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International open call for the best concept of an art object for Maslenitsa 2022 in Nikola-Lenivets

Russia Architecture News - May 31, 2021 - 18:21   2113 views

International open call for the best concept of an art object for Maslenitsa 2022 in Nikola-Lenivets

Art Park Nikola-Lenivets (Russia, Kaluga region) announces an international competition for the best concept of an art object for Maslenitsa 2022. Artists, architects, designers, directors, programmers and all creative people are invited to participate. The winner's prize — 100,000 rubles (including taxes). 

The deadline for applications is June 6.

Maslenitsa in Nikola-Lenivets is not just a folk festival with pancakes and burning of the Maslenitsa scarecrow. It's always an one-day performance that ends with a big spectacular bonfire. This special piece of art was created for months to disappear in just a few hours. This is how the Art Park team believes the real art should look like — it is not stored under the museum's glass, but appears for a short time to exist in the memory of everyone who has seen it. 

This year we want to see a winner object which would be as close as possible to the actual reality of Nikola-Lenivets. For this purpose we are introducing a 2-stage system of acceptance of competition works. The first step, until 6 June inclusively, will be for all those who wish to apply and register. As the second step we will hold an online conference where we will discuss all the details of the technical assignment. All participants would be able to send their tender projects up to 18 July.

Please fill this request form to show us your project.

Materials

It is important to us that the only materials used in the project should be well flammable and also be secondary raw materials or industrial waste.

We usually use:

— The old wooden pallets from factories intended for recycling are perfect for the inner tube of the object that immediately catches the fire;

— Softwood saws — 6-meter tips of coniferous trees that are unusable for sawmills and less than 200 mm in diameter. Are suitable for the construction of the framework;

— Straw rolls — low quality straw, unusable for animal feed. It produces sparks, heat and smoke;

— Wooden building debris — the main burning material which makes the fire long-lasting and beautiful.

Budget

The total budget for the project construction should not exceed 1 million roubles. Authors should propose the optimal balance between the funds spent and the showiness and the appropriateness of the finished project.

The winner's prize — 100,000 rubles (including taxes), 2 local residences during the working days. Additional costs (transport and meals) are not included.

International open call for the best concept of an art object for Maslenitsa 2022 in Nikola-Lenivets

Attention!

If you need to come to Nikola-Lenivets to check out the materials, the place, talk to the builders — please contact us and we will offer you a discount on accommodation.

Please consider the schedule. In case of winning, you must participate in the key points of development and construction of the project.

You can not publish the ideas submitted to the contest before the official results are published. If the results of the open call are considered by the organizers as unsuccessful, the new object for Maslenitsa will be built on an out-of-competition basis.

Jury

Nikolay Polissky — founder of Nikola-Lenivets, initiator and ideological inspirer of the Archstoyanie festival. The only official representative of Russian land art.

Anton Kochurkin — curator of the Archstoyanie festival, Chief Architect of the art-park, Head of the 8 Lines project group.

Ivan Polissky — Nikola-Lenivets Managing Partner.

Yulia Bychkova — Archstoyanie and Archstoyanie Kids festivals producer. Managing partner.


Details can be seen on this page: http://maslenitsa.nikola-lenivets.ru/opencall22 (please choose English)

Any question by: [email protected].


The burning of art objects in Nikola-Lenivets began in 2001 — that's when the main idea appeared — to curb the intractable fire and make it a co-author of every art work. At different times «Media Tower», «Baikonur», «Gradirnum», «Firebird», «Pyramid» and «Bastille» were burned there. Meanwhile the flame in Nikola Lenivets is not a symbol of hatred or righteous anger, as when flags or books are burned. Only on this day, flame is a peaceful nature phenomenon and the main part of the carnival. Its heat, light and absolute power is a symbol of long awaited spring sun after a long Russian winter. This force shouldn't be given to a hastily made doll, the force should be given only to something really grandiose.

All images courtesy of 

> via Maslenitsa 2022