Lunchtime Response

Pearl Binder’s Russian Railway Journey

For this lunchtime event, artist and photographer Natalja Poplavska will explore Pearl Binder’s print Russian Railway Journey (1935) and Binder’s book Misha and Masha (1936) through the themes of memory and recognition.

When Natalja first saw Russian Railway Journey in Comrades in Art, she was immediately drawn to it. Not knowing anything about Binder or the work at that point, Natalja found the way the figures were positioned in the train carriage strangely familiar. Reading the title triggered a memory of her own childhood journeys on Soviet trains, leading her to research Binder and discover her book Misha and Masha.

Natalja will read passages from the book and weave in memories of trains, food, school and everyday life, exploring how something we see can unexpectedly bring back a memory we did not realise we still carried — and how one recognition can lead to another.

All welcome!

This is a drop-in event and free with an exhibition ticket.

Meet inside the Comrades in Art exhibition.

We have a budget available to make this event as accessible as possible – this can include interpretation services or other access needs we can meet to enable you to participate.  

If you require access arrangements, please email programme@townereastbourne.org.uk two weeks before the event date so that we can book a service if needed. 

Natalja Poplavska is an East Sussex-based photographer and visual artist whose practice explores memory, human presence and our relationship with nature. Her work often begins with personal memories, photographs, objects and fragments of everyday life, exploring how memories remain with us and how they can change over time.

Her ongoing project The Present Exists brings together photography and mixed media to explore the connection between past and present. More about Natalja’s work can be found on her website: poplavska.com