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1.jpg[break]The now-small village of Tiksi holds many cherished memories for photographer Evgenia Arbugaeva, who recently returned to her hometown in Russia. [break] Evgenia Arbugaeva [break_string]2.jpg[break]During her trip, she documented the town through the eyes of a 13-year-old girl she met, who reminded her of herself as a child.[break] Evgenia Arbugaeva [break_string]3.jpg[break]In the days of the Soviet Union, Tiksi was an important military and scientific base.[break] Evgenia Arbugaeva [break_string]4.jpg[break]People came from all over the country, some driven by employment opportunities, and others driven by a romantic dream of the far North.[break] Evgenia Arbugaeva [break_string]5.jpg[break]As introduction implies although the town is very far north and surrounded by vast expanses of tundra, there was an abundance of beauty.[break] Evgenia Arbugaeva [break_string]6.jpg[break]After the fall of the USSR government stopped financing it’s Northern projects and many little towns were left to their own survival.[break] Evgenia Arbugaeva [break_string]7.jpg[break]“In 1991 my family, along with many others, boarded the windows of our home and left for a bigger city. I was 8 when we left, and ever since then I have never been able to forget Tiksi.“ - Evgenia Arbugaeva[break] Evgenia Arbugaeva [break_string]8.jpg[break]“The scenery, the colors, and the moments of pure childhood imagination made a lasting impression on me. I have always wanted to be that little girl again.” - Evgenia Arbugaeva[break] Evgenia Arbugaeva [break_string]9.jpg[break]“Last winter and fall for the first time in 18 years I went back to Tiksi. The scenery was still there, but the town was nearly abandoned.” - Evgenia Arbugaeva[break] Evgenia Arbugaeva [break_string]10.jpg[break]“I met Tanya, a young girl who reminded me of myself when I was a kid.” - Evgenia Arbugaeva[break] Evgenia Arbugaeva [break_string]11.jpg[break]“Tanya had a similar fascination with the sea and the tundra, and a similar urge to explore her environment.” - Evgenia Arbugaeva[break] Evgenia Arbugaeva [break_string]12.jpg[break]“Soon after meeting Tanya, she told me how much she admired Jacques-Yves Cousteau (the red hat is a tribute to her hero).” - Evgenia Arbugaeva[break] Evgenia Arbugaeva [break_string]13.jpg[break]“Tanya quickly became my friend and my guide to Tiksi.” - Evgenia Arbugaeva[break] Evgenia Arbugaeva [break_string]14.jpg[break]“In the fall of 2012, Tanya’s family – just like my own 18 years ago – will leave Tiksi behind. They see no future in the small town and plan to move to a larger city.” - Evgenia Arbugaeva[break] Evgenia Arbugaeva [break_string]15.jpg[break]“On a personal level I want to document my connection to Tiksi.” - Evgenia Arbugaeva[break] Evgenia Arbugaeva [break_string]16.jpg[break]“With my new friend Tanya as a subject, I want to capture Tiksi, both the way it really is, as well as the way it exists in a child’s imagination.” - Evgenia Arbugaeva[break] Evgenia Arbugaeva [break_string]17.jpg[break]“With other projects I have a fear of making images too pretty, but for this project I abandon that fear.” - Evgenia Arbugaeva[break] Evgenia Arbugaeva [break_string]18.jpg[break]“I want these pictures to be like postcards—nostalgic postcards from the imagination of a young girl in Tiksi.” - Evgenia Arbugaeva[break] Evgenia Arbugaeva [break_string]19.jpg[break]“On a more general (but related) level, I want to capture the universal feeling of being a child, it seems that photography shares a great deal with the spirit of a child’s imagination:…[break] Evgenia Arbugaeva [break_string]20.jpg[break]…the ability to see the extraordinary in the ordinary and sometimes even sad things.” - Evgenia Arbugaeva[break] Evgenia Arbugaeva