Reconstructivists

2007 // Documentation

In 2007 Cain went on a residency to Kyiv, Ukraine through Outpost for Contemporary Art to research manifestations of Constructivism in contemporary Ukraine. I charted over 50 projects in the city and countryside and gathered the data on a map in a public square for residents to interact with and discuss. The map was not printed or published online to prevent these local projects becoming tourist destinations.

These photos are documentation of one specific project: a community made outdoor weight bench built by local steelworkers. Not only did they evoke Tatlin’s idea of the “initiative individual that expresses the creativity of the collective” but also evokes the formal language of constructivist sculpture hidden in plain site as utilitarian objects.