Topic: Culture & Art

This action was a follow-up initiative of the creative project: Zaharia’s World: Restoration and Digitalization of the Zaharia Cusnir Photography Archive previously implemented by Nadejda Cervinscaia, EaP Fellow 2017. To promote the heritage of Zaharia Cusnir – the Moldovan photographer and film-maker, Victor formally established a non-profit organization –  Pod to proceed with the further projects linked to Zaharia’s creative materials.  Also, the action aimed to digitalize the full photo archive and launched it from the very early stage. Following this, Victor created a website and professional social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, etc.) to present the digitized photographs. Even two years after the project, the Archives are still in the spotlight and attract world-renowned magazines and media.

The action raised the visibility of the Moldovan non-material heritage from the ’50s-’60s and produced 3,751 high-quality digitized negative photos from Zaharia Cusnir’s archive. Additionally, Victor established a Non-governmental organization – Pod; the organization revives Zaharia’s World as it has already delivered a documentary film about the photographer. Other tangible deliverables of the project are the website www.zaharia.md and the social media pages, including Facebook hitting 2,000 likes in 6 months after it was first launched. The website and social media channels enable the local and international public to return to history and enjoy the Moldovan ethnocultural identity. Through the restoration, digitalization and dissemination of the archive, both projects provided access to knowledge and cultural heritage of Soviet Moldova which has never been disclosed before.

The action: Zaharia’s World: Restoration and Digitalization of the Zaharia Cusnir Photography Archive was a creative project investigating historical, cultural, ethnographic evidence about Moldovan society and everyday life during the Cold War. The photographic archive was found in devastating conditions in an abandoned house in Moldova. Nadejda joined her colleague, who found the collection, and then mobilized a team to restore 70 negative films of the photographer and film-maker – Zaharia Cusnir. To present the digitized materials, Nadejda organized the “GAZE” Exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts in Chisinau, Moldova. The activities engaged wider audiences and arose discussions about the Moldovan historic and non-material heritage. Even two years after the project, the Archives are still in the spotlight and attract world-renowned magazines and media. 

The project produced 70 high-quality digitalized negative films and photos exposed in the Museum of Fine Arts in Chisinau. The exhibition was open for 30 days and involved up to thousands of visitors. Through the restoration, digitalization, research, and dissemination of the archive, the project provided access to knowledge and cultural heritage of Soviet Moldova during the’50s-’60s, which has never been disclosed before. The prints used for the exhibition are now largely used for smaller promotional events in Moldova, which, again, enhance the visibility of the project. In 2020, Nadejda curated Zaharia’s Archive exhibition in Lublin, Poland, at the renowned festival.