"An Orchard of 108 Trees" is a tribute to the Georgian-Ukrainian artist Temo Svirely that was developed by the Temo Svirely Foundation, in collaboration with fashion designer Fedir Vozianov and ceramic sculptor Giya Miminoshvili. It was presented in Mystetskyi Arsenal during Ukrainian Fashion Week 2016.
The project takes as its source a cycle of abstract paintings in which Svirely sought to capture the vitality of a blooming orchard, the onset of spring, and his longing for the orchards of Georgia. Two works from this cycle anchor the installation.
A symbolic orchard in bloom occupies 200 square meters. One hundred and eight ceramic trees, each sculpted by Miminoshvili, are crowned with round skirts printed with Svirely's paintings and designed by Vozianov. The space unfolds as a theatrical arrangement: performers sing the medieval Georgian hymn Thou Art a Vineyard (შენ ხარ ვენახი), dance to the music of Gia Kancheli, and at the close of the performance, the trees are transformed into lanterns.
Vozianov's round skirts carry the logic of the paintings into the language of design. Enacting the project's central meditation on microcosm and macrocosm, each skirt is divided into two equal halves: one reproducing the painting at its original scale, the other amplifying it.
Miminoshvili's ceramic trees are multifunctional sculptures, each composed of three interlocking parts that can function independently as interior objects or as lanterns. The edition consists of 108 unique, individually numbered works and will not be replicated.
The project develops three interlocking ideas:
Going Beyond: a contemplation on death and the trace an artist leaves in the world. Svirely's paintings move beyond the canvas, finding new life in sculpture, fashion, performance, and light.
Microcosm and Macrocosm: a meditation on the relationship between the individual and the universe. A painting becomes a piece of clothing; the realm of art enters the texture of daily life.
Communication: inspiration, friendship, memory, tradition. The project holds two axes of dialogue: the horizontal, among the living collaborators; and the vertical, reaching toward artists who are no longer with us.
Project director: Iryna Vorobiova. Fashion design, installation, and performance: Fedir Vozianov. Sculpture and ceramics: Giya Miminoshvili. Graphic design: David Samsonidze. Lighting: Sergiy Garbuz. Choreography: Kateryna Kuzmenko. Thou Art a Vineyard performed by Chorea Kozacky. Photography for video installation: Alexander Glyadyelov. Music: Gia Kancheli.