As part of the project „Envisioning a prosperous coexistence of cultural heritage, tourism and environment in the village community of Latali (Georgia)“, many photographs of everyday practices in the village community of Latali have been taken by students from Ostfalia University in Germany, supported by students of anthropology and architecture from Tbilisi, others have been filmed. The aim was not only to tell complete stories about Latali but to collect as much material from Latali as possible and to make it accessible to Latali residents and interested people from outside, such as tourists, without pursuing a concrete journalistic approach or imposing a particular view. Much has been written about the Svans without including their perspective. Therefore, we worked closely with the locals to sharpen the project’s perspective and invite them to tell their own stories of Latali. The photographs taken in the project can be viewed on the website https://latalirecords.com/ via the categories „Photography“ and „Video“:

Dariko Pharijani – Dariko Pharijani was born in Latali. First living in the Machubi her father built, and after it collapsed in a self-built home she and her brother took care of. For all those years she provided for herself.

Photography: Viktoria Merckens, Emma Schrauth (2023)

Baking Bread – Baking bread is one of the many daily duties in a Latali family. It is always made fresh for a meal, sometimes even twice a day for breakfast and dinner.

Photography: Emma Schrauth, Rena Kunert (2023)

Urban Latali – While Latali is known for its remarkable traditions, towers and other historical buildings, it is much more than that.

Photography: Julian Knigge (2023)

The Math Teacher – Leri Tserediani is a local teacher. One late afternoon he went to harvest potatoes for dinner and invited me to join him.

Video: Anton Rusch (2023)

Glimpse into past Latali life – Roland Gvirgvliani lives in Latali. He talked with us about the history of his village, his house and how things changed through the years.

Photography: Emma Schrauth, Rena Kunert (2023)

Washing the Truck – A man is washing his truck and talks about firewood.

Gold Washing – Emil Kvanchiani shows the process of washing gold at the glacial river.

Photography: Felix Warsawa (2023)

Gold Washing by the Glacial River

Video: Elisa Iljinskij (2023)