A project concerning the link between anxiety and sleep—a state where an individual confronts some form of sleep disturbance. The title, «Zero Room, ” refers to a space of internal pause, ultimate depletion, and emotional reset—a place between wakefulness and sleep. The project explores two opposing psychological responses to anxiety: insomnia, where sleep becomes an unattainable privilege and a daily struggle, and conversely, a state of constant drowsiness, where the body seems to attempt escape into a world of dreams and find refuge there from reality.

The central piece, which I am currently realizing, is a kinetic mechanical object titled „Pendulum“ featuring a textile head.

This is my first time working with a mechanical element here. I was interested in integrating new technologies into a practice I was already familiar with—one involving metal frameworks and concrete.

The piece is a large anthropomorphic head (65×35×40) constructed from a frame covered in quilted textile. The head rests on a concrete «bed» measuring 210×240 (at minimum), which is made up of numerous concrete gas blocks. The mechanism is situated in the block beneath the head.

The head executes continuous oscillatory movements using a mechanism I designed. A rotary motor, connected to the 220B mains power supply, is used.

Концепция

Initially, the work was conceived as a visualization of sleep deprivation. The pendulum is examined both literally—presented as an oscillating object—and in a deeper context, where struggling for one of humanity’s primary needs can be agonizingly and endlessly difficult.

However, the work can also be viewed on a more global level: the existential suffering and crises of the individual. The soft form, revolving on a vast concrete «bed”—an empty, uncomfortable space—appears lost and can symbolize the vulnerable essence of a person who constantly tries to conform to harsh realities, failing to find balance or harmony within themselves.