This mural is part of my ongoing project, “The Limits of Intervention,” in which I explore how natural systems and human activity create zones of tension at their shared boundary. The focus is on the very moment of interaction: intervention does not disappear, but rather alters the structure of the environment and triggers new processes. In this context, nature is neither a backdrop nor a victim, but rather an active system capable of reacting, adapting, and transforming.

In Berezniki, this interaction becomes evident. Beneath the city lies a system of voids and tunnels associated with potash mining. Above the surface lie marshes, tributaries of the Kama River, and rare plants. These two vectors coexist: one is directed upward—toward growth, light, and the increasing complexity of life forms—while the other is directed downward, deep into the earth, toward the extraction and redistribution of matter. Both processes are in constant motion.

The left side of the facade is dedicated to the natural system. Venus’s Slipper becomes the central image, representing a specific species associated with the protected areas of the Upper Kama region. Around it, one senses an upward movement toward light, water, and the organic matter of living structures. The right side depicts the anthropogenic process in cross-section: the pinkish-gray hues of sylvinite, the red verticals of mine shafts, the “White Sea” in the upper zone, and the cold blue glow of underground voids below. The air here is muted—not as a judgment, but as a consequence of the changing environment.

The boundary between the two systems is asymmetrical. The red line of the “active perimeter”—a recurring motif in the project—runs along the right edge of the natural land.

The boundary between the two systems is asymmetrical. The red line of the “active perimeter”—a key concept of the project—runs along the right edge of the natural area. This is not a division, but a zone of tension, the point where one process transitions into another.

At the same time, the boundary remains permeable. The left edge of the industrial section contains a green reflection—a trace of the natural environment’s influence. Even in the zone of intensive intervention, the processes are not isolated: they continue to intersect, overlap, and influence one another.

Lyubov Kabalinova

Artworks