Tram to Park

An exhibition reflecting on progress—not as a straight line towards novelty and speed, but as a long sequence of transformations and losses.

The exhibition Tram to Park presents the outcome of Egor Efremov and Maria Plaksina’s residence at GES-2 House of Culture.The key image of the project is the horse-drawn tram (“konka” in Russian), a public transport in which the living power of horses was combined with technology. The word “park” in the title is interpreted in two ways—as an urban transport depot, a technical halt, and as a green space in the city for public use. By bringing together natural materials, traditional craft techniques, and mechanical sound installations, the artists present the konka as a metaphor for "slow progress"—a more thoughtful approach to technology and the environment, an attempt to rediscover tactility and connection with the surrounding world.

The exhibition has three parts, arranged along a chronological axis from past to future. The visitor’s journey begins in a konka, continues in the main gallery with audio installations, and concludes in GES-2’s Forest near the White Horse sculpture that symbolises a distant and alluring future.

Authors

Egor Efremov — Maria Plaksina

Project team 

The artists wish to thank the Nizhny Tagil Brick Factory, Abdikasym Imamberdiev, and Gulnaz Sadykova.

Special thanks
to woodworking specialist Kirill Tyurin, ceramics and textile specialist Natalia Tsygankova, and the Vaults Centre for Artistic Production.