#Summer show proposal
I intend to present a single sculptural installation: a vertical column constructed from repeated cast concrete human figures. Each unit—measuring approximately 20–30 cm in height—is faceless and positioned in a posture of physical strain or support (kneeling, bowing, or pressing against the ground). Between 30 and 40 such figures will be stacked and permanently fixed together to form a continuous column extending from floor to ceiling, reaching an approximate height of 2.4 to 2.8 meters.
The installation explores repetition not only as a formal device but as a social and bodily condition. Each figure appears simultaneously as a bearer and a burden, raising questions about individuality, conformity, and the invisible labour required to hold up a larger system. While the structure may appear stable, it also evokes tension, collapse, and submission.
If possible, I would prefer to exhibit the work in a space with a relatively low ceiling to heighten the sense of vertical compression. This would contribute significantly to the psychological reading of the piece. For structural integrity, I also request access to a solid floor and ceiling surface to securely anchor the installation. The work does not include video or sound and should not interfere with adjacent exhibits.
#Research Festival Proposal
For the Research Festival Proposal, I propose to create a printed publication in the form of a newspaper or zine that explores my long-standing interest in Khrushchyovka buildings and the collective consciousness they embody. Though I no longer live in one of these Soviet-era concrete housing blocks, they continue to exert a strong emotional and psychological pull. Every time I see one, I feel an urge to enter—not out of nostalgia, but from a desire to re-immerse myself in the spatial logic and social codes they represent.
The publication will combine visual material (photographs, drawings, diagrams) with short texts—some reflective, some research-based—to examine the way these architectural structures shape patterns of living, collective behavior, and individual memory. I intend to approach the format as both an artwork and a piece of printed research: an aesthetic document that investigates how architecture, repetition, and control interact with the human body and mind.
This project builds on my previous experimentation with publishing in Unit 1 and extends my research into the political and emotional implications of standardized living. The newspaper will be available in both print and digital formats during the festival, and could potentially be displayed alongside a physical component such as a distribution rack or fold-out structure.