T3CM‘s collection was inspired by the NSK, the Slovenian art collective, as well as by a Soviet film The Shadow, which is where they borrowed the tagline for the collection: ‘Know your place, Shadow’.

“Marrying these two unlikely influences has given me just the right imagery to describe my perception of the contemporary Russian reality.” – said the designer.

The Shadow, a 1971 film, is widely known across Russia, at least by those who are now in their 30s. Since the film stars almost all the best-known Russian actors of the times, it has the required potential as a reference. There is no reflection here, though.

“I only use it to create my own dystopia that would illustrate my perception of reality. One of the characters (portrayed by actor Oleg Dal) is a totalitarian figure of an all-seeing, all-controlling leader who is watching you from the TV set whose single channel is constantly broadcasting his image. The viewer and the show swap places. The TV is watching the viewers; it is actually sizing them up. While this experience may be interpreted in the Orwellian sense, it may also be viewed from the perspective of art theory, where the painting is watching the observer as much as the observer is watching it.”

Photographer: Viktor Gorbachev
Stylist: Katya Pavelko

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