The Only One Year

Abstract

My work's themes include memory, personality, body memory, rituals, routine, repetition, craft, family, and micro- and macrohistory. In my past practice, I worked extensively in a duo. My artistic practice is dedicated to memory but on a personal level. I am genuinely interested in memory, including long-term and short-term memory, details we remember, and things we associate with ourselves or others.

The Only One Year project reimagined my life in Saint Petersburg from 2009 to 2010, where I sewed new clothes for myself every day. I photographed myself daily for one year, and then, more than a decade later, I used those 365 photos to create tiny fabric appliqués. Clothing holds memories, and when I look at a particular garment, it brings back significant events, emotions and feelings from my past. The coloured wall represents my old kitchen, which was repainted years ago; I am reproducing the pink colour of the walls in this artwork.

I decided to implement this project because, years later, I began to need to remember details. Working on it helped me remember significant events from the past.

The practical component of the work consists of 365 10x15 cm appliqués, each hand-stitched. They are displayed on the pink-coloured wall with a floral pattern on top.

The written component consists of three chapters. Each chapter's name is bilingual—in English and Russian. While working on the project, I was reading Maria Stepanova's book In Memory of Memory / Памяти Памяти in two versions—in Russian and English. The book inspired me to use two languages.

In Chapter I, I write about 2009, its time, and how it motivated me to take everyday pictures. The first chapter also includes my memories of a few particular days of the year. Every memory is supported by pictures depicting my look on that day.

In the second chapter, I discuss my transition from painting to textiles and the phenomenon of so-called “textile painting”.

In Chapter III, I write about influential artists for this project, such as Tehching Hsieh and Cindy Sherman. The book What Artists Wear by Charlie Porter helped me immensely during this part of the project.

In part called The Wallpaper as Trauma / Обои / Травма, I write about the phenomena of wallpaper during the period of the late Soviet Union - the time of my childhood. I’m writing about it from the point of trauma and, as an example, using my past work called Half a Room.

For this text, I also worked with my photo archive, using pictures from 2009-2010 which were carefully selected and arranged chronologically.

Although the project seems very personal at first glance, I suggest looking at it from a different perspective and reflecting on the colours, composition, materials, and visual execution of the work as a whole.

I couldn't have implemented the project without the help of my partner Pavel Rotts and my supervisors, two incredible artists, Sini Vihma and Pauliina Turakka-Purhonen.

I would like to thank all of my colleagues and teachers for their fruitful comments and tips during the seminars in the painting department.