As part of the International Biennale of Environ­mental Art in Nizhny Novgorod, artists Danya Pirogov and Anastasia Sonina presented their project Field. Pirogov created a series of tempo­rary art objects, Towers, in two locations. First is the Strelka, an area that marks the sites of the river port’s former concrete warehouses. Pirogov’s installations continue the broader effort to revi­talise the Strelka and bring art into the area redesigned according to IRGSNO’s concept. Another is higher up in the city, near the ‘Nizhegorod­skaya’ cablecar station. This open natural space, with its viewing platform, was landscaped by the MLA+ bureau under IRGSNO’s curatorship. The project was initiated and supported by the Urbantech Group of Companies. The company’s central principle is to create environments and spaces that foster human development through the harmony of nature, architecture, and new technologies.

Field is inspired by the wide view of the city seen from the cable car — perspective that reveals not just its architecture but also its natural setting. The project begins on the Strelka with Pirogov’s Towers, biomorphic structures made of eco­materials that offer shelter to birds and insects. Higher up in the city, near the ‘Nizhegorod­ skaya’ cablecar station, another tower stands in a flowering meadow grown from Anastasia Sonina’s custom seed mixes — fifteen species of wild perennials chosen to restore biodiver­sity and strengthen the city’s ecological frame­work. The grasses were selected so the meadow blooms in stages and can eventually maintain itself. Placed in different parts of the city, the towers suggest a movement from ground to sky. Following the biennale’s ending, the meadow seeds continue to spread naturally, while the objects remain visual markers of an ongoing conversation between nature and the urban environment. 

“These tower­like land­art pieces reinterpret the landscape and merge into it, while their enclosed interiors can serve as refuge for birds and insects. They are meant to become points of attraction for residents and visitors alike — places that stage a quiet, visual dialogue about ecology and the relationship between the city and the natural world,” the project team explain. 

Artists: Danya Pirogov (land art objects), Anastasia Sonina (landscape). Curators: Kristina Romanova (Triumph Gallery), Liza Savina. Consultant: Olga Lavrova.