The Drushba Route
From 1974 to 1978, the countries of the Eastern Bloc jointly built the »Drushba« natural gas pipeline from the natural gas fields near Orenburg to Central Europe. The GDR took over a construction section of 550 kilometers in the Ukraine. The deployment of pipeline workers from the GDR was celebrated as an expression of friendship with the Soviet Union. Reporters and photographers accompanied the deployment of the »Trassniki« on the construction sites and in the accommodation containers, often over long periods of time. Photographer Thomas Billhardt published his photos in the illustrated book »Die Drushba-Trasse« (eng. The Drushba Route) (1978), among others. Beyond the omnipresent propaganda, a stock of images of high artistic and documentary value was created, which Michael Biedowicz will present.
Lecture and discussion
Thomas Billhardt, Photographer, Kleinmachnow
Michael Biedowicz, Curator und Photo Expert, Berlin
Moderation
Sören Marotz, Exhibition Manager DDR Museum, Berlin
