TOW #9 - "Burning Man" by Alexandr Milov (Visual Text)

          “Burning Man” is a piece created by the Ukrainian sculptor Alexandr Milov. His work consists of two wire frames of adults sitting back to back with children reaching out toward one another trapped inside. This piece implies that, while age and experience has taught us enough to disagree and disconnect with others for so many various reasons, our natural desire from when we were young was to simply connect with everyone and form bonds so that we are not alone. This desire from our childhood has never left us, even if it seems hard to forgive others as we get older, and we still aim to make amends in the end, but we let our own selves get in the way of doing so.

            The children on the inside of the two adults is what really delivers the message. It would have been one thing to have the two adults alone sitting back to back for a reason to be interpreted, but the presence of the younger forms is enough to express disagreement on the outside, but a want to connect on the inside. This helps Milov attempt to tell us that, while we may argue and fail to see eye-to-eye with others on some occasions, we still all want to try to get along in the end, and we should let ourselves find forgiveness more easily on the outside in order to do so. A viewer could even go as far as to say it serves as a comfort for the effects of an argument. Yes, the two parties are upset with one another for reasons we do not know, but they may eventually reach back out and resolve their issues with one another because they still wish to maintain their bonds like their inner child would want them to do.

            The adults themselves, being made of wire while the children are more solid, also shows that while humans grow and learn, they still maintain the qualities of a child at heart, and we do not simply lose them because of the experiences we gain as we grow. This helps to reaffirm the point that we should be able to let ourselves forgive those we are unhappy with, and we should not let what may be our past experiences and thoughts get in the way of allowing relationships to thrive.

            This work let me see my emotions in another light, and as I think about the unconditional acceptance young children tend to have compared to the guarded barriers an adult would put up, Alexandr Milov makes a great point on the interactions of human beings. His choice of materials and composition especially helped with conveying his idea.