A striking new art installation, an 'anti-yurt' made of corten steel, has appeared in Europe's largest art park. Created by Kazakh architects, the project, titled 'corten yurt – anti yurt', is now part of the Archstoyanie festival in Nikola-Lenivets Park in Russia's Kaluga region, reports infohub.kz.
The steel yurt measures 5.7 meters in diameter and 3.3 meters in height. Unlike the traditional nomadic dwelling, which shields against wind, rain, and sun, the 'anti-yurt' is fully exposed to the elements. As its creators explain, while a classic yurt is light, mobile, and made of wood, the anti-yurt deliberately becomes its opposite: crafted from corten steel, it has a monumental character and is not designed to be dismantled.
The project's author is architect Bokeikhan Kamza, who works at the bureau cogarts, with contributions from the team at archbureau ulab. According to Kamza, the idea emerged nearly a year before construction. 'At the time, I wanted to answer a simple question: can a yurt become modern without losing its essence? We searched for the form for a long time, until one day a composition appeared in which hundreds of corten elements formed a silhouette that constantly changes depending on the viewpoint,' he said.
By design, the yurt has no single silhouette and seems to change shape depending on the observer's perspective. This makes the object appear almost vanishing at times, then gradually emerging, earning it the nickname 'ghostly'.
Unexpectedly for its creators, the pavilion produced an unusual acoustic effect. The metal structure reflected sound, creating an echo. 'After the opening, people almost immediately began to inhabit the pavilion. They sat there until late at night, singing songs, talking. Drummers from a nearby camp once just came and gave an impromptu concert,' the project's author recounted.
Corten steel has another distinctive feature: over time, its surface changes, developing a natural protective patina. The yurt will shift in color and texture, acquiring a characteristic rust-brown layer.
Earlier, Kursiv LifeStyle reported on how the first Kazakh delegation presented a national yurt at the legendary Burning Man festival in the Black Rock Desert. The nomadic dwelling even withstood a sandstorm.