Membrane

2022

Translucent synthetic fabric, tissue-like material, internal LED lighting, mixed media

Approx. 170 × 220 × 150 cm

Venue: St. Anne’s Church (Annenkirche), Saint Petersburg, Russia

Membrane was created for a live concert programme dedicated to film music, presented in 2022 at St. Anne’s Church (Annenkirche) in Saint Petersburg. Installed within the church’s fire-damaged historic interior, the work was conceived in direct dialogue with the architecture and atmosphere of the site. For the event, Margarita Shuvaeva developed both the site-specific installation and accompanying video art, integrating sculptural form, projected image, light, and music within the architectural space.

The installation functioned as a visual and spatial counterpart to the musical programme. Its layered translucent material and internal illumination transformed the work throughout the performance, shifting in response to the surrounding light and projected imagery. Shuvaeva’s video work extended across the architecture of the venue, including the walls and architectural surfaces of Annenkirche, creating an immersive environment in which installation, moving image, music, and historic interior operated as a single composition. The fire-damaged interior of the church became an active part of the work’s visual language, reinforcing the relationship between the temporary installation and the existing architectural environment.