In addition to photographs, the exhibition also includes short videos featuring conversations with people whom Dmitri Fedotkin, a Narva-based photographer and ERR correspondent in Ida-Viru County, either met by chance or knew before, but looked at from a new perspective. The exhibition invites visitors to explore the familiar in new ways – as if they are walking through the city in a leisurely way but noticing details that are usually missed.

"What is it that makes us closer to each other – the coinciding of perspectives, having a common city or asking a random question to a stranger?" Fedotkin said,  adding that "Algorithms: The Illusion of Proximity" is the result of a long-standing aim to create a project combining photos of the city with video interviews.

In the exhibition, some of the best-known locations in Narva are shown from unexpected perspectives. Moments that often go unnoticed amidst the hustle and bustle of everyday life here become the center of attention.

"It seems that you know a person, but then suddenly they turn out to be a keen musician, an avid world traveler or a reader of literature in Norwegian. It seems that you know your street, but for some reason you have never noticed a beautiful architectural detail or forgotten why it is named the way it is," Fedotkin told ERR's Russian-language portal.

"The project reminds us that algorithms – both digital and social – shape our perceptions of the world. They tell us routes, dictate tastes and impose decisions, making life convenient, but sometimes too predictable," Fedotkin said.

"Algorithms: The Illusion of Proximity" is open to the public on the 4th floor of the Narva Central Library on weekdays until the end of August.

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