Emil Biernacki-Florian ART

Construction of the Installation – The Cosmic Tree Glass Sandblasting For this installation, I decided to introduce elongated, sandblasted glass elements, which I will suspend on a large wicker structure—resembling a bush or a tree—painted in pure white. Most of these glass forms remain transparent, while some—added to bring life into the composition—are red and blue. Onto each glass surface, I have sandblasted the delicate pattern of a leaf. The entire installation is meant to take on a strongly organic form, echoing the shape of a tree or a large shrub. In a deeper sense, it draws inspiration from the idea of the Cosmic Tree, present in many mythologies around the world—known, for example, in Norse mythology as Yggdrasil. This tree symbolizes life itself, and the connection between three realms: the underworld, the earthly world, and the heavens. Alongside the glass elements, I also plan to hang several small glass tubes around the structure. Inside each of them, I will place tiny fragments of different materials—pieces of volcanic rock, shells, sand, leaves, and plants. Each tube will carry matter gathered from places that hold personal meaning in my life.
Theme my instalation– Antigravity Although the structure itself may appear stable and still, I find myself wondering whether—through the symbolic journey it invites, both for the creator and the viewer—it could be seen as a form of Kinetic Art. This remains an open question. Yet regardless of that, I plan to introduce a moving element into the installation: within the wicker composition, there will be a delicate paper sculpture, seemingly suspended in the air, gently shifting—almost as if it were alive.  Continuation of my work on the installation. To secure the willow branches in the base of the piece, I had to make special fittings from MDF in the workshop. Their shape was intentionally inspired by the cubist patterns I had created earlier on the sides of the base of my installation. Very important elements of the future installation, inspired by land art, were small objects found by the sea, such as shells, sticks, and pebbles. Some shells especially caught my attention — they were covered with a smooth or sometimes interesting organic texture, and their colors ranged from golden, through pearly white, to at times almost black. These are the shells I decided to use to decorate a small sculpture (about 30 cm) that will be suspended in the center of my installation. Collecting these objects brings me a lot of childlike joy, as does freely creating and fitting them into the different parts of my installation. The next day, I continued working on the central sculpture in my installation. Its form was meant to resemble an astronaut, as a reference to the theme of my project—antigravity. The central object of my installation was designed as an abstract form, only slightly resembling the shape of an astronaut. I covered its surface with a thin layer of metallic gold foil. Thanks to this treatment, I achieved the effect of a dominant focal point — the astronaut object clearly stood out visually within the entire composition. One sunny day, while passing over the so-called Golden Bridge near the newly built Arena in Swansea, I became inspired by the geometric shadows cast onto the ground through the cut-out openings in the bridge walls. The patterns created by these shadows inspired me to design a similar composition for the base (plinth) on which my installation stands. The geometric motifs were used intentionally to contrast with the installation’s organic form, shaped by natural wicker and the woven network of woollen cords connecting its individual elements. By combining these organic textures with a more structured, geometric foundation, I hoped to make the installation stand out more distinctly rather than visually merging with its base. At the same time, I wanted to achieve a more intriguing and unconventional overall effect for the piece. Another element shaping the organic structure of my installation is the collection of natural objects I have gathered over the years: seashells, sticks, and dried seaweed collected by the sea; leaves and pine cones found in my favorite forest in Poland; as well as stones and pieces of lava that I personally collected during a volcanic eruption in Iceland two years ago. My intention was to place small natural objects inside glass test tubes — fragments originating from different parts of the world, each connected to places that have played a deeply important role in my life. Similarly, the white pieces of fabric hanging from the wicker branches surrounding the installation are inspired by Shinto rituals and the shamanic traditions of the Japanese Ainu culture. My father came from those regions — the Kuril Islands and Kamchatka — where he was born and spent the first years of his life. During the Second World War, his family was forcibly displaced to the far edge of Siberia. Originally, however, our family came from the territories of present-day Lithuania. Personally, some of the most important themes in my art are migration, the feeling of not belonging, and the family traumas connected to these experiences. In this context, symbolic journeys play a significant role in my life, especially through the lens of psychogeography — exploring the places our ancestors came from and reconnecting with both genealogical and personal cultural roots. I believe that consciously experiencing art that touches upon these aspects of our identity — including the more difficult and painful ones — can help both ourselves and others process and heal them. For me, art can be, and often is, a form of self-therapy for both the artist and for those who engage with the work in a conscious and meaningful way.