This project showcases a final realized light installation, which was independently modeled and physically brought to life under the «Lighting Design and Light Installations» variant, supervised by curator Kira Fedotova. The work is dedicated to the Znamenskoe-Rayok Estate in Torzhok.
The project’s mission is to convey the idea of reviving the estate through light. What if beauty, long since in ruins, tried to find its place in the modern world? The work’s goal was less about reconstruction and more about restoring the spirit of the place—its aesthetic rebirth.
Estate Description
The Znamenskoye-Raek Estate near Torzhok—a brilliant monument of the Russian Palladian era. Its harmonious Palladian architecture, featuring a magnificent colonnade, perfect proportions, and a dialogue with nature, served as the primary source of inspiration for this project. It was the classical rigor, elegance, and the light rhythm of the colonnade that directly led to the idea of creating a light installation, which translates the language of Classicism into a more modern technological vernacular.
Idea Generation
The idea originated from viewing the colonnade of the estate. The result was a concept of sorts—ghostly double columns, the forgotten yet undying trace of lost architectural masterpieces. They embody the very idea of memory: fragile, reflective, and multifaceted.
So, the past is no longer silent—it speaks to us in the language of light and reflection. How would beauty, eroded by time, appear in our world—dazzling, spectral, familiar, refracted through a contemporary lens?
Visualizations
First site visualization
Final Installation
The complete fabrication and installation of the installation took four days of continuous work. The frames consist of welded metal structures, standing at 170 cm and 220 cm, covered with specialized reflective dense films that perfectly mimic a mirrored finish. An galvanized mesh was draped over the covering from the top, bent like a casing for the structures. Then, countless strands of glowing fiber optic cable were threaded through the mesh. By using designated trajectories, a complete luminous net, resembling a hologram, was recreated—the color of which could be changed using adjustable controllers.
All necessary measures were taken to ensure the structural safety of the installation outdoors, regardless of the weather. Metal supports were placed at the base of the columns, subsequently driven into the ground and buried at a specific angle to give the final installation a delicate, fragile appearance.
In conclusion, the installation was successfully exhibited at the «Lightcode 2025» festival and attracted a large number of visitors. It succeeded in highlighting the unique beauty of the estate, allowing visitors to immerse themselves more deeply in its historical context, engaging in a dialogue with the contemporary viewer, and conveying the palpable difference between what exists now and what can never be reclaimed.
Artist: Taisiya Yakovenko Curators: Kira Fedotova, Dmitry Shcherbakov
