Mobile Churches

Bucharest in the 1980s. Ceaus‚escu’s »systematisation« programme is in full swing in the Romanian capital: one-third of the historic center has been wiped out to make way for imposing buildings and wide avenues intended to honour the regime. Despite Ceausescu’s particularly dogged approach towards the churches, seven are spared and undergo a process as incredible as it is absurd: they are lifted and placed on rails, then moved and hidden behind housing blocks. Withdrawn from the cityscape, they live secret lives interpolated in the disparate architecture that shapes Bucharest’s urban landscape today. Combining photographs with archival material, this critical inventory aims at revealing a lesser-known yet fascinating urban and political story. Shortlisted for the Luma Rencontres Dummy Book Award, Les Rencontres de la Photographie, Arles 2017 and for the Unseen Dummy Award, Amsterdam 2017.