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

Murder at the Dacha
July 01, 2013

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.

Jews in Service to the Tsar
October 09, 2011

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.

A Taste of Chekhov
December 24, 2022

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.

Bears in the Caviar
May 01, 2015

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.

Murder and the Muse
December 12, 2016

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices
May 01, 2013

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.

Little Golden Calf
February 01, 2010

Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.

The Little Humpbacked Horse
November 03, 2014

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

Steppe
July 15, 2022

Steppe

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.

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