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The armour of memory


"The same sense of belonging to a wider whole has also seen Osipova combing through her family’s photo albums, finding hundreds of photographs to be used in her art. The photographs have become tear-shaped body jewellery, gentle paper butterflies, and the basis for a large sculptural piece which resembles medieval body armour. The armour is covered with fragments of photographs that show Osipova’s female family members framed in pearls — an ode to her Chuvash lineage. It also refers back to the legend of “Volga Amazons”, which portrayed Chuvash women as having unprecedented amounts of power among many ancient societies. This story, combined with the image of traditional Chuvash costumes — where women incorporate large amounts of armour-like silver coins into their dress — have become very important for Osipova. They are elements of storytelling in her own hybrid creative world, where crafts blend with technology, and history is intertwined with myth." - text by Anastasiia Fedorova 

wearable sculpture, photography

archive family photos (copies), pearls, 3d printed armour

2021

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