Vyatsky Krai (Kirov region) is a cross-section of the modern Russian hinterland, a place where features of different cultural and national characteristics are mixed, and a feeling of deep connection between the inhabitants and the land has not been interrupted for centuries. The locals, caught in a void between past and future, are stuck in a timeless limbo and, like the heroes of Russian folk tales, are in an endless search for “treasures” — both material and spiritual. Local mythology, religion, and folk beliefs aid them in their search.

I was born in the small town of Vyatka, moved away long ago, but continue to return again and again. My search for Vyatka’s identity is a search for my own identity and an eternal return. Through metaphysical exploration and play, I determine the location of Vyatka in Russian culture and history and explore the belonging of a person to the collective past and present, which seems very fragile in difficult historical times. Based on new and old myths, legends, and traditions of the Vyatka region, a visual guide to the land of “timelessness” is being compiled, where all residents of the Russian hinterland today exist. Mythology evolves from century to century, but the core components remain constant: the search for hidden truth, meaning, answers to questions about the structure of the world, and a space for belief in miracles.