Razor Fabric: The Concept of a Flexible Razor-Blade Sculpture

environment. One of the functions of an art object in urban life can be that of providing psychologically comforting feelings that result when viewing elements reminiscent of the deeper roots of our cultural traditions. While creating the light kinetic object Daina (Fig. 3 and Color Plate D No. 2), I kept in mind the strong, expressive energy and tectonic principles of the simple, geometric structures of ancient Latvian ornaments. Variations of these ornaments, as decorative, magical , semantically meaningful elements, have been and are still widely used in different spheres of human life. The Fig. 3. Daina Berzina, Daina, stainless steel and multicoloured lights with musical accompaniment, 1981-1983. ornaments are a kind of metalanguage that helps convey the laws of universal harmony. I designed Daina in 1981 and completed it over a 3-year period; the sculpture occupies 5 m", The graphic development of Daina was based on a transformation of the ornamental elements of ethnographic embroidery into a new spatial structure. In the sculpture, specially textured stainless-steel plates were placed at an angle so that they reflect multicoloured light. With the help of electronic devices , various combinations of colour, light, direction, rhythm, tempo and stress are possible. All the changes in its ornamental structure can be supplemented with music or sound effects. Colour gradations of green, yellow, red and violet, along with successive spatial transformations and temperature effects, create an illusion of depth. Daina can operate either manually or automatically , and the music can be controlled separately or with the other effects. Daina creates a certain mood and can be used as an object for meditation. RAZOR FABRIC: THE CONCEPT OF A FLExIBLE RAzOR-BLADE SCULPTURE Boris Stuchebrjukov, 26 Baku Kommissars, 2, Block 1, Apt. 63, Moscow 117526, Russia. Received9 December 1992. During the years 1982 and 1983 I began to explore the possibilities of resilient deformation of a steel band. I attached one of the band's ends to a base while I turned its other end with the help of an electric motor. The band changed its energetic balance and slowly collapsed into a small ball. This mobile sculpture demonstrated the unusual visual effects possible with ordinary steel tape. I discovered equally unusual qualities in the banal razor during the construction of RazorFabric (Fig. 4). It took many tens of thousands of razor blades to build this object, which weighs 15 kg. Fig. 4. Boris Stuchebrjukov, Razor Fabric, flexible sculpture made of tens of thousands of razor blades, 1988. This sculpture easily changes shape under one's fingers-it can form a circle, a tube, a mushroom shape and so on. 444 Abstracts The resilience of the material, the flexibility of the connecting units and the object's weight define the behaviour of the structure. For example, it does not hold a constant form. It easily changes shape under one's fingers (it is best to wear leather gloves)-it can be a circle, a tube, a mushroom shape and so on. Changes in shape can be accomplished smoothly (because of the object's inertia due to its weight) and evenly. For maximum visual effect, I prefer to use a piece ofwindow glass as a demonstration surface, because it keeps friction to a minimum. All topological transformations are possible with unbelievable ease. The material and resultant forms allow many unexplored possibilities. Fig. 5. August Lanin, The Temple of All Saints Project, architectural model, 1989. Elements of the traditional Russian Church architecture are combined with modern technological ideas in the design of this church. THE TEMPLE OFALL SAINTS PROJECT August Lanin, Crablestroiteley Str., 23, Bldg. 1, Apt. 28, St. Petersburg 199226, Russia. Received 7December 1992. I created the Temple ofAll Saints Project for a competition announced by the Russian Orthodox Church that was devoted to the 1,OOOth anniversary ofbaptism in Russia. I used elements of traditional Russian Church architecture of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in the design of this work, for example, in its compositional scheme, silhouette, hip roof structure, and module system, which was based on the architecture of wooden northern temples (Fig. 5). However, modern technological ideas have also been applied here. The modern elements provided me, as the designer , with the opportunity...