#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. The deer was not brought to life by a sculptor or an architect, but by our fellow countryman, a miner at the Komsomolsky mine, Albert Turkin, who found his main passion in this life – making art objects from metal.
“The idea to create a monument as a gift to the Talnah mayor Mikhail Shevchenko suddenly came to me and the Komsomolsky mine director (at that time) Talgat Mushtekenov. We wanted to make something for a long memory”, Albert said.
The reindeer is Talnah’s Coat of Arms, so Albert did not have to think long about what to make.
“The work on the deer itself was easy, I didn’t think about what it would be like, I already knew it, and also what spare parts I needed. There had to be quite a few of them, and my colleagues from the workshop helped me a lot, everyone brought the necessary materials, iron – you could say, everything just came into my hands”, Albert recalls.
The sculptor’s wife Anna also contributed to the creation of the iron sculpture. She wanted to throw away a saucepan lid, but Albert saved the metal from the inevitable fate in time, and now it is part of the ungulate statue side.
The monument turned out to be alive, it seems that the deer is about to shake off and rush into the endless tundra. Maybe this is because all of Albert’s works are given a second life, or maybe because the creator from Talnah was lucky to see the horned masters of the northern land in person.
“An episode from my childhood has remained in my memory. In 1979, I was five years old, I met a deer for the first time, he came to one of the Norilsk yards to feed. Although he was bigger than me, he was short-legged, thin, you could feel that he wanted to eat. It was a delight for us, children, and we were able to treat him with bread!”, said Albert.
The second incident with deer impressed the metalworker no less. Once in August, Albert was sent on a business trip to Dikson, and an unusual sight opened up to him in the helicopter window.
“I saw deer migrating in the tundra. It resembled a river that moved, shifted, in this cloud there were more than five thousand individuals, I guess. It was amazing and left a vivid impression!”, said the Talnah resident.
For Albert, creativity is an opportunity to share his ideas, his fantasy with people, to bring his plans to life. He has a special connection with metal.
“Once every part of this or that sculpture lived, served, but then it was forgotten, and when I reconnect it with other parts into a single composition, the metal comes to life again, it begins to radiate new energy and it is pleasant to feel how iron gets a second wind”, the master noted.
The deer that decorates the entrance to Talnah is just one of Albert’s many works; his collection includes copies of PDM machines, knights on horseback, a huge guitar, a mosquito next to the mine and much more. And everything that the artist’s hand touches acquires a new impulse, meaning and leaves a mark in the hearts of those who see his works.
According to Albert, he would be glad if someday someone would make photo of a living deer together with its iron deer next to it. In addition, like any creator, Albert has a secret that is associated with his work. He noted that if you make a wish standing at the deer monument, it will certainly come true. And by his own admission, this has happened more than once.
Although the iron symbol of Talnah has been pleasing the townspeople for many years, it was this year that it brought recognition to its author. Thanks to his wife, who took the initiative and sent a video with the deer to the international competition, Albert was recognized as a 1st degree laureate in November of this year.
And this is a source of pride not only for Albert and his family, but also for all his fellow countrymen, northerners. After all, it is so valuable that a person lives next to us who can tame and ‘revive’ such a seemingly unruly and powerful material as metal and create an exclusive and unique thing from it.
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Text: Polina Bardik, Photo: Nikolay Shchipko
