«Pull-Push» is an art object by the WЁRKPLAATS team, a winning project in the «Wooden Code of Russia 2023» competition, organized by the All-Russian Museum of Decorative Arts under the curation of Irina Mikhailovna Korobina. It is partially implemented in the courtyard of the All-Russian Museum of Decorative Arts (Moscow).
«Tyani-Tolkai» is an art construction toy based on reinterpreting traditional and contemporary games and toys. Its foundation is a birch log, which, like blocks in Minecraft, allows for the creation of new objects.
Following this principle, the central double-headed horse—a sculpture tied to an ancient, common motif in folk crafts—was constructed. After a story by Kornei Chukovsky, it became known as «Tyani-Tolkai.» The viewer can participate in the play through interactive objects—pulling and pushing the parts of the birch construction set. From these logs, a folk puzzle toy—the «Sharkunok”—can be assembled.
When several birch trunks are arranged together, an optical illusion appears—the boundaries of the logs disappear, and the image merges into a single form. This simultaneously recalls the dizzying sensation of a Russian circle dance and digital interference, or a computer „glitch.“
Project Team (WЁRKPLAATS): Ksenia Bendina, Dmitry Mukhin, Lev Naftulin, Anton Tenditny, Polina Shevchuk
Object Implementation: Stroyrupp LLC, WЁRKPLAATS, Roman Mazur
