Reclaimed Symbol

The Lost Symbol 1. 2023, 40 X 55 cm,
embroidery and re-purposed materials

The Reclaimed Symbol project is a logical continuation of VyZyvanka. The Ritual Towel, my first project on geometric symbols in Belarusian culture. My recent object of interest is the shape, the meaning, the patterns formed with the help of geometric symbols all over the world. It is already obvious that in certain areas the symbols have had more significance to some cultures than to those of their neighbours. I have singled out these areas and try to give them special attention in the current phase of the project.

I strive to revive the geometric symbols as a form of forgotten language that could unite us all in a form of social Pangea Ultima that will help us to concentrate on the similarities between us instead of the differences. I believe that these symbols are a part of the code for the whole humanity and they could serve as an element uniting people around the world. They evidently demonstrate that all people have common ground, that we all have the same routes, all made of stardust and that the time has come to forget about nationalism and a superior-inferior relations between neighbour countries and all over the world and instead concentrate on the things that unite us.

The Lost Symbol series of works is marking a transition phase between mourning and new beginnings. It evokes the associations with a house whose tenants have left it forever and the curtain of memories and their past lives that will never be the same is still slowly waving in the wind.

I continue my experiments with textiles, geometric symbols and patterns that they form. I develop my own embroidery schemes as a starting point and further embroider freely trying to develop the meaning of the signs that are the subject of my interest. I consciously chose to use repurposed textiles in order to make my project as sustainable as possible. These textiles often have holes in them or other traces of past life and it is especially challenging to include these presences into the pattern, weave them in in a way that would underline their beauty and own language of the material.

The research inspired me to use various media, yet installations remain the main one.

The Disintegrating Canvas of Existence. Hope, 2023, 150 X 300 cm, re-purposed materials

In the Skin of an Artist. 2023, 350 X 250 cm,
embroidery and re-purposed materials

The Symbol of the Place is an interactive artwork that first appeared in the exhibition in the Mission for the Democratic Belarus in Brussels. I suggest the exhibition attendants to reflect on a situation they would like to amend, putting all the positive intentions in a piece of paper and adding it to the composition on the wall as a part of a global intention for a better world. Thus the symbol develops in time and space and reflects the feelings and state of a certain community. There is another version of symbol creation for a storytelling workshop that I also conduct.

In the  storytelling workshop that is a part of my The Reclaimed Symbol project we talk about the shape, the meaning and the similarities rather than differences. We take some time to discuss the specifics and the participants get some new insights but the main goal of the workshop for me is to concentrate on human stories rather than dive into the theoretical research findings.

We set contact with the geometric symbols that I have embroidered specifically for the workshop and try to understand what they may mean to the participants personally. Through a series of guided questions we try to weave personal stories related to the chosen symbols. A group symbol is not a forced option, it may or may not appear as the result of the session.