Presented at Minsk Design Week 2019, Mist is an art installation that reflects and reminds of the devastation caused during WW2.
“For the concept of this installation Clap starts from the history of Minsk, a city that during the Second World War was devastated,” explained Clap Studio. “The bombs destroyed 80% of the buildings and the city was not rebuilt until the 1950s. That is why the population of this city remembers these times as something unpleasant and many of them prefer not to talk about it.”
Designed by Clap Studio in collaboration with Wei Lesley, the installation was constructed with the help of local volunteers.
When approached by the Minsk Design Week organization to create an installation, the topic of popularization was suggested. With this in mind, Clap Studio says that they wanted to present the taboo subject of WW2 to Minsk’s current population in a “simple and understandable way”.
Described by Clap Studio as a geometric volume that represents in a conceptual way the volume of a building, the installation takes the form of a building that had been destroyed by a bomb.
“These new openings result ingeniously in an entrance and a viewpoint on the top,” said Clap Studio. “The destruction gives way to the function generates grandstands, stairs and seats. From the inside, life makes its way in the form of a tree, exceeding the height of the installation itself.”
“Mist is the fuzzy but latent memory of all those buildings that were destroyed during the war and could not be inhabited again,” added Clap Studio. “It is definitely a memorial for the city of Minsk that at the same time serves as a space where the people can gather, relax and find peace.”
