Synchrodogs

Tania Shcheglova and Roman Noven, the Ukrainian creative duo known as Synchrodogs, don’t fit neatly into a single creative discipline. Their primary outlet is photography (often with Tania photographed by Roman), but their images are like a portal into a surreal, otherworldly landscape—meticulously crafted by two creative minds working in close partnership.

The duo first connected via a photography website in 2008 and started off shooting fairly traditional images before veering into experimental territory. Their creative work has since taken them from the American Southwest to the Carpathian Mountains, and along the way, they’ve partnered with brands like Burberry, appeared on the walls of the Dallas Contemporary Art Museum, and have been featured in outlets like Elle and Bazaar. You can check out Synchrodogs’ latest projects here.

What is the first creative project you remember?

One of the first projects together was taken 10 years ago: it was a cold winter in Ukraine, we got all lakes and rivers frozen, so we went walking and shooting on a transparent and sometimes dangerously thin ice that was cracking when we were walking across. We were shooting with almost no clothes on but can’t remember feeling any coldness at all, we were really concentrated and excited with those clear ice and all the trees around growing just from under the ice.

Describe your aesthetic in three words.

Colorful. Fresh. Disturbing.

 

What was the most fulfilling collaboration you’ve worked on?

Recently we got our book published by Louis Vuitton called Fashion Eye of Ukraine, even though it has little to do with fashion as such—it is more an art project showing Ukrainian aboriginal aesthetics. We worked on the project for three years and consider it something we can be truly proud of, as it took us so many long and dangerous bike trips to get to those endless landscapes—really a big part of our life.

What’s one creative project that taught you something fundamental about yourself?

That must be working on the “Supernatural” project, which was a 6,000 km trip across the United States’ most deserted and far-to-reach places. It taught us that we can (and have to) fight all kinds of phobias to achieve the results we want. We have to be really devoted—overcoming fear of heights, poisonous snakes, swimming spiders, shooting in lakes full of alligators, being in the desert with no water, climbing rocks with no wires. No half-measures, only full devotion when our imagination flourishes.

Do you think creativity is something you’re born with, or something you’re taught?

Most probably born with, but everybody has a potential for sure—just in different scales—and it is everybody’s sole responsibility and decision whether to develop it or go the other way.

What’s the last dream you had?

It was a really big lunar park with literally hundreds of swings and people on them with beautiful sun rays lighting the scene. The view was rather entertaining.

One hundred years from now, what do you hope people write about your work?

Maybe in one hundred years people won’t write anymore (kidding). We think more about how to do something meaningful during our lives rather than how to achieve the effect of people praising us, so it is a tough question. We really hope that the topic of nature-friendly existence will be more and more important to people with time. We can only have a small influence on that, but if all small influences of all people are collected together, it can make a big change. We would love to be an inspiration for people to be the best versions of themselves, treating planet Earth with love and respect.

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