SILENT TO MURMANSK

The bikepackers from ‘Cykling.ru’, a small Russian collective of friends and enthusiasts, share their journey to Murmansk with us in their film. The film impresses with its images of a fascinatingly barren landscape and, above all, its incredible tranquillity.

Bikepacking has become loud. In photos, videos, on Instagram - yes, everywhere. In films, we usually see the faces of some guys who have just completed 1000 kilometers (and of course haven't slept or eaten anything) and are now talking to the camera with a pain-induced Elmex smile, talking about how cycling has “changed their lives” and how they are now so “connected to nature”. Their fingers form the Hang Loose sign, everything is ‘awesome’ and ‘great’ and this “experience” is ‘extremely deep’. But these guys show us with their short film that there is another way!

Images, snapshots, moods. No chatter, no phrases, no ‘awesomeness’. Just silence and the wonderful music of Allah-Las, Pelican, Rivulets and many others. A film that reminds us of what is usually overlooked in our thoroughly over-mediatised world, even when we ourselves are ‘out there’: Reflection, silence and no damn internet.

Check out more on his webpage: https://justinbalog.com/

Text: Max Marquardt