Concept
«The Chill of Memory» is a tabletop art object (a desk sculpture) that reinterprets a fragment of a large-scale memorial installation. It is rooted in the concept of fragility and eternity: human life and memory, frozen in the ice of history.Inside a transparent cube, which mimics monolithic ice, are preserved crimson roses without stems and fragments of historical text. The outer faces of the cube are adorned with delicate, «fairy-tale» frost patterns resembling painted lace, while individual frozen buds and petals are affixed to the top and sides. The object requires no electricity—all the magic is built upon the contrast between the cold, translucent material, the matte frosty patterns, and the vivid red accents, which create deep shadows and highlights under daylight or focused museum lighting.
Types and Details
Technical Section
Format: Desktop art object. Dimensions of the assembled piece: Within the standard limit of 300 mm.
Base: 300×300 mm (matte black acrylic or metal).
Total cube height: 250 mm (including colors on top).
Object weight: ~1.5–2 kg. Materials and components:
Outer casing: Optical polyurethane (Smooth-On Crystal Clear) or epoxy resin with UV stabilizer. Alternative: bonding thick sheet acrylic (Plexiglass) followed by edge polishing.
Filling: Artificial roses (polymer clay, silk, or high-quality preserved flower treated with varnish) without stems or petals. Text plaque (transparent acrylic with laser engraving).
External decoration: Artificial frost (artistic screen printing with special paints/varnishes or etching/sandblasting), attached flowers.
Base: Matte black acrylic (50 mm).
Manufacturing Technology
The object combines casting techniques with handmade artistic decoration:
Preparation of Contents: Preparing the artificial roses (stem trimming, securing) and creating acrylic signs with text.
Form Creation: 3D-printing the cube master model, sanding, and pouring the silicone mold (for casting).
Body Casting (if the cast option is chosen): Transparent resin is poured into the silicone mold layer by layer. Roses and signs are fixed at the desired height.
Finishing and Frost Effect: The cured cube is sanded and polished. A matte frost pattern is applied to the outer surfaces (manual airbrushing using a stencil or laser engraving, if acrylic is used).
Top Decoration and Assembly: Roses and petals are affixed to the top surface and sides using clear adhesive and dusted with artificial snow. The cube is glued onto the matte black base.
General Calculations
Production Partner: (Studio located in the Cable Workshop building).
Raw Materials and Supplies:
Polyurethane resin or epoxy compound for deep casting—approximately 4,000 ₽ per kit (enough for 2–3 cubes).
Platinum silicone for molds, plastic for the master model—approximately 3,000 ₽.
Artificial roses and petals (wholesale)—approximately 1,000 ₽ per run.
Acrylic for the base, engraved plaque, and decorative materials—approximately 2,000 ₽.
Preliminary Cost Estimate (excluding electrical work):
Minimum possible run: 5 units (limited by the silicone mold capacity).
Production timeline for the run: 14–20 business days (including resin curing and hand-finishing).
Cost Breakdown (Estimated Calculation):
Production Setup and Tooling (one-time costs):
Printing the cube and rose master models, creating silicone molds—10,000 ₽.
Manufacturing the first (sample) piece:
12,000 ₽ (including the refinement of the casting technology and frost application).
Cost Per Unit in the Series (for a run of 5 units):
Casting the body, resin, pigments—3,500 ₽
Flowers, plaque (acrylic, engraving)—1,000 ₽
Base (acrylic), assembly—1,000 ₽
Artistic decoration (frost application, top flower fixation)—1,500 ₽
Packaging (sturdy cardboard + polyethylene foam with insert)—1,000 ₽
Total per unit in the series: 8,000 ₽
Total Batch Cost (5 units + tooling):
5 units × 8,000 ₽ + 10,000 ₽ (tooling) + 1st sample (12,000 ₽) = 62,000 ₽.
Total requested grant amount: 62,000 ₽
