The 1992-93 Abkhazian/Georgian war pushed 45% of the population out of Abkhazia. Most were Megreli-Georgians. Some are allowed to return to their homes in Abkhazia, however most live in Samegrelo on the Georgian side of the border. In 2010, I began the documentary photo project No Lines Between: The Georgians of Abkhazia and Georgia. It attempts to represent the people residing along the conflict border who are trying to live as a singular, undivided community despite the twenty year old division line running through it. Though the housing crisis affecting displaced people is key to this project, its scope widened in response to the web-like dynamism of the post-conflict environment. Subject matter has varied through out the process: from displaced people living in abandoned institutional buildings called collective centers, to those selected for new housing, to the larger community, and landscape. To photograph in this community requires openness: to the people, to their history, struggles, and achievements. It requires a willingness to absorb all that is there as my own: the beauty, sadness, hope, regrets, frustrations, and determination. I keep my eyes alive, remembering to concentrate on the mood and aesthetic, the angles and shadows, and take the photographs. Each image represents a vast realization. Together, the photographs create an inclusive composite picture, an ever-expanding map of understanding.
As this project unfolds in the years to come, it will encompass a wider geographic area and various communities who attempt to live in peace while simultaneously being pushed and pulled by the geopolitical interests of others. This project aims to bring about understanding of the Caucasus region and its people as a whole. It illuminates the need for nations to treat all communities with fairness and dignity, no matter where they are.
Background information:
With the fall of the Soviet Union, the world’s map was dramatically reconfigured. The collapse set off conflict and turmoil in the Caucasus. Instability and uncertainty continue partially as a result of geopolitical strategizing by outside nations. Currently, three of Georgia’s former territories: South Ossetia, Kodori Valley, and Abkhazia are manned with Russian troops.
