Pastoral / Moscow Suburbs is a profound photographic exploration of the “edgelands” surrounding Moscow, where the city’s dense urban sprawl meets the wilderness. Alexander Gronsky captures a series of uncanny landscapes where Muscovites seek recreation amidst construction detritus and industrial decay. The title is deliberately ironic; while classical pastorals depict rural harmony, Gronsky’s images show people sunbathing next to high-rise towers or picnicking beside heavy industry. These large-format, high-perspective compositions dwarf the human figures, presenting them as small, persistent participants in a scarred, hybrid landscape that is neither fully urban nor rural. The project earned Gronsky a 3rd prize in the 2012 World Press Photo contest and an Aperture Portfolio Prize.