Already on Saturday, when the exhibition had just begun to be decorated, the boulevard became a place of mass attraction for the townspeople in a matter of hours. During the day, Tsvetnoy, decorated with street art objects, served as a playground for children, and in the late afternoon it turned into the center of an active youth get-together. The visitors of the exhibition were united by the desire to independently test the art objects for functionality and durability.
The most functional part of Archsretenka is the benches designed by several art groups. The very light carved benches from Estorama are painted pink, bright green, yellow, blue and other equally vibrant colors. Next to each of them is a new urn, painted in the same optimistic tone. The design laboratory, according to its creators, works in the style of "ironic classics" and is confident that any urban space can be easily made beautiful and comfortable, and bring a share of fabulousness into it.
A similar creative credo is possessed by the Dutch bureau of architectural and landscape planning OKRA, which placed a simple and at the same time intricate composition of blue and white benches rushing towards each other in the middle of the boulevard. The architects named their installation “Objects of Desires”, which gives the dynamic duo additional intrigue.
The most original was the Zvezda bench from REDKOD. Passers-by christened it “vandal-proof shop” because no matter how much you turn it over, you can still sit on it. The bench became very popular immediately after installation: everyone tried to try how comfortable it was. In their comments, the authors explained that the star is a reference to the recent Soviet past, and that it "focuses on the Soviet heritage of the architectural urban environment." In addition, this evening the bench star is radically transformed by an ingenious lighting system.
FUNDESIGN has created a shop called "Horse", it is designed for citizens of all ages, but, of course, most of all are liked by the smallest ones. "Image as function" is the main principle that guided this creative studio. A wooden horse, installed on a decorated bench, fit preschoolers, and served as a backrest for adults.
A separate group of objects was made up of installations, in the artistic image of which light plays the main role. For example, the Papilio Pluvia ("Shower of Butterflies") pavilion by MEGABUDKA, which opens the line of objects of Arch Sretenka from the Trubnaya metro station, seems like shining rain in the evenings. Among the thin metal supports that fill the space under the ceiling of mirrored polished metal, there are several plastic tubes that glow at night and spread colored reflections around. If you go inside, it may seem that thin column-strings are streams of rain - only reflections here should be looked for not in puddles, but on the mirrored ceiling.
Another object on the subject of autumn weather is the "Red Rain" arch from "Children of Iofan"; this is another important focus of the exhibition on Tsvetnoy Boulevard. During the day, passing under it, you hear the ringing of a dozen small bells, fixed on top with red ribbons, and in the evening you move towards its red light, like a lighthouse.
Italian industrial designer Umberto Giraudo has created the Simplenature / Luminous tree, whose trunk and crown constantly change color.
Another attraction for children and adults was invented by the architect Ivan Ovchinnikov. Its huge fish, made of planks and named "Double Curvature", served as a cave for outdoor games for the youngest visitors of the festival during the day, and in the evening it turned into a romantic gazebo for dating and private conversations. For Ivan Ovchinnikov himself, this installation became one more proof of his favorite axiom “any shape can be molded from wood”.
Redsquare architects decided to get in touch with the genius of the place and turned to the history of Tsvetnoy Boulevard. Their spectacularly curved wooden structure, called the "Wave", symbolizes the bursting out bed of the Neglinnaya River, which in 1819 was tucked into an underground pipe. In the evening, the "Wave", illuminated by all the colors of the rainbow, should remind you of the Flower Market once located here.
This is how Sretenka Design Week transformed Tsvetnoy Boulevard for the next week. The entrance to the territory of the festival is free, but in any case it is worth hurrying up until the rain distorted the original optimistic idea of the art objects.
