In this creative installation, entitled Maibaum, Canadian artist Kristi Malakoff used layer upon layer of black paper, foam core, and hardware to create a lifelike scene in which joyous, animated children are frozen in time. Upon viewing the installation, visitors will immediately be transported into the middle of a Maypole dance, a traditional western European folk dance in which men and women weave around a central Maypole while holding ribbons, intertwining the decorative ribbons around the base of the pole.
According to her bio, Malakoff has always been intrigued by notions of fantasy and the possibilities for escape into new, marvelous worlds via mundane objects. After art school and with a lack of access to fancy shop equipment, Malakoff started working with paper. She enjoys giving new life to simple, inanimate objects like paper, and she states, “By presenting these ubiquitous objects in a new way, I hope to both challenge their entrenched symbolism as well as to bring humanism and the element of the handmade back into these highly manufactured products.”
In Maibaum, Malakoff captures a moment in time where repetitive shapes and textured layers give a lively depth to the very still characters. There is a suggestion of animated motion and merriment in the paused hops, skips, and jumps of each figure and viewers will be enchanted by the energy found in such an inanimate installation. Malakoff enjoys creating all kinds of shapes and objects with her paper art talents. If you would like to see more of her work, you can also check out her three dimensional Money Pieces.
