Interview with Silvia Pogoda

 I have come across Silvia's work a few years ago. Her photographs struck me with a sense of intimacy, happiness and inevitability of life and everything that surrounds the mysteries that rarely come to the limelight. He unique way of composition and humbleness stray away from the catwalk of today's advertising and self-promotional spirit of Instagram narcissism.

Silvia Pogoda works as a photographer, director, illustrator and writer. She finished doctorate studies in International relations and polithology at  Matej Bel University at her home town Banska Bystrica. She studied at The Institute of Creative Photography in Opava and at the Academy of fine arts in Vienna where she lived.  For many years living a nomadic life between three countries Poland, Slovakia and Croatia. Apart from her private projects she photographs commercially, illustrates for magazines, writes texts and holds lectures. Her works were exhibited on numerous exhibitions in Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Austria, Serbia and Romania.

How did your adventure in photography start, what is your background?

Each time I am asked this question I think to myself how many inspiring answers are actually possible. Because it always seems to be quite normal situations without specific wow effect. 

At least mine is. I was introduced to photography by my father. He was using Yashica Matt to take mostly family photos, without any big aspiration just for the pure fun he was having. At that time (Communist time in Czechoslovakia)  he had to send colour films to Prague to have them developed but BW he used to do at home. And that was the thing that fascinated me at first. Not the camera, not photographing but that tiny temporary laboratory in our bathroom, filled with red light and chemical smell. The ticking timer and paper that was slowly revealing somebody’s face. 

It was magical. I loved watching that process silently. 

I started taking photos and feline love with the fact that I can hide my face behind camera on all the family gatherings, I did not have to sit by the table and talk to all the aunts and uncles, instead I felt invisible and actually privileged that I could wander around as I wished because I was “the one responsible for photos”. It gave me peace and thought me how to be an observer. But My journey was  not straight forward. When I said I want to study photography I did not get any support at home. My mother who was by that time divorced and the only provider for our family wanted me to study something that will grant me making money, so I can be always independent, and that sure was not photography. I studied political sciences. and international relations and after doing my doctorate I decided it is time for me to start doing what I want instead of what others think is the best for me. At age of 26 I enrolled to University of fine arts in Vienna Austria and Institute of creative photography in Opava Czech Republic. I was accepted at both and that was a side track in the path I was on. 

You have recently published your first book – it is a touching testimony of how life fragile is and testimony to incredibly sensitive and thoughtful author. It's a different kind of photo book – poetic and existential – quite a rarity in those times where image rarely goes with some deep, thought provoking contents. What was your way towards it?

Slow. Book was not my intention.

Photos that are in there are collected from trips to Japan between 2013-2019. I was simply taking photos. Coming back home to Poland I did not even look at them really. I saw some of them for the  first time after two years. I was taking photographs because that is what I needed but I did not have any need to show “do something with them” only during our last stay in Japan in 2019 I somehow felt that they actually connect into a story, my story. My intimate story that could tell a lot about me, and book felt like a perfect medium. I thought of that book as of something very personal. There is a saying to read in someone as in open book. I thought of my kids. How this book would be different mother materialised in a beautiful object. How they would open it after my death and read my mind, my fears and my passion, how they would discover another side of me. It was for me a moving force, the first thought.  I started to play with he idea of book and what it actually means for me, why I should try to publish it. And that was a long process that lead me to decision that world does not need my book 🙂. Than came first lock down my husband told me that this is the time when I should finally finish what I was thinking about because I can’t hide myself behind “the lack of time” excuses. And I thought I can try to put that book together and we'll see what happens. I absolutely did not imagine things would go that fast. I had sent a pdf with Butterflies to a one publisher, and received a phone call 15 minutes later. That's when it really started.

The experience of being a mother is visible and heartfelt in your work – how does it affect your work – it's intertwined – photography being the evidence of your experience – how does it work?

Motherhood hit me hard. Really really hard, it shook the ground under my feet and I was born new the second I heard my son cry. It is like I cracked opened and now I walk the world with  an exposed heart. 

The chance to experience the world through kid's eyes is a gift that I don’t take for granted. In my case it really is true that they made me a better person, or at least a person that tries to be better every day. Their existence made me more aware, more humble, more apprehensive. They are part of universe now but also of me, part of my body cells, part of my mind, part of my vision. Because of them I am more sensitive. The fact that they are alive changed me and automatically transfers into my photography, Because photography for me is a natural process. I am that process not a photographer. 

In what way travelling changed the contents and the awareness of yourself and life of your loved ones?

I have a love and hate relationship with traveling. Traveling is my guilty pleasure. It is so appealing. It stimulates all of our senses in an express way. Such a beautiful way to feel alive, to get excited, to get stimulation. I love it. I love to show world to my children. And since I was in Japan I could travel there each year if I could. But at the same time traveling is extremely non-ecological. Carbon footprint of a traveling family is something that makes me really question the desire of traveling. On one hand we want to go out there and marvel how beautiful our earth is and on the other hand by doing so we are taking active part in its destruction. Traveling has become natural to people, they want it, and feel it should be available to them any time, because they deserve it. We are very selfish, we want to get what we desire, without taking care of consequences. I was a proud parent that I showed my kids so many beautiful places but the more I stared to dive deep into the climate crisis the less I feel it is a reason to be proud actually. Now I wish to travel more consciously, less global, more local, I wish to teach mi kid explore beauty in our backyard. I don’t want to addict them to traveling, I don’t want to addict them to the need to search for beauty and life excitement kilometers away. I want them to appreciate what is around them, to feel fulfilled by their inner experiences rather than by outside input. Who knows what kind of life is ahead of them. They need to be thought how to be happy even if they were to stay at one place for years. 

And I want to learn that too. But as I am a truly fallible human I know if I had a chance to fly to Japan tomorrow nothing would stop me. There is a long process ahead of me. 

In today's world the voice of women is heard more and more often? How, in your own private way, you contribute to that?

First of all it is truly unbelievable that in todays world we still have to talk about issue of giving absolutely equal value to voices of all humans. That we are still living in world that creates a false idea that some voices have bigger rights to be heard than others. Whether the discrimination is based on sex, sexual orientation, colour of skin, religion or physical appearance. 

I raise a daughter that is aware of herself, I support her to hear her inner voice, to recognise it and understand it. I raise a girl that knows she is equal to all other beings, no higher no lower.  I raise a girl that is not afraid to speak out, at home or outside, to stay true to her believes and who respect different opinions. And I raise a son exactly the same way. I want them to have it written in their DNA that they are not defined by their sex but by their actions,  just as they can never feel privileged based on the colour of their skin.  I raise two humans in a way that can make me start believing in humanity again.

The invention of photography, the momentarily lapse that a single photo is, how does it even work in terms of “wanting to express yourself”?

I don’t like generalised statements, they scare me, and generalising in art, just as explaining art feels to me like taking its freedom. Like grabbing a bird and closing it between four walls. Expressing oneself is possible in endless ways. It can be a glimpse, a look, a touch, it can be sound or silence. Life is nothing but a moment. It is a count down of seconds. In different situations I need different tools used with different intensity to express myself, if I feel a need to do so. In my case photography is not always the first medium I think of.  Sometimes I don’t want to express anything but rather experience something. And for that I don’t need camera in my hands, it can actually be a burden. I have developed a special relationship to photography, I treat her as part of me. When I feel like I use her, just like I use my legs for running, when I don’t feel like taking photos I don’t, just like I choose walking to running, sometimes for years. I accept her with her possibilities and limitations and just let her come to me naturally. 

Plans for the future?

What is future? Future is not promised, it is a surprise. I don’t plan much ahead. Just want to be in process. Process on many levels. Living life the best I can at particular moment.

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