By Margarita Novikova, MA Sound Arts at London College of Communication for Walls in Online Places Vol.2
Since the middle of March, I have been stuck in Montenegro. The country closed the borders on the 16 March, when I had my return ticket. I came there for a long weekend to celebrate with my son and his family my and my younger grandson’s birthdays.
I brought a gift for the little one but no clothes, no shoes, no laptop. That was a challenge: instantly, they cancelled shopping apart from food, medicine, and gardening as well. What fun it was to discover one day a pharmacy selling underwear! Thus, my normal consumption happily reduced to zero. Instead, I acquired a family with two little boys and the sea. Also, we faced curfew, - but who cares, after all, I had an experience of surviving under a communist regime. Meanwhile, my consumption transmuted into a gathering. I can’t resist collecting bits of ceramic tiles washed up by Adriatic waves to build my lockdown anti-consumption visual diary. I started my "live" mosaicking on a useless velvet sofa placed in my bedroom on its side, never glueing them physically to fix the mosaics in real life (however there was one exclusion). Once the rules of lockdown confinement became milder, I started experimenting with more different backgrounds, mostly outside. The anti-consumption diary is continuing.
Seaside Tilework
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Lockdown Stone Necklace - Margarita Novikova
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Eucalyptus One Week of Lockdown Calendar - Margarita Novikova
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Day 1. Live mosaics series, episode 2. Made up of sea polished pieces of tiles. Co-creation: Fyodor Rasskazov, water-colour on stone (background); Margarita Novikova, live mosaic
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Day 2. In lockdown, consumption has been transmuting into gathering. I can’t resist collecting shards of tiles polished by Adriatic waves. This live mosaic series continues my lockdown calendar of consumption's adaptation.
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Day 3. In lockdown, consumption has been transmuting into gathering. I can’t resist collecting bits of ceramic tiles washed up by Adriatic waves. This live mosaic series continues my lockdown calendar of consumption's adaptation.
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Day 4. More ceramic "biscuits" with "icing sugar" on; underwater test.
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Day 5. White bit of ceramic "biscuit" plus a brutal tile split in two (background's artificially extended to post full-size figure on InstagDay 5. White bit of ceramic "biscuit" plus a brutal tile split in two (background's artificially extended to post full-size figure on Instagram). Another mosaic draft.ram). Another mosaic draft.
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Day 6. I am continuing the #seatilework series for #wallsinonlineplaces @ual_postgrad_community, simultaneously asking for help. I am wondering if someone in Instagram hive mind is in touch with a musician @kyoteguy? Need him a lot asap.
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Day 7. Just one more day, a bit warmer. I am wondering if icing sugar can be dark sometimes?
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Day 8. Moving to a new flat. A farewell souvenir for my beloved landlady Bosa. The piece is already placed on a real wall in an offline space: this is the only non-live mosaic in the series. Real glue has been used.
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. Day 9. Some ceramic "biscuits" with a cork.
Margarita will be adding to her Seaside Tilework series on her Instagram here
Related Links
Walls in Online Places
Walls in Online Places is an online exhibition programme for UAL postgrads to share their work whilst in isolation and practicing social distancing.
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