The Sea

The central object of the Sea project is a book. In it, the viewer follows the journey of the sailor Leonid Alexeyevich — a composite figure merging my two grandfathers: Leonid from my father’s side and Alexey from my mother’s, both of whom sailed at sea. Grandfather Leonid had his own medical cabin aboard a cargo ship, and it was his actual route that I used as the foundation for the book. Grandfather Alexey served in the navy and worked in a classified laboratory, leaving behind no detailed records of that period. However, my mother once said something that became the core of this book: “He was an incredible storyteller — so from now on, you can invent any story you like.”

Lacking sufficient factual information, I took my mother’s advice and created my own version of Leonid Alexeyevich. Tracing his entire route via Google Maps, I collected photographs uploaded by random users and fabricated fictional comments supposedly left 57 years ago. These comments weave a narrative of fantastical events and describe mysterious artifacts brought back from voyages to distant countries.

The project includes ceramic objects and the book.