10 Questions with Lydia Schreibikus (Suslova)

Lydia Schreibikus (Suslova) is a photographer and screenwriter researching the correlation of different art forms. Born in 1994 in Russia, she received a bachelor's degree in international relations and is a scholarship holder of the Oxford Russia Fund. In her childhood, she was engaged in photography and music, but took a real interest in the art in the broadest sense while studying at the university. Lydia manifested herself as a photographer and writer, working as a film critic for several media. She covered the Cannes Film Festival, Moscow International Film Festival, and Message to Man International Film Festival. Now Lydia is on the other side of the industry, writing scripts and making photos on her own.

@lydia_slv_schreibikus

ARTIST STATEMENT

Lydia Schreibikus's (Suslova) creative practice mainly focuses on photography and film scripts. The photographs reveal the connection between light and form, the destruction of the effect of one-sided visibility. Light does not just show the object but creates the composition itself; all that remains is to see and capture the moment before it crumbles. A kind of return to the origins of photography, from the Greek roots "phos" means "light", and "grapho" – "drawing", together meaning "drawing with light".

The transience of the moment also manifests itself in the creation of stories through screenplays in which Lydia follows the principle of Mono no aware (物の哀れ). It is a Japanese idiom for the awareness of impermanence and transience of things. Mono no aware literally means sensitivity to ephemera, sad charm of things, life, or the world, but at the same time, life-affirming, bright, sad, and dreary contemplation of the world and all that is in it. The concept means the impermanence and transience of things and, at the same time, a feeling of contemplative and light sadness or melancholy about their non-existence anymore. Understanding that this state is a given of the world and an essential part of life itself.

Mono no aware is the feeling that we have witnessed something good or bad, knowing that none of it can last forever. The awareness of the transience of all things enhances the understanding of their beauty. And that's what Lydia does through photography — capturing the moment.

INTERVIEW

First of all, introduce yourself to our readers. Who is Lydia Schreibikus (Suslova) in three words?

I am a photographer, scriptwriter, and thinker.

You currently work as a writer and photographer. How did you start experimenting with images and words?

Photography has been an essential part of my life for as long as I can remember. Therefore, there was no moment when I decided that I was fond of photography. I guess it partly came from childhood. My family had a film camera, and my parents developed photos on their own and carefully kept them in photo albums. Their parents (my grandparents) did the same.
In the old days, it was quite normal to send your photographs to friends and relatives, sign on the back side, and send them in a postal envelope. Nobody does that now. This is exactly what our relatives and family friends did. They sent their photos from different cities and countries. I really enjoyed looking at these photos, noting some features, be they artistic or everyday. It was such a peculiar way of traveling through photographs. In my first photographs, I captured something that I thought I would never see again, so I wanted to preserve it in some way. This is where photography helps out. "The best thing about a picture is that it never changes, even when the people in it do," Andy Warhol once said.
As for me as a writer, at some point, several factors came into play. Firstly, the accumulated life experience when you realize that you have something to tell. Secondly, I worked as a film critic for several publications. I covered the Cannes Film Festival and others; having understood this profession, I wanted to try myself on the other side of the industry, writing screenplays by myself. And third, from my point of view, there is a lack of excellent scripts the films are based on, and over time, called cult ones. This is not just my opinion; filmmakers in the industry are talking about it. Every year, there are fewer and fewer films that I would really like to watch. For instance, compared with the beginning of 2000. So I'm kind of like representatives of the French New Wave, who, being film critics, began filming.

What is your personal aim as an artist?

Capture the moment. What I like about photographs is that they capture a moment that's gone forever, impossible to reproduce, to quote Karl Lagerfeld. And, of course, get feedback from people. Any feedback. I believe that an artist creates the work primarily for the viewers. Art must touch; it does not tolerate indifference. And being ignored is the worst thing that can happen to an artist.
Through my work, I am trying to make people discover something they did not know about themselves, experience emotions they did not feel before, and realize that they have learned something new for themselves or about themselves.

Can you tell us about the process of creating your work? What aspect of your work do you pay particular attention to?

Is there artistic value? What does my work contribute to the world? How can I convey my idea with images or words? What is the form and content? If something catches my eye, then it's worth attention. In the photographs, I pay attention to the interaction of light and form. Miraculously, light can create, and in the process even change the composition itself. My task is to see and capture this moment. The Japanese principle Mono no aware (物の哀れ) explains my approach very clearly. It means awareness of impermanence and transience of things, be it something physical, our mood, a period of life.

You work both with photography and writing. What are the differences and similarities for you between those mediums? And how, if at all, do you mix them?

Two different means of expression. A photograph, one might say, does not give interpretations; it is a very specific view in the eye of the beholder, while the word gives a maneuver for imagination. Thanks to the word, imagination creates an image. In relation to a screenplay, when you read it, you imagine a picture (photographs). Many of them are combined into a video sequence (those same 24 frames per second), and that is what makes films. Everyone can create their own by reading the same text. It is amazing!

Where do you draw inspiration from for your work? Do you have any specific references?

I would say there are two main ones. Travel is my first driving force. After every trip, I come back a different person. From each of my trips, I bring new photographs, some new ideas for scripts, many of which are based on real events. The second thing that inspires me is talented people from absolutely any field of art. When you look at their work and sincerely say: This is so great, so talented!

You have worked extensively and covered different events and festivals. What is your favorite experience as an artist so far?

It was an incredible and very valuable experience that gave me a lot as an artist. Now I like where I am.

Is there anything else you would like to experiment with?

As a creative person, it is essential for me not to restrict myself by staying within any boundaries to characterize myself in only one word, as an artist of one genre. A worthwhile work of art is born precisely through experimentation. I would like to create project photographs and try myself in directing.

What are you working on now? Do you have any new projects or exhibitions you are looking forward to?

Yes, there're some photo exhibitions where my works will be presented: first of all, the Night Photography at Blank Wall Gallery, which will be on from October 27 to November 8, 2023, in Athens (Greece); then the Red Exhibition at Glasgow Gallery of Photography from January 6 to January 31, 2024, in Glasgow (Scotland); and lastly, the POSTCARDS Exhibition at Millepiani Exhibition Space from January 16 to January 24, 2024, in Rome (Italy).
In addition, my feature film MONO NO AWARE is shown at the LogoLift-Off Filmmaker Sessions from October 16 to October 30, 2023, in the United Kingdom. I continue to participate in photo competitions and look for a manager to promote my full-length dramedy script based on real events. And I'm developing scenes for a new feature-length script and two TV series.

And lastly, what are your goals for the rest of 2023?

Time is a very relative concept. I don't like living from Friday to Friday, summing up the year and all that. I rather measure time with my work, projects, and successes. However, in the near future, there are plans to visit at least one, and preferably two new countries, the USA and/or Japan are planned, to implement a new photo project there and to come up with ideas for new scripts.

Artist’s Talk

Al-Tiba9 Interviews is a promotional platform for artists to articulate their vision and engage them with our diverse readership through a published art dialogue. The artists are interviewed by Mohamed Benhadj, the founder & curator of Al-Tiba9, to highlight their artistic careers and introduce them to the international contemporary art scene across our vast network of museums, galleries, art professionals, art dealers, collectors, and art lovers across the globe.