Masha Trotzky PhD project 

Pillows-stereotypes

 

The author's Art project dedicated to the Russian National Identity became a starting point and an important part of the research. Within this part, I created 10 pillows representing the images associated with Russia: particular stereotypes, historical characters, myths & symbos.

 

The choice of material was really important - all pillows were made of stretch vinyl, a traditional fetish material associated with fetishism (attachment, strong dependence on some object).

In addition, stretch vinyl "artificial leather" is a characteristic material for the era of Globalization, at the same time catchy, bright and synthetic, which does not violate anyone's environmental rights.

A double metaphor - fetishism as the personification of attachment to the Motherland and "second skin" as the context of the era represent the Art project "in bed with Russia".

 

As part of the study, respondents were asked to choose the most pleasant and repulsive images among the pillows, argue their decision and interact with them in the framework of video art.