Artist Highlight - Alice Belova Semenenko

1. The Candlelight Altar turns the act of lighting a candle into a small ritual. What first drew you to this familiar gesture as the centre of the work?

Candle lighting is a beautiful act. It is incredibly powerful to set an intention for a candle or to light a candle for someone because it holds your energy and emotion. It is an action that is undervalued even when it holds such meaning, so I wanted to honour the action and make a performance out of it.

2. You describe the altar as offering a moment of meditation at a time when sacred spaces feel increasingly fragile. How did that thought shape the emotional tone of the piece?

The emotional tone for the project was set straight away as I began my research for my design at the start of the current conflict in the middle east where sacred sites were being damaged or even destroyed. It is painful to see that places of emotional healing, peace, faith and culture were disappearing for communities. I wanted to make a design which honours sacred spaces because they create a peaceful space to reflect on your faith and your emotions which should be available for anyone.

3. Portable shrines have existed across many cultures and histories. What interested you in making a contemporary version that can create reflection anywhere?

I like to analyse historical designs because they can offer insights which inform my own work. Portable shrines have been successful for hundreds of years to provide a moment of prayer, even during conflict or pilgrimages, in an accessible way. They feature panels or doors which create a transition from the public world into your private sphere of thought which I included in my own design. In our modern time of technology where our messages or even mantras are on our phones, creating a physical meditative space feels refreshing.

4. The work uses aluminium to reflect warm candlelight around the viewer. How do you think light changes the way someone enters the space of the object?

Candlelight creates a warm light which is soft and inviting. The beautiful reflection with the aluminium spreads the warm light around the space so you are surrounded by it. It captures your attention especially when its dark, and opening the panels feels like you are discovering something new but then it feels warm and familiar.

5. Each panel carries abstract and organic shapes linked to energies within the body. How did you arrive at these forms?

To expand my ideation during my design process I did several automatic drawing sessions. I was inspired by artist Hilma af Klint who used automatic drawing to connect to the spiritual for her art. I meditated on different parts of the body and created various sketches which I compiled into abstract shapes for the panels. This technique helped me to create organic shapes which feel soft and meditative.

6. You often speak about emotional connection in design. What kind of emotional state did you hope The Candlelight Altar might create?

I wish for The Candlelight Altar to create a moment of awe which sparks your interest, so you interact with the panels, you light a candle and then you experience a peaceful and meditative state with the reflection of warm light and the shadows around you.

7. The work brings together aluminium and waste burlap, two materials with very different histories and sensations. What kind of conversation did you want between them?

Aluminium is light, reflective and smooth creating a beautiful effect with the candlelight. Burlap is a thick natural textile, but it also reacts beautifully with the candlelight creating a yellow hue. They have different origins and a different effect with light, but they highlight each other through their differences. The aluminium amplifies the experience of the organic burlap shapes. The aluminium and burlap are talking to each other through the candlelight, and that effect talks to you, the viewer.

8. You mention repairing material narratives, especially through the use of burlap. What does repair mean to you in this piece?

Repair is very important to my design. It is designed for emotional repair through the whole experience of lighting a candle and being surrounded by the light. Physically, I also wanted to continue the repair narrative with my materials, so I used burlap for the panels. Burlap has a history of conflict as it was used for military sandbags. I repurposed an old military sandbag to line the shapes of the panels to transform and repair an object of conflict into a new product for peace and contemplation.

9. After someone lights a candle in front of the work, what would you like them to carry away from that moment?

I want the viewer to follow the candlelight which starts to spread around the aluminium panels, I want them to notice the shapes of the burlap appearing brighter. I hope they are curious about the work but most importantly I just want the viewer to feel a spark of awe. The panels give someone the chance to close themselves off for a moment and I hope people use that opportunity to enjoy the warm light, the materials and contemplate for a few minutes in peace. I hope people stop and have a moment to pause and reflect.