits seen through the exposed wiring and scuffed floors of their hangouts.
The artist writes:
"The local disco is where you go to get drunk, make out, dance and sometimes fight. I ignored the repeated warnings from friends not to travel to these places alone. My anxiety was often quite intense when I got in my car and left the familiar lights of Vilnius searching for discos on mostly empty back roads. I never knew what I was going to find, but the prospect of discovering a disco somewhere in the dark with colored lights pouring out the windows and pulsating music pushed me forward." Thrilling stuff.
· Andrew Miksys: Disko [official site via Flavorwire]
· Andrew Miksys DISKO [Landscape Stories]
Loading comments...