SUPERDIMENSIONAL DISTORTION CABINET
“Superdimensional Distortion Cabinet” project (2020)
The Rooms 2.0 - group show organised by Weseeitems
(01.08.20 - 16.08.20)
Curated by Dima Selin
The Rooms 2.0 - group show organised by Weseeitems
(01.08.20 - 16.08.20)
Curated by Dima Selin
The project is dedicated to how the ordinary space is demarcated from the sacred space. And how everyday reality can be reassembled according to new rules by introducing new objects and practices into it. This project was implemented in the form of a total installation that imitates the interior of a bedroom or something like a hotel room. It has a basic set of furniture (bed, chest of drawers, etc.), and the usual “household” lighting is also preserved in the room. The interior itself is cleaned of small details as much as possible, it does not at all have that many objects that accompany the life of any person.
At the same time, there are several objects in the space of the room, some of which have a rather recognizable shape (for example, a mask or a knife), while others, on the contrary, look very abstract and their possible purpose is rather difficult to think out. On one of the walls there are two images printed on fabric, their visual organization resembles something like mandalas or some kind of esoteric schemes. There is also a sheet of paper with a QR code on the stool near the bed, scanning which you can get access to something like an audio guide or sound training (link), which offers the user some algorithm for interacting with objects located in the room. The audio guide invites the visitor to perform a series of psycho-physiological exercises with objects. For example, bending over in front of one of the objects for two minutes and trying to “penetrate with his gaze under its material shell”, or with closed eyes, hold a hand over another object and try to “mentally reconstruct it”, etc.
In short, the user is encouraged to immerse themselves in an artificially created speculative space that arises from a multitude of repetitive actions and text within the audio track. As an artist, I was interested here in how distanced close to religious or meditative perception of space can be constructed in an almost “mechanical” way. It is important to understand that the idea of this project came to me during a lockdown, when the vast majority of people were locked in their own homes, which, of course, should have provoked a rethinking of the everyday space we are used to and introducing some new meanings into it. Also during this period, the popularity of all kinds of applications for independent sports, psychological training and meditation increased sharply. And I was actually interested in how the emergence of this new agent in the person of such applications, most of which just work on the principle of an audio guide, affects the perception of everyday space. Roughly speaking, how meditation or yoga performed at home using an application affects the reassembly of our perception of this space, how it is saturated with new meanings, how long this effect lasts, etc.
At the same time, there are several objects in the space of the room, some of which have a rather recognizable shape (for example, a mask or a knife), while others, on the contrary, look very abstract and their possible purpose is rather difficult to think out. On one of the walls there are two images printed on fabric, their visual organization resembles something like mandalas or some kind of esoteric schemes. There is also a sheet of paper with a QR code on the stool near the bed, scanning which you can get access to something like an audio guide or sound training (link), which offers the user some algorithm for interacting with objects located in the room. The audio guide invites the visitor to perform a series of psycho-physiological exercises with objects. For example, bending over in front of one of the objects for two minutes and trying to “penetrate with his gaze under its material shell”, or with closed eyes, hold a hand over another object and try to “mentally reconstruct it”, etc.
In short, the user is encouraged to immerse themselves in an artificially created speculative space that arises from a multitude of repetitive actions and text within the audio track. As an artist, I was interested here in how distanced close to religious or meditative perception of space can be constructed in an almost “mechanical” way. It is important to understand that the idea of this project came to me during a lockdown, when the vast majority of people were locked in their own homes, which, of course, should have provoked a rethinking of the everyday space we are used to and introducing some new meanings into it. Also during this period, the popularity of all kinds of applications for independent sports, psychological training and meditation increased sharply. And I was actually interested in how the emergence of this new agent in the person of such applications, most of which just work on the principle of an audio guide, affects the perception of everyday space. Roughly speaking, how meditation or yoga performed at home using an application affects the reassembly of our perception of this space, how it is saturated with new meanings, how long this effect lasts, etc.
Installation view
Pavel Polshchikov, Pathalogical vector №1, 2020, digital printing on fabric, steel chains
Pavel Polshchikov, Pathalogical vector №1, 2020, digital printing on fabric, steel chains
Pavel Polshchikov, Unknown object, 2020, polymer clay, hemp rope
audio guide︎︎︎
Pavel Polshchikov, Unknown mask, 2020, polymer clay, hemp rope
Pavel Polshchikov, Unknown sword, 2020, polymer clay, hemp rope