Plyeshka Palatka “a clear place tent” [2020]
transparent PVC, vinyl tubing, polyester thread, red fluid, metal eyelets, snaps, 180x180cm
‘Plyeshka Palatka’ revolves around the notion of dualities and liminal states that sit between binaries. Drawing inspiration from the Soviet Red Army plasch palatka [shelter half raincoat tents] and Estonian sõbad [ancient shoulder wraps]. The work questions notions surrounding conformity, visibility (particularly queer public invisibility) and the process of transformation and protection at the cost of constriction.
Made from transparent PVC, the material choice directly references to the history of sex on premises venues and of Soviet-era plyeshkas [lit: a clear place] denoting the meeting places and cruising spots of homosexual men in the public space of Moscow and other cities in the USSR. The notion implied by these open and ‘clear’ spaces, for covert activities to occur whilst having queer history’s existence continuously actively erased within the public sphere.
As the original military coat was mass-produced and designed around the average soldiers proportions, the vinyl’s refusal to bend and conform to the pressure of the machine felt apt as this idea of queer resistance and pushback against heteronormative mind- sets continue to play an important part in daily life for queer people. The dual function of the work as a shelter examines how we could physically take up and take back public space.
PVC further acts as a non-conforming and resistant material that acts as both a barrier and window between public and private spaces. The constructed cocoon performs as a restrictive yet protective shelter that binds the wearer within its grasp. Reminiscent of the wings of the cicada, this cape traps the individual from transforming from nymph into adult. This ephemeral moment becomes immortalised and frozen in time, stuck between public and private, in and out, open and closed, both here and there. There is a sense of futility, holding onto this fleeting moment in perpetuity.
The patterns resembling veins are further references to the sõba, where the silmusnelinurgad [St. John’s Arms] pattern or looped square had traditionally been used to protect the wearer from harm and evil spirits. Traditionally decorated with bronze spirals and edges woven on weaving tablets, which were decorated with symbols significant in many cultures: cross, swastika, rhombus, triangle, spiral and zig-zag motifs, these ancient decorations were over time replaced by embroidery and multi-coloured patches on the edges. Luxurious tassels made from coloured yarns were also hoped to accord protection against evil.
Nowadays, the looped square symbol functions as a mark of cultural or historical significance and takes on a new meaning when worn to both protect and constrict the wearer. Sõbad were only ever found being worn by women particularly during weddings and funerals, often worn as part of the ceremony or in burial. There are parallels with the soliders raincoat tent, which would be worn on the battlefield and often individuals would die wearing them or whilst sheltered within one.
Whilst the plasch palatka and the sõba both follow with the user to death being constructed from natural materials, my work is plastic, it is immortal, it will outlive the wearer and continue to signify a fleeting moment that has/had/will have passed.
