Unrelated attachments

This project was unexpected for me, but vitally necessary.

It was born from a creative collaboration with my mother, the artist Lilia Pedak. For the past 20 years, she has been working with the macramé technique, combining thread weaving with textile collages. After turning 80, she took a "sabbatical," and I took up the baton, creating new works and keeping her hands busy.

Our first collaborative work was the panel "Dark Portal", in which I explored the interaction of two materials—textiles and ceramics. This process led me to the idea of ​​transforming traditional textiles from flat to relief. Gradually, our collaboration developed a common language: I conceived and assembled three-dimensional sculptures, while my mother wove fragments for them, which then became part of the whole.

The works in the "Unbound Attachments" series can exist as a group or individually—each one is self-sufficient. Each sculpture is named after a woman and reflects various emotional states associated with human attachment: anticipation and hope, humility and submission, fear and security.

"Gretta" embodies humility and submission. Her outer shell appears calm and harmonious, but within lie knots, tears, and  chaos. This characteristic could be observed through an endoscope at the exhibition in the "NeNeMu" space (St. Petersburg).

"Laura" is the fear that accompanies us from birth to death. It develops, then guides our mistakes, and ultimately determines the consequences.

"Isolde" is a shaky expectation.

"Astrid" is nervous instability.

"Fima" hides, remains unnoticed, observes what’s happening. She strives to retreat into a corner and avoid contact with the world. Her protection is her home, a space where she can open up, hide from external factors, and create an illusory boundary of safety.

"Inga" is hope, chaos, and fatigue. These are the three stages of overcoming a breakup and loss, after which, perhaps, a new stage will begin and a new attachment will be born.