Tara Nomada

Tara Nomada is Romanian for land of nomads. It is also one of the hostels where Dana Lev Levnat, who shot the images for this book, stayed for two weeks, in two villages in a rural area in northern Romania, in summer 2019. It could also describe the project she conducts under the title “Permanent Vacation.” Dana Lev, an Israeli photographer and traveler, embarked in 2013 on an endless photographic journey. She wanders from place to place, from village to city, from town to town, from country to country, each day uploading to social media the images reflecting the events of the previous day. The scope reflects her unique gaze: curious, humane, respectful of the places and people she meets on her way.

The small villages where the images in this book were shot preserve ways of life that seem to have disappeared from the world: family-scale farming based on manual labor, tradition of crafts and religious beliefs. Summer is hard work: preserving food, stacking hay in preparation for winter. The green landscape will soon become snowy, and there is much to be done. Older women work and pray with younger women, tradition is preserved and passed on to the next generation. Dana Lev’s eye leads us through the paths of the village and its houses, between the material and sacred. It is happening now, this past summer, but it feels timeless, and although it is clear that this existence is fragile and likely to disappear, one can believe that it has always existed, and will go on forever.