Russian photographer Andrey Ivanov has created a deeply contemplative photographic series titled "The Ways of Folding Space-Time," which explores the fluid boundaries between perception and reality through meditative black-and-white imagery. The project, inspired by spiritual practice and personal experiences during the early days of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, uses diptych photography to capture what Ivanov describes as altered states of consciousness.

The project began on February 24, 2022, when the world changed dramatically with the start of the conflict in Ukraine. Ivanov was visiting family in Crimea at the time, experiencing firsthand the panic, fear, and uncertainty that filled the air. With loved ones on both sides of the border in Ukraine and Russia, the photographer found himself overwhelmed by the emotional tension and breaking news surrounding the situation.

As a way to anchor himself during this turbulent period, Ivanov turned to black-and-white photography. After returning to Moscow, he continued shooting with a deliberate approach, working slowly and attentively while trying to look through the lens without judgment, expectation, or predetermined narrative. This methodical process became a form of meditation and self-discovery during an incredibly challenging time.

The experience led Ivanov deeper into spiritual practices, including transcendental meditation, the philosophy of Advaita, and what he calls "the subtle art of inner stillness." He draws inspiration from the yogic practice of Trataka, where practitioners fix their gaze on a single point until their attention detaches from the object and turns inward. Ivanov seeks to access this same meditative space through his camera work.

The project incorporates a quote from the Tejobindu Upanishad that sets the philosophical tone: "It is void and non-void and beyond the void and is abiding in the heart. There is (in It) neither meditation nor meditator, nor the meditated, nor the non-meditated." This ancient text reflects Ivanov's exploration of non-duality and the search for meaning beyond conventional perception.

Technically, Ivanov works with diptychs shot on a half-frame camera, creating pairs of images that he describes as searching for "a visual form that can hold the trace of an altered state of consciousness—a fold in the fabric of space-time." He emphasizes that these photographs are not documents but rather gestures, with the real subject being the space between the frames where silence and meaning accumulate.

Through these carefully composed diptychs, Ivanov attempts to point toward a state of non-duality—what he describes as "a field beyond division, where reality is not split into subject and object, good and bad, self and other." The photographer seeks to capture moments where time ceases to be linear and the present becomes eternal, reflecting his deep engagement with meditation and spiritual philosophy.

Ivanov views his work as both a practice of seeing and being, representing an attempt to find stillness, presence, and perhaps even love amid the fragmentation of contemporary life. The project stands as both an artistic exploration and a personal journey toward understanding deeper states of consciousness through the medium of photography. More information about the project can be found at ivnv.ru/space-time.