Olga Kisseleva. La Voie Lactée

Olga Kisseleva (RU) artist
Taisiya Polishchuk (UKR) scientist
Victoria Ananyan (ARM), ballerina

The project “La Voie Lactée” initiated by Russian artist Olga Kisseleva in collaboration with Ukrainian scientist Taisiya Polishchuk is a women’s proposal in response to the confrontations between Russia and Ukraine. The video features an innovative object: a beautiful, soft and clear voile, made by the artist from milk residues using the ancient technology of galalith.
Manipulated by Armenian-born ballerina Victoria Ananyan, the voile protects, supports, embraces, nurtures, uplifts and unites.
These are all feminine methods of conflict resolution, in contrast to warlike approaches – attacking, destroying, demeaning, annihilating…

Today, when a major geopolitical crisis threatens the world, an artistic metaphor is used to suggest a different approach, resolutely peaceful, inspired by maternal instinct and esteem for the other.

All around the world, there are fundamental issues about environment, such as the impacts of pollution, its consequences on the survival of our planet, the life quality, the health and welfare of the population. It inspires us to think about awareness-raising actions. The ensemble introduces an artistic utopia, however based on scientific data which suggests a possibility of transforming society by an ecological way: using surplus milk instead of oil to produce ecological plastics. Milk is an essential resource, the basis of our food, as well as of our civilization. Milk is the food of newborns and is seen as a symbol of motherhood and rebirth. Milk and honey are the drinks of life. The symbol of milk represents spirit and matter. An elixir of life, rebirth and immortality, milk is a metaphor for kindness, caring, compassion, abundance and fertility. In a broader sense, it represents the drink of knowledge or spiritual nourishment. Its color makes it a symbol of purity. As the primary energy food for humans, due to its white color and sweet taste, it often symbolizes the food of the gods… However, today we are faced with the overconsumption of milk as a nutritional element that can be harmful to health if used inappropriately, and the overproduction of milk that is becoming an ecological problem, especially because of the numerous non-recycled wastes. In her new research the artist explores with scientific partners the future possibilities of intelligent integration of this essential and symbolic substance, and the impact its future uses may have on society.

The dance performance LA VOIE LACTÉE was realised with dancers from the Monte-Carlo Ballet and gave rise to the creation of sound, video and photographic works.