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Journeys of perception Alter/Native realities of modern Mongolia Invasion Letter to East Turkestan Dodeskaden Women & ways Old airport: my personal homeland Maïdyñ ïisin shyğаru Tasting ethnic politics along roadsides Nomadtitude Speed bump Identifying a leader Epic failure Anthropology & Art Catalog Trail A dream in Shambala Way to Rome
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Trail Epic failure A dream of Shambala Journeys of perception Dodeskaden Old airport: my personal homeland Alter/Native realities of modern Mongolia Tasting ethnic politics along roadsides The way to Rome Identifying a leader Nomadtitude Maïdyñ ïisin shyğаru Speed bump Letter to East Turkestan Catalog Anthropology & Art Invasion Women & ways

Trail #1
The lack of public transport and good roads primarily affects women and children, because most men travel on horseback or in their cars. Women, on the other hand, have to walk long distances every day. And such walking is not a pleasant stroll for pleasure and health: it’s a grueling chore. Women only have access to cheap, low-quality shoes that constantly wear out. One pair of shoes costs between $10 and $20. Each woman needs to buy about four pairs of shoes a year, and five pairs for a child. So, the total annual cost of shoes for the whole family is at least $400, which is a large sum for the family budget. Buying women’s and children’s shoes is a huge problem for many families.

Trail #2
For Kyrgyz villagers, sources of drinking water are often a couple of hundred meters away – and the main water carriers are women and children. The direct link between health and the availability of water in the home is proven by science. The women in this village understand the importance of having enough water, and bring 50 to 100 liters into the house day after day. It’s a long way to go because such quantities are hard to carry.

Trail #3
Short distances often become endless for women due to the dangers on the roads. In interviews, women from Kyrgyzstan confess to often getting their children to accompany them if they have to go somewhere at night, because they believe the presence of a child will stop rapists. But the harsh reality proves this assumption wrong. Regardless of the presence of children, dark roads frequently become endlessly long and dangerous for women, and they are not always lucky enough to be able to shut the door behind them and breathe a sigh of relief.

Women & Ways

The roads that women in Kyrgyzstan walk on starkly demonstrate violence and injustice against women. This work consists of three parts. Trail 1 tells us about the lack of equality in the very feeling of the roads – so different for men, who ride a horse or drive a car, and women who have to go on foot, often in the wrong sort of footwear. Trail 2 points out the endless chores of women, who must bring home water day by day and step by step. Trail 3 looks into the basic (lack of) human security of women on the roads.

Altyn Kapalova

Altyn creates experimental works, combining science, art and politics. She converts the results of her anthropological research into artworks that seek to make the voices of vulnerable communities louder in order to help them influence political decisions. Her curatorial expertise covers visual arts, theater and creative writing.

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