Private Moon in the Urals

Private Moon at old Water-cooling tower in the VIZ factory on
First Industrial Biennale in the Urals, Ekaterinburg

Leonid Tishkov, Private Moon, 2003-2011
Mobile Installation. Light box

Private Moon is a visual poetic installation, open for interaction with humans and space. In its unusual position within a land­scape, in a stretch of open country, inside some deserted accommodation or water-cooling towers, the artificial moon sheds its light on surrounding objects and offers viewers as they arrive or occasional pass­ers-by a chance to experience the fairytale nature of our existence. When a viewer goes inside the installation, he or she becomes both a subject and an actor in the performance, and enjoys a poetic insight within our prosaic post-industrial real­ity. Private Moon signifies the return of the romantic project into the topical scope of contemporary art, which could definitely profit from more of the poetic and the
humane. As an added benefit, this project allows everyone who wanders into its story to feel like an artist or a co-author with Leo­nid Tishkov. The need for such a project is evident in Ekaterinburg, with its indus­trial landscape, deserted habitats, aban­doned spaces, and the lack of the poetic that drives the locals into depression. This is why Private Moon has come to the Urals, bearing a handful of poetry in its silver palm.