Jan 27, 20223 min read

Parallel project 1

Updated: May 22, 2023

Parallel to the main tasks of the course, I continued to explore colour, form and material in my practice. During the preparation time for Project 1, I completed six independent sculptural works

and partially one big installation, but I will write about the last one in the next part of the course.

Working on such sculptural statements gives me incredible satisfaction. Most of all, I enjoy the process.

Of course, you can see similarities with the work of Phyllida Barlow, but here I will quote myself (these are my thoughts from the previous course, where I compared my work and hers): “...the inspiration for Phyllida Barlow is based on the material and its communication with the viewer, for me it is synesthesia.” I just thought, if my brain creates additional images of colour for emotions, then what are these circles, ovals or thorns that I see during these colour extravaganzas? And also, there was such an idea that my colour is always complex, it's not just, let's say, blue, it's a seething, vibrating, moving colour that can take any form ...

So I took Barlow's idea of living the material, listening to it and working with it in space and added my idea of colour. It turned out in such a colour statement.

Cohesion (Сплоченность), 2021, wood, paper, screws, paint, varnishes, rope, sand, cardboard, polyurethane foam, part of my soul, 45 х 36 х 40 cm.

More often than not, before I start working, I don't know what I'm going to do...very rarely I do have an idea for the final shape, but it never looks as intended. Only during the art-making process comes the understanding of the meaning and colour that I need to use.

Of course, when analyzing all the works, I notice that I am drawn to give a definition to something elusive through the material. For example, the work "Eager".

Eager, 2021, wood, paper, paint, tape, plaster, sand, rope, stone, screws, cardboard, 35D x 107H x 135L cm.

The dynamics and aspiration of the main elements of the sculpture clearly show the movement forward. Sharp elements seem to penetrate all materials and break through further. The Eager steps over obstacles, and here, I like to show morality - a tied stone. This moment attracts me most) - to grasp the nuance, the nature of the immaterial event.

Balance, 2021, wood, paper, paint, adhesive tape, plaster, rope, cardboard, 109 x 50 x 18 cm.

Another example is the work "Balance". It is also like the suspended elements are in balance, on the same line, but the essence of this balance is the disequilibrium of the main system.

На! (rus.) (Here. In the meaning of "Here take this"), 2021, wood, paper, screws, paint, varnishes, rope, cement, cardboard, part of my soul, 50 х 51 х 29 cm.

And what is most surprising is that all these ideas are prompted by the materials. To give an illustration, the work "Na!" (Rus. - На!) in the meaning "Here, take this...") heavy and motionless main element needed at least some movement, so a "hand" appeared. And this additional process began to gain strength and come into coherence with the main composition.

A Sound Of Thunder, 2021, wood, paper, screws, paint, metal mesh, polyurethane foam, plastic, 49 х 27 х 55cm.

It should also be noted, I'm aiming to go all the way to recycle materials. But unfortunately, for some items, I don't have the technical ability to produce, like a canvas stretcher, so I buy cut wood from an artist's shop.

And yet, for about two years now, I have not bought liquid paints for artists. I have been using already produced acrylic paints for construction work. Thus, I reduce the consumption of specialized products for artists. In addition, I recycle newspapers, used cardboard and plastic to create structures for my work. I also regularly visit a sawmill and use their waste materials.

All these developments influence my research in finding a solution for public sculpture.