SPACES BEING SAVED BY US, ARE DEPENDENT ON WILL AND SENSE, March
1997

Kotyol Nina, Fomenko Vadim, Salnikov Vladimir

THE SALVATION OF SPACES
Vladimir Salnikov

COLLAPSE-SPHERE
Nina Kotyol / Vadim Fomenko

DEMONS
Author : anonymous

Curator Nina Zaretskaya

The project "Salvation of Spaces" by Vladimir Salnikov presents a unique work in the sphere of examining of religion transformation under the influence of spreading of television and computerizing of society. The artist invented his own "dogma" - post-theological doctrine of the era of electronic technologies, and he appeared as a TV "preacher", gathering his flock among galery’s and art fairs’ visitors and just among curious ones. The project, as a working model of religion organisation in future, has been operating for 4 years. It is being carried out in the form of lectures, discussions with adepts and opponents in "live air", installations with video and printed documentation on cermons and discussions. This is the first example of a completely virtual work. All communication between the preacher and believers is going on not by direct physical contacts, but by means of TV and Internet.

Video installation "Collapse-sphere" is a sort of peculiar archives of disasters, determining the borders of physical salvation. A human being is always trying to cut himself off dangers. The elements are being tamed. Wild landscape is turning into a set of picture post-cards, while passion is becoming a safe sex. Still, all the efforts to provide safety are too much vulnerable. The elements and destructive forces hidden in the creations of man and human societies and even in man himself, will be always hampering physical salvation. For a long time the artist has been working both on the themes of man being the source of ecological threat to nature, and, on the contrary, of wild and distorted by man nature as a threat to mankind’s survival. She touches the problems of compatibility of man and nature, trying to find the proper place for animate and inanimate objects (just remember the installations "Safety", 1993; "Traveling", 1994; "Poison Gases Decorate the Landscape", 1995; "The Cuts of the Sky", 1995).
The authors arranged their installation on the base of the archives kindly provided to them by the Emergency Ministry. All the disasters whose fragments were shown in "Collapse-sphere", had really taken place on the territory of Russia during the last years.

The exhibition "Demons" presents an election agitation of different parties during parliamentary (1995) and presidential (1996) elections in Russia. The TV trailers, posters, banners, leaflets used in the election campaign reflect precisely and concisely the spirit of nineties. The modern world is filled with demons. They are called politicians, philosophers, statesmen and political figures. At first sight they seem all-mighty. But these are just vampire images. They exist in the shape of configurations of electric signals on TV screens, in printed pictures, and in our deceived imagination. Their power is illusive. Our fears and hopes supply their force. As soon as we stop fearing of them, demons vanish.


On the way to SALVATION OF SPACES
ORIENTATION OF SOUL
Vladimir Salnikov

SALVATION is still in our power! - this is a happy news of our time.

SALVATION is virtual. All attempts of physical salvation are not absolute. SALVATION can be achieved only by the right orientation of every person's vision, thinking and action. Fortunately, SALVATION has passed rude material stage and turned to electronic one. Along with energy sources and means of communication, which no longer depend on muscular force of man and animals and have become easily transmittable, countable, absrtact, man too has become abstract and groundless.

Modern man has lost touch with his grounds, for him they are only the base for establishing quick contacts, or the ornament decorating his life. He lives in free spaces. Geographical, political, energetic, informative, psychic. However, social technologies themselves which create modern man, they still use obsolete machines for personality's fabrication, dating not only from pre-informative, but from pre-industrial age. It makes the life of new, multi-functional and entirely happy man more difficult.

Before psychoanalysis came to existence, religion had been a common institute for healing soul. Modern western nations and the peoples of former countries of real socialism, with the exception of the most backward ones, don't have any religion. Maybe, because all existing confessions are archaic. But here we are, from cultural, ethnic and class tradition, from historical symbol religion has to turn into that it has always been, despite all aggravating excesses. I.e. into psychotherapy.

So, what are those traits of the modern doctrine SALVATION OF SPACES, worked out by Vladimir Salnikov, that differ it from old religion?

SALVATION OF SPACES is a democratic doctrine. SALVATION OF SPACES turns down direct human contacts and uses virtual ones. This is the first church that is exclusively virtual. All relations bet- ween religious teacher (preacher) and believers take place not through direct physical contacts, but by means of TV and Internet. You can experience the beneficial effect of communication with Vladimir Salnikov by means of TV if you attend group and individual talks with the Teacher. There are no priests and their hierarchy, temples, in the church of SALVATION OF SPACES.

COLLAPSE-SPHERE
Author of idea Nina Kotyol
Realisation Nina Kotyol, Vadim Fomenko

SALVATION is still in our power! - this is a happy news of our time. "Collapse-sphere" by Nina Kotyol and Vadim Fomenko classifies sins and disasters of our time and shows the borders of physical salvation. The elements and distructive forces hidden in man's production, human societies and in man himself, will always hamper physical salvation.

Because apart from bad harvests, storms, asteroids hiding in cosmic space, volcanic eruptions, mankind can be inihilated by wars, by the results of its own feckless activities, such as erosion of soil, by technical structures, such as atomic electric power stations, chemical enterprises, by spreading of modern arms and their bad maintenance - ammunition dumps, missile weaponry, by the results of inaccurate social engineering, by activities of social, cultural and ethnic groups that don't fit today's society.

Man always tries to cut himself from danger. The elements are being tamed. Wild landscape turns into a set of picture postcards, and passion into safe sex.

Dams, pensions, umbrellas, roofs and lightning-conductors, army, police, vaccinations, condoms, social programs, antiseismic constructions, concrete covers for nuclear reactors have been made to protect people from the elements and those dangers human hands' production can cause.

And yet most of all these costly safety meaasures are vulnerable to a great extent. There could always turn up some typhoon or volcano that would wipe away some flourishing area, or a small group of rebels would blow up the most attendable building in the world, or infect with incurable desease that very part of the po- pulation which can make it epidemic, or raise a cloud of soot over our planet bringing cold spell and bad harvest.

DEMONS
Author : anonymous

SALVATION is still in our power! - this is a happy news of our time.

The modern world is filled with demons. They seem more material than the things we use daily. These monsters wearing luxurious suits, they call them politicians, statesmen and public figures. They are reputed as clever persons, analytics, philosophers, wit- hout whom people will be done for. They give interviews, speak from parliament, national and international institutions' tribunes.

At first sight these people seem all-mighty. But they are just images. They exist in the shape of configurations of electric signals - on TV screens, in printed pictures, and in our deceived imagination. Their power is illusive. Our fears and hopes supply their force. We are thirsting for authority - and mass media create them for us. And electric signals spread them all over the world.

To penetrate consciousness, demons have to imitate their real existence. But as soon as we stop taking them seriously, as soon as we stop fearing of them, monsters vanish. They won't touch you if you ignore them. But how to live if you see that these vampires torment your loved ones and friends? Curator-exorcist Nina Zaretskaya begins her exorcism, i.e. banishing of evil spirits, with revealing them in psychic and propagandist spaces surrounding us.

c r i t i q u e

"Nezavisimaya Gazeta", March 28, 1997 "Actual Art"

For the citizens inclined to de pression and melancholy because of the horrors of our life: Art Media Center "TV Gallery" (CAC exhibition halls) presents the project "Spaces Being Saved by Us, Are Dependent on Will and Sense" (curator Nina Zaretskaya). The meaning of the exhibition is: the elements and results of man's activities are a threat to people's life (video installation "Collapse-Sphere" by Nina Kotyol and Vadim Fomenko), politicians poison consciousness through mass-media (exhibition "Demons"), but "Salvation is still in our power", because the Guru of the "electronic devices' era", artist Vladimir Salnikov is ready to introduce all persons interested to his doctrine "Salvation of Spaces".

The site has been created with the assistance of the "Open Society Institute" (Soros Foundation). Russia