Raven

A site-specific art installation represents a slowly smoldering tree, with a smoky cloud instead of leaves and a raven inside. This piece continues my series inspired by the poetry of Japanese poet Matsuo Basho, 2024.














На мертвой ветке
Чернеет ворон.
Осенний вечер

On a whithered branch
A crow is sitting
This autumn eve

Matsuo Bashō














На мертвой ветке
Чернеет ворон.
Осенний вечер

On a whithered branch
A crow is sitting
This autumn eve

Matsuo Bashō

The extreme minimalism of Japanese haiku fascinates me with its precision in the choice of every word, where the conscious limitation of artistic means leads to the search for a finely tuned and accurate symbol. This opens up a space for the reader’s own interpretations and associations, granting the freedom to connect with personal experiences, thus making them a participant in the artistic process. The philosophy of Japanese minimalism inspires me to seek an appropriate visual artistic form. ‘Raven’ is a site-specific installation that emerged in a natural environment; it is a place of pause, being present in the moment, and contemplation.

sketch

The main character of this work is the tree itself. It was important for me to find a dead, dry tree to embed a special system of tubes into it, similar to a circulatory system. Water flows through these tubes, and high-pressure valves create a misty cloud resembling the tree’s crown—not made of leaves, but fine water droplets. The process felt almost surgical, as though dissecting a lifeless organism to give it a new life system. It’s a kind of metamorphosis from dead to living. For the winter cycle, often associated with death in Japanese poetry, this image is surprisingly life-affirming, though ephemeral and perhaps even mystical.

‘Raven’ was shown once at the OUTLINE festival in 2024 over three days.

photo by Victoriya Stepanova