Herbs and Winds

Window painting / Stencil installation / Community engagement / 2024

Site-specific artwork created on the windows of the village school in Prokopyevka, Komi Republic, as part of the cultural heritage initiative Tom Sawyer Fest. Ipatovo.

This work was developed during field research in July 2024 and forms part of my ongoing artistic research into women's cultivation practices in post-socialist rural spaces. It was realised in collaboration with the Komi collective Öввö, whose work focuses on supporting indigenous identity, community care, and sustainable practices.

Herbs and Winds looks into the interaction between wild herbs and the ancestral signs of the Komi people, known as pas. These symbolic signs, traditionally used for protection, orientation, and storytelling, are woven into the stencilled plant motifs. The result is a multi-layered composition that imagines new, fictional species of wild herbs shaped by memory, environment, and culture.

The depicted herbs — including Ivan Chai (willowherb), St. John's Wort, and Rosehip — are commonly used in Komi traditional medicine and cooking. They embody knowledge and practices passed down through generations in rural communities.

The work was created in close dialogue with local residents, particularly women who continue to forage and use wild plants in everyday life. Their voices and lived knowledge informed the work's development. Alongside the window paintings, I created a series of instructional posters on local herb identification and foraging practices, intended for use within the school.

Press: 
The Art Newspaper Russia, №129, 2025 
BNKOMI, 2025