The artist Nikolai Polissky is famous as the creator of large-scale landscape objects, often combining technogenic and even fantastic, and sometimes historical meaning (Universal Mind, Hadron Collider, Lighthouse or the Border of the Empire) - with pleasantly forest, deliberately simple material: roots, branches, twigs or unshaped boards on large bolts. Some of the works have been in Paris and Venice, but most of them are located in the Nikola-Lenivets park in the Kaluga region.
Muscovites travel more than 200 km from the capital to look at the giant "Beaubourg" woven from a vine, or the mesmerizing "Universal Mind" - to the place where these art objects are organically woven into the picture of picturesque green fields and slopes of the Ugra River. Now, some of the works of the famous artist can be seen without going on a long journey. Together with the architect Galina Likhterova, Polissky has already implemented such high-profile projects in Moscow as the Likhoborskie Vorota triumphal arch in Altufyevo, as well as several art objects in the Lianozovo park and a residential area on Rusakova street.
On a par with the aforementioned works of art, there is a new realization by Nikolai Polissky and the Nikola-Lenivetsky Crafts cooperative - an extended structure hovering above the ground named Chermyanka, after the name of the river flowing through the territory of the recently landscaped national park in Otradnoye.
As Galina Likhterova explains, the idea to turn an unkempt and practically unused territory of 32 hectares along the steep banks of the Chermyanka River into a large and green park for residents of neighboring residential buildings appeared back in 2011. However, it was possible to bring it to life relatively recently.
In place of overgrown ravines with large differences in heights, a cozy public space has appeared with a clearly lined route along the coastline, park furniture and beautiful paving. The architectural and planning solution of the park is based on the features of the complex and varied natural landscape of the site. The spatial axis follows the floodplain up to the confluence of Chermyanka and Yauza. But, of course, the main accent of the place is the "spiral" hanging over the promenade, woven from thin willow twigs. This design resembles in shape either an incredibly long attraction slide in some water park, or like giant climbing plants tightly linked by stems. The author himself, compares the object with
tops - fishing tackle made of rods on a frame, which were used in the days of ancient Russia.
If you look at the structure of Chermyanka from the front, then all of it, assembled from slender wooden columns-columns supporting a wicker "roof", becomes like an intricate canopy-gallery over a pedestrian path winding between trees and green lawns. Such a canopy will hardly be able to protect from heavy rain, but it will create a shadow in hot weather.
The dominant elements of the art object are towers, also made of wood and twigs and placed along the river. Each tower has small observation platforms that you can climb to view the surroundings from above. Also, these towers, slightly rising above the trees, serve as a good reference point for visitors strolling through the park.
At the entrance to the park, marking the beginning of the walking route with a bright exclamation mark, a stage with an organ is set up, intended for various concerts and events, and according to the artist's idea - for performing "ritual" music.
It is interesting that all the components of the complex structure were created not in Moscow, but in the artist's studio in Nikola-Lenivets, and the main material was the vine and twigs collected in the surrounding forests. The finished modules were transported to Moscow and assembled like a designer directly on the site.
Polissky himself is ambiguous about the idea of erecting such natural sculptures inside a boiling metropolis: “Natural material is naive against the background of concrete,” Nikolai Polissky explains, and immediately pulls himself back: but this is his advantage and strength. The artist creates new forms that command respect and give out such power that can defend itself - such objects should be visible."
