February 08, 2019

Tomin: Video Artist Extraordinaire


Tomin: Video Artist Extraordinaire

The camera moves toward a Russian apartment block window to reveal that the view outside is of the Earth from space...

Looking out another window onto a courtyard, clothespins on a line suddenly turn into birds and fly away...

These are but two mesmerizing scenes from Russian artist Tomin’s latest video, Sketches. Clocking in at just two minutes, it offers about a dozen mind-bending scenes.

There is something unsettling and yet attracting about Tomin’s work. At one level it is completely whimsical (the clothespins or the view of Earth), while on another it is also a bit disturbing (odd red blogs being ejected from a stoplight). But it is always creative and beautifully polished.

Tomin (full name Vladimir Tomin) lives and works in Khabarovsk, which he describers as a place of "very cold winters, pretty hot summers, absolutely beautiful nature and not much else. To an outside observer, our city might appear a bit simplistic side, but I love it!"

Tomin says he does his art, "if I may call it that [yes, you definitely can!] mainly as a distraction from my main work. I do motion graphics for living, but there is rarely any creative freedom, the client is always right, haha). So when I do my stuff it’s very liberating. A good contrast!"

As to where he finds inspiration for his offbeat realities, Tomin says that "anything around can be an inspiration. All you really need to do is to clear your head and be open to the world around you. If you have enough free space in your mind, there is good chance sometime soon this space will become occupied with some really good ideas. You need some training to recognize that an idea is in fact good and worth doing. And you need to know your skillset, because some ideas are just too hard to do, and hard to do is not always the same thing as good. And that’s pretty much it!"

Easy for him to say...

Tomin’s art is a curious mixture of video and 3D rendering that is at times disturbingly real (the cursor peeling up the center line in a road, or the birds and penguin on the roof), but other times obviously rendered (the charger that turns into toilet paper, or a wall outlet that turns into a pig’s snout), but no less fun to watch.

Here are a few other compilations from the mind and work of Tomin. Enjoy and be sure to use the buttons at the top of the page to share with others. And be sure to also visit Tomin’s website.

Carpenator is a bit of a rumination on Arnold Schwarzenneger, because, well, why not?

Portals is a mesmerizing trip through city parks where one reality blends into another.

Render is a more obvious blending of 3d modeling and video, but with some fun and surprising effects.

Finally, 2019 is a holiday video with a fantastic opener that is perfect for those in the North currently “enjoying” the depths of winter.

 

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Driving Down Russia's Spine

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 
A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.
Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.
Survival Russian

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.
The Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.
The Latchkey Murders

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...
White Magic

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.
Fearful Majesty

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955