For generations, Kazakh fishers have set out on to the frozen Ishim River in the hope of catching fish. On the ice, fishermen protect themselves from the harsh weather with salvaged pieces of plastic, patched together from discarded packaging or rice bags found outside markets selling western, Chinese and Russian goods. By looking at the appropriation of these imported materials and their subsidiary application, Kondratyev illuminates the material flow of global capitalism and its effect on local, nomadic practices.

To emphasise the cold emptiness of Ice Fishers we went against the obvious, presenting Kondratyev's detailed images on the page small, lost in a blizzard of white space. In contrast, full-bleed topographical closeups of their protective layers intersperse the book. Ice Fishers crescendos with an empty page of Keaykolour Particles Snow with a thick red line stitched through it, reminiscent of the threads sewing together the ice fishers' protective plastic housing.

Available through Loose Joints Publishing →