Deep in the woods outside St. Petersburg, Alla, known as Mydollmallu, springs into action each morning with a flurry of creative energy. Her inspiration strikes at night, her mind racing with ideas. “A storm of thoughts begins when I go to bed,” she says. “I see thoughts visually, as if I could touch and feel them. And when I wake up, I start to act.”
The results are nothing short of extraordinary. Alla meticulously handcrafts intricate paper costumes, theatrical sets, and wearable sculptures. She then stages and photographs herself wearing these creations. Imagine a sweeping green gown with a ruffled train, surface undulating like a tidal wave. Or a colossal paper boat, assembled from remnants of previous projects, set adrift in her garden. Each image she captures is like a glimpse into a surreal, alternative universe.
Roots in St. Petersburg’s Artistic Scene
Alla’s artistic journey began in central St. Petersburg, surrounded by historic architecture and bustling trams. Her childhood was steeped in the cultural richness of museums, rivers, and canals. “My mother says I always loved drawing, and I dreamed of becoming an artist or fashion designer,” she recalls. Her dual degrees—a technical design in women’s fashion and later from the St. Petersburg Stieglitz State Academy—equipped her with unique skills. In 2019, longing for peace from the city’s clamor, she relocated to the countryside, where she embraced paper art.
“The beauty of nature here is boundless,” she explains. “I was tired of the noisy city and constant rush.” Her home studio, nestled amidst nature reserves, allows a seamless transition from dream to creation each morning. Alla’s intuitive process is the heart of her work. “I consider myself an improvisational paper artist,” she shares, transforming each project into a personal experiment.
The Euphoria of Creation
Armed with paper, Alla tears, crumples, and folds until her ideas materialize into tangible art. She describes the process as conveying “strength or fragility,” with color shifts signaling mood changes. While Kandinsky famously interpreted colors as music, Alla feels paper emotionally, sculpting until the visions in her mind can be physically inhabited. Completing each image brings her “pure euphoria.”
Alla’s paper boat remains a creative hallmark—an improvisation that repurposed previous elements into an evocative scene. Half-jokingly, she mentions wearing the boat outfit if she ever attended the Oscars. Another treasured piece is a paper flower, crafted in spring to symbolize personal blooming. “I want to ‘grow’ with freedom—without store-bought fertilisers,” she asserts.
Charting an Unscripted Course
Alla resists defining future projects rigidly, noting the world’s rapid changes. While she harbors dreams of international collaborations, including endeavors with Hungarian photographer Szilveszter Makó, her primary focus remains exploring the world anew. “Why is the earth round?” she muses with a playful wink. It’s a fitting reflection for an artist who creates entire worlds from mere sheets of paper.
Sources & Links
Source: creativeboom.com