Amber River
The Cloud One Hotel × Vasyl Savchenko
The main theme of this project revolves around the understanding andsignificance of certain words in multiple languages: Polish, German, English, and Ukrainian.
Amber (The Polish name "bursztyn" derives from the German word "Bernstein," meaning burning stone) is the fossilized resin of ancient coniferous trees.Resin (In Polish, "żywica") comes from the word "żywy," meaning "alive."This linguistic link between life and the materiality of amber has made me deeply reflect on what I want to convey in the work for Cloud One Hotel.
While studying maps of both old and modern Gdansk, one thing that remains largely unchanged is the river. The river nourishes the city, providing space, breath, communication, openness, and dynamism. Item bodies continuity, much like the fossilized amber that preserves the essence of life.
In this work, it was important for me to depict a living, breathing structure that archives memory, time, air, and life within itself.
The work consists of 6 pieces made on linen canvas with 4 different levels of grain. The piece is created using an author technique that draws on old methods of encaustic wall painting, particularly in the creation of the colored base/background, using natural pigments, followed by charcoal and varnish.
MP has many meanings – monumental practice, micro or mega space, and dream versus memory. In each language, those two letters may stand for different words and thus form new concepts. Being attached to the same visual representation, they evoke diverse perceptions. What we see is an attempt to feel the space of the inner and outer world and comprehend oneself in it. The Colossus, a drawn giant, depicts a monumental idea of the man. It does not portray an idol or a hero but a pure form and multifaceted essence.The scientific knowledge about man does not create one’s complete image.