Design of Remembrance is an original artistic method focused on the meaningful and tangible preservation of personal experiences. It brings together the emotional traces of journeys and events with visual and tactile forms such as travel journals, postcards, sketches, collages, and object compositions.
The method is rooted in the natural human impulse to keep memories through small “artifacts” — notes, tickets, wrappers, photos, sketches, receipts. These items are often stored chaotically or lose their meaning over time. The goal of the Design of Remembrance is to transform this visual and emotional clutter into a coherent story.
The method includes:
Mnemonic keys — personal visual or textual markers that trigger memories;
Sketching and hand-drawing techniques;
Design tools for creating unique travel books and postcards;
Structuring of visual and textual material (composition, combinations, points of focus).
This method is not only about preserving the past — it also fosters mindfulness in the present, helps to recognize the meaningful in the everyday, and develops the ability to tell personal stories through images.
It can be used in artistic practice, travel, art therapy, education, and personal creative projects.
We have conducted a workshop dedicated to the practical application of this method, guiding participants through the techniques of Design of Remembrance to create their own meaningful travel stories and handcrafted keepsakes.
R² is a collaboration between a researcher and an artist. We have been traveling together for 36 years — through both the physical and virtual worlds.
Along the way, we seek what slips through the cracks of simplified reality — what escapes direct sight but lingers in textures, shadows, the trembling of air, the persistence of echoes. We are drawn to traces of absence, moments of incompleteness, and quiet suggestion.
When observing natural or human-made environments — landscapes, buildings, structures — we often sense a kind of unfinishedness. These places feel like scattered fragments of a hologram, inviting us to complete the visible with a ghostly, multidimensional presence. Not through imagination alone, but through deep attention.
Sometimes this leads to artistic actions, temporary installations, or the uncovering of a message — a riddle embedded in the object itself.
We call this approach Revealed Realism — a practice in which reality is not replaced, but extended. This is not mystification. This is a method of attentiveness.
Born in 1968, Urals, USSR. Based at Lake Balaton, Hungary
Education
Urals State University, Russia Degree in Biology, 1992
Academic Qualification
Ph.D. in History, awarded in 2002
Professional Experience
Researcher, Institute of History and Archaeology, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences 1995–2009
Researcher, Federal Research Center “Tyumen Scientific Center,” Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Tyumen) 2009–2023
Research Experience
Participant and leader of more than 50 archaeological and anthropological expeditions, including:
1993–1997: Participated as an archaeo-anthropologist in a joint project of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), focusing on the excavation of Early Iron Age cemeteries and settlements in the forest-steppe zone of Western Siberia
2010: Participated in a joint project between the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Department of Natural History Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Hokkaido University, researching the history of human populations and fauna in the Urals.
Research Interests
Bioanthropology of ancient populations in the Urals and Western Siberia
Author of more than 80 scientific publications, including:
Daire, M.-Y., Koryakova, L. (Eds.). Habitats et nécropoles de l’âge du fer au carrefour de l’Eurasie: les fouilles de 1993 à 1997. Paris: De Boccard, 2002. 292 p.
Razhev, D.I. Bioanthropology of the Sargat Population (in Russian). Yekaterinburg: Urals Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 2009.
Sharapova, S., Razhev, D. “Skull Deformation During the Iron Age in the Trans-Urals and Western Siberia.” In: C. Bonogofsky (Ed.), The Bioarchaeology of the Human Head: Decapitation, Decoration, and Deformation, Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2011, pp. 202–227.
Sato, T., Masuda, R., Razhev, D., Amano, T. “Genetic Features of Ancient West Siberian People of the Middle Ages, Revealed by Mitochondrial DNA Haplogroup Analysis.” Journal of Human Genetics, 2011, Vol. 56, No. 8, pp. 602–608.
Fu, Q., Aximu-Petri, A., Prüfer, K., … Pääbo, S., … Razhev, D., et al. “Genome Sequence of a 45,000-Year-Old Modern Human from Western Siberia.” Nature, 2014, Vol. 514, No. 7253, pp. 445–449.
Judd, M.A., Walker, J., Ventresca Miller, A., Rajev, D., Epimakhov, A., Hanks, B. “Life in the Fast Lane: Settled Pastoralism in the Central Eurasian Steppes During the Middle Bronze Age.” American Journal of Human Biology, 2018, Vol. 30, No. 4, e23129.
Narasimhan, V.M., Rohland, N., … Razhev, D., et al. “The Formation of Human Populations in South and Central Asia.” Science, 2019, Vol. 365, No. 6457, aat7487.
Marina Razheva Conceptual, multifunctional and interdisciplinary artist Born in 1969, Urals, USSR. Based at Lake Balaton, Hungary
I work with time, memory, transformation, and myth. I explore the “in-between” state, using a wide range of materials, from ephemeral objects to found spaces. My artistic language includes performance, objects, photography, painting, and open-air installations. I believe each idea calls for its own form, so I employ diverse media and techniques, always seeking to reveal new layers of meaning.
Education:
2023-25 Experimental Textiles and Tufting Training (Hungary)
2001 Ural State Academy of Architecture and Arts. Faculty of Advanced Studies. Advertising Design
1992 Ural State University, Faculty of Biology (Russia)
1979-1983 Krasnoturinsk Art School (Russia)
Solo Projects: – 37 solo projects from 1998 to 2025, including:
Deer Country (2019–2025) — ongoing interdisciplinary project exploring myth, land, and memory
Eliminates (2021) — conceptual object series questioning presence and absence
Sieve of Silence (2024) — minimal textile, inspired by an old lake and Bashō’s haiku
Golden Eggs (2002–2024) — long-term open-air object project about transformation and myth
Pangormonium (2008) — sketch of a Never-Existent Instrument
Maps of Peeling Walls (2009) — poetic urban archaeology of decay and memory
Nails Are Like People (2010) — sculptural object series on vulnerability and conformity
Wedding of Tower and Metro (2006) — urban performance about the union of vertical and horizontal forces
Angle of View (2002) — visual manifesto: “The fence turns into a staircase if you change the angle”
Attempt at the State of ‘Between’ (1999–2001) — early philosophical and spatial experiments with thresholds and transition
Selected Group Exhibitions and Biennials: – Over 100 collective exhibitions since 1998 in Hungary, Italy, Israel, Greece, Australia, UK, and more, including:
2025 – Felismerés, Várnegyed Galéria, Budapest, Hungary
2025 – Frontpage:Next, Athens, Greece
2024 – Revolution and Metamorphoses, V Biennale of Illustration, Haifa, Israel
2024 – JELEN – JELENÉS – JELEN|ÉS, IV International Land Art Symposium, Rácalmás, Hungary
2024 – Crossing Borders, contemporary art festival, Beka9 Space, Slovenia
2023, 2057 – Jump to the Future, international project, Italy
2022 – Myth, IV International Biennale of Illustration, Haifa, Israel
2021 – THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY Meriden, Connecticut, USA
2012 – Ural Industrial Biennale of Contemporary Art, Russia
2007 – Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art, MMOMA, Russia
2004 – New Mythology,International Exhibition of Contemporary Art, Karaganda, Kazakhstan
2004 – ArtKlyazma,International Outdoor Contemporary Art Festival, Russia
2000 – Oltrepassare la memoria, Cultural Association Lameladivetro, Genoa, Italy
1998 – Otto Arte International Festival of Arts, Ferentino-Fumone, Italy
Collections: State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia
Museum of Fine Arts, Yekaterinburg, Russia
Surber’s Museum für Musikautomaten und Phonographen, Keszthely, Hungary
Cultural NGO ANSPI NEOT, Ferentino, Italy
Underground Art Museum, Yekaterinburg, Russia
Residencies & Memberships: – PRO SYMPOSION (Hungary), member since 2024 – Residencies in Italy (ANSPI NEOT), Hungary (Rácalmás, Kötcse, Káptalanfüred)
Awards: – 2003 Matthias Alexander Castrén Prize (Finland) – 2019, 2020 – Top 100 photographers in Hungary by 35AWARDS
Teaching: – Sketching Courses and Workshop “Design of Remembrance”, Keszthely, Hungary (2017)
During travel, there are moments when traditional descriptions fail to convey the full complexity and strangeness of a place. Emerging paradoxes and inconsistencies create a sense of inner dissonance, prompting a search for ways to harmonize one’s perception of the environment.
By turning to historical sources and engaging with metacultural models, we can construct a hypothetical image that complements and clarifies the mysterious aspects of the observed reality. This approach allows for a deeper understanding of a place and helps restore internal coherence in our perception.
This exhibition does not take place inside a gallery. It begins on a path. We walk deep into a gorge — a space shaped not by human hands, but perceived as an exhibition. Nature here is not a backdrop, but a co-author. We enter a narrative where every step is part of the installation.
This is an initiation route: collapsed trails, a stream that speaks with the voice of the past, fallen trees composing an invisible script. We must slow down, lean on overhanging roots, walk “not in our own shoes.” Through embodied participation, we become part of the exhibition.
At the journey’s end is a round rock niche — a stage, a theater of memories. Within it lies a mirror, buried beneath dust. Clear it away, and you will see yourself. Or rather, who you have become by walking this path.
Key “exhibits” :
Embracing Transition — the moment when the past ceases to define the route.
Working with Absence — where emptiness becomes the theme and medium.
New Tactility — discovering the world’s textures as an artistic language.
The “Reflection Hall” — the journey’s climax. Nothing is added here except the mirror beneath the sand. We are the main exhibits. Yet the way back is closed: the only exit is upward — a vertical ladder, stairs, daunting but leading to liberation.
We have walked this path together. Will you walk it with us?
From November 26 to December 16, 2024, the mini sculptures traveled along the route: from Budapest Airport, where they paid tribute to the Liszt monument, to Thailand, where they visited the Golden Temple of Ganesha in Chiang Rai, and Wat Huai Pla Kang with the giant Guanyin, the ruins of Wat Ruesi Chewap in Chiang Mai, in Bangkok the 0 km marker, the royal palace and cultural center with an exhibition of the Bangkok Biennale, and Koh Tao island. At each location, searches were conducted to find a spot for installing the mini monument. The site fitting was accompanied by photographic documentation.
During heavy rain on Koh Tao, they began to soften and bloom. They were sent to the spirit house near Ao Leuk beach to negotiate for good weather. Not in vain — the next day the weather improved. They were left in that spirit house.
The project, developed in collaboration with Dmitry Razev, is dedicated to exploring the phenomenon of deer stones — both ancient and contemporary, archaeological and symbolic, real and imagined. In our work, we combine artistic and scientific approaches: we research, document, interact with, and interpret these stones through the method of Revealed Realism.
What Are Deer Stones?
Deer Stones (Mongolian: Буган чулуун хөшөө) are stone stelae, often featuring anthropomorphic traits, with depictions of flying deer and other carvings. They range in height from 1 to 4.5 meters. These megaliths were created by ancient societies that existed between 1200 and 700 BCE in the territories of Mongolia and adjacent regions of Siberia.
Deer hold a prominent place on nearly all deer stones. The image is based on the Siberian subspecies of red deer (Cervus elaphus sibiricus). Early stones show very simple depictions of deer; over time, the drawings become more detailed. A gap of 500 years leads to the emergence of complex images of flying deer. The deer are depicted specifically as flying through the air, not merely running on the ground. Their antlers become elaborately decorated, featuring extensive spiral patterns that can cover the entire deer. Sometimes the antlers hold a solar disc or another sun-related symbol.
Deer stone, Khovsgol Province, Mongolia fromDeer stone complex at Uushgiin Uvur from
The tops of the stones are usually rounded or flat, often carved at an angle. Human faces appear much less frequently. When present, they are sometimes represented symbolically by a few neat diagonal strokes (//, ///).
Deer stones were part of the sacred rituals of ancient societies. Although the specific forms of megalith usage in rituals of these ancient cultures have not been fully established and may have varied across regions and throughout the 500-year period, there is no doubt that they played an important role in mediating the interaction between the human world and higher powers. The use of deer stones in religious ceremonies was known up until the early 20th century. [12]
Modern “Deer Stones” of Hungary
It is remarkable that Hungary is home to contemporary sculptures that closely resemble ancient deer stones in form, content, and symbolism. As part of our project, we explored several such monuments: photographing them, researching their creators, contacting local information services, documenting our findings, and engaging with the works on a creative level.
“Tree of Life” (Életfa)
Artist: Péterfy László, with the collaboration of Szerdahelyi Károly Year of Installation: 1980 Location: Zalaegerszeg, Petőfi utca 39.
The sculpture was originally installed in 1980 in the square in front of the Zalaegerszeg Town Hall. In 1989, with the placement of the equestrian statue of Zrínyi in that same square, the Életfa was relocated to a small park at the corner of Ady Endre and Kisfaludy Sándor Streets. However, this would not be its final site. On May 5, 2022, the sculpture was moved once again—this time to its current location at Petőfi utca 39, in the courtyard of the Zala County Regional Organization of the National Hungarian Hunting Chamber and the Zala County Association of Hunters and Hunting Enterprises. After restoration, it is once again open to the public.
Description: Carved from an 8-ton sandstone block that tapers toward the top, the sculpture is covered with animated scenes of life. Mythical and folkloric figures of humans and animals intertwine with gently swaying plants and trees. On the front side, a stag is depicted with a solar disk between its antlers. [12 ]
“The Conquest of the Homeland” (Honfoglalás)
(Also known as: “Deer Stone” (Szarvaskő))
Artist: Harmat Ferenc, with the participation of Piszter Péter Year of Installation: 2003 Location: Balatongyörök, Kossuth Lajos u. 29
This sculptural group is situated in a small park within the courtyard of the municipal building complex.
Description:
The sculptural ensemble consists of three large engraved sandstone monoliths arranged in a semicircle. The eastern stele features a depiction of a warrior in the style of the steppe balbal stone statues. The central figure bears the image of the mythical Turul bird. The western stele is surrounded by small stone plaques inscribed with the names of legendary chieftains of the Hungarian tribes. One side of this stele displays the Orion–Nimrud constellation. On the other, rows of deer are engraved, ascending upward in a dynamic, ritual procession.
Frottage as a Form of Artistic Interaction
We conducted a series of frottages from these monuments in 2018, 2020, 2021 and 2024. Materials: paper and wax crayons.
In this context, frottage is not only a method of capturing texture — it becomes an independent artistic act. The original sculptural idea merges with the material and gesture of the artist. The relief, surface, and traces of time enter into dialogue with the drawn line and the hand of the one making the imprint. [Instagram 12] [youtube]
These works were exhibited as part of the international art and educational exhibition project “DeerLand“ [Instagram 123]
“Field of Deer Stones”
Location: Approximately 5 km south-southeast of Nyirád, in a forest-steppe landscape on the grounds of a long-abandoned military installation.
Author & Date: Created by time, people, and nature.
On a gentle hillside, we discovered rows of concrete posts embedded in the ground at an angle. While their original function is unclear, they are likely remnants of military engineering — possibly barriers or training obstacles from a former late-20th-century training ground.
The layout and shape of these structures may be accidental. Yet visually, they evoke strong associations with megalithic alignments — menhirs, deer stones, and ancient stelae. This resonance becomes even more pronounced through artistic processing.
We documented these forms as “found artifacts” and digitally enhanced the images to emphasize their resemblance to ancient monuments. Thus emerged the Field of Reindeer Stones — a visual reconstruction of a myth arising from the intersection of nature, forgetting, and incidental form.
The project draws on the traditions of Siberian and Ural-Altaic deer stones — ancient burial markers carved with weapons, antlers, and symbols connecting different realms. Here, in the Hungarian landscape, a modern echo appears — perhaps unconsciously, perhaps by chance. Yet in this field of frozen forms, the ancient motif of the mediator between worlds seems to reawaken.
This is a powerful example of the “archaeology of the present”: utilitarian structures with lost meaning come to be seen as new archetypes, generating myth.
The series reflects the aesthetic of Revealed Realism: the object is found, but the meaning is overlaid. This corner of the Hungarian cultural landscape became a naturally found site for reinterpreting history, memory, and form — perfectly aligned with our method.
Conclusion
By tracing the echoes of ancient deer stones across time and geography — from Bronze Age Mongolia to the Hungarian cultural landscape — our project reveals how symbols survive, resurface, and transform. Through the lens of Revealed Realism, we seek not only to document but to awaken dormant layers of meaning in the world around us. Whether carved in granite or cast in concrete, the image of the deer continues to mediate between the visible and the invisible, the historical and the mythic, the past and the present.
What is the sacred meaning of an old fairy tale about the golden hen known to everyone from early childhood? What was lost and what was gained when the egg broke?
The same questions are raised in many myths of the old and new worlds: about the original egg, the creation of the world, the legend of the golden age. Ideas of good and evil and what is being done on time.
This myth is relevant at all times and at each new moment acquires new semantic shades.
2002200420052024
Exhibition history :
2002 — Living the Simplest Thing, Art-Novosibirsk Gallery Festival, Novosibirsk, Russia
2002 — Shakespeare’s Testament, Ural Museum of Youth, Yekaterinburg, Russia
2004 — Tasting Ball, Pushkin House, Yekaterinburg, Russia
2004 — New Mythology, International Exhibition of Contemporary Art, Karaganda, Kazakhstan
2005 — High-Five, Elovoy House, Yekaterinburg, Russia
2013 — Art Objects on a Book Theme, Belinsky Library, Yekaterinburg, Russia
2024 — JELEN — JELENÉS — JELEN|ÉS, 4th International Land Art Symposium, Rácalmás, Hungary
The project “Flying Deer” is inspired by Hungarian ethnographic traditions, in which the deer symbolizes a mediator between the human world and the spirit world. In mythology, the deer is often depicted as a being capable of moving between worlds and serving as a link between the earthly and the heavenly. This image of the deer as a mediator became the central theme of the project.
“Flying Deer” is a work about transitions, about the phenomenon of the hidden, and about the moment of creation. It reflects the multilayered nature of time and space, where myths and reality intertwine, creating a new perception of the present moment. The ephemerality of the object emphasizes the idea of temporality and the elusiveness of the moment, while its ecological nature testifies to a deep connection with nature and respect for its laws.
Фото Nógrádiné Kiss Magdolna
The object “Flying Deer” at the symposium in Rácalmás fits into the theme “JELEN — JELENÉS — JELEN|ÉS”, exploring and visualizing the multilayered state between the present, manifestation, and transition:
JELEN (The Present): In the present moment, something symbolic and meaningful is created — the images of deer flying between sky and earth. This act symbolizes the here and now, a creative process that connects natural elements with cultural symbols.
JELENÉS (Manifestation): The deer, materialized from a simple piece of paper, become a visible embodiment of legends and myths. Their airy silhouettes, as if caught mid-flight, embody the idea of making the invisible visible, the hidden apparent.
JELEN|ÉS (Transition and Interaction): Suspended between trees, the deer symbolize the passage between different states — earth and sky, present and future. The moon-boat complements the image of a journey and connection between worlds, pointing to the cyclical and continuous processes in nature and culture. They exist in a state of “in-between” — between visible and invisible, real and illusory. Their presence embodies the transition from one state to another, and in this transition, the viewer plays an important role by activating the object through attention, making it meaningful. In this sense, “Flying Deer” are an embodiment of the transitional moment, a bridge between the visible world and the hidden world.
From the Author: This project, in general, is about the constant movement and change surrounding us. The deer in this project symbolize a transitional state, showing how the material can disappear and become part of something deeper and unseen. These deer are temporary beings that become invisible as soon as nature takes its course. Thus, the viewer is invited to reflect on how everything around us is constantly changing and how we ourselves exist between different states and moments in life.
In creating this project, I aimed to convey the feeling of transition — a liminal state between worlds, symbolized by the deer in Hungarian mythology. Working with paper soaked in Danube water added an additional layer of significance — a connection to nature and to the river itself as a symbol of movement and passage. The deer, suspended between trees, embody the moment between life and death, material and spiritual, visible and invisible.
The “Flying Deer” project was conceived from the start as an ephemeral object, doomed to gradual decay. Within a short time, the deer figures began to lose their shape under the influence of wind, moisture, and the natural processes occurring in the forest. After rain, the deer almost completely disappeared, leaving only faint traces of their existence. This can be interpreted as a symbolic acceptance of the object by the spirits of nature. The deer, made from natural materials, seemed to be returned to nature in the process of their decomposition.
It is interesting to note that the word “JELEN” in Croatian means “deer.” Since the symposium’s location also contains Croatian linguistic roots, I consider it appropriate to use this implicit connection to support the project. The symposium took place in the town of Rácalmás, whose name has both Croatian and Hungarian roots. In Croatian, “jelen” means “deer,” while in Hungarian, “jelen” translates as “the present.” This linguistic coincidence highlights a cultural intersection and symbolic link between the symposium’s location and the idea behind my object. Using the Croatian word “jelen” in the context of our project “Flying Deer” is justified and meaningful, as it not only matches the Hungarian spelling but also adds an extra layer of meaning, connecting natural imagery and cultural contexts with the symposium theme “JELEN — JELENÉS — JELEN|ÉS.”
