Faculty of Art

Drawing and Painting

Ksenia Danilova

"After the Event"

"Door to Downtown" is part of my thesis series "After the Event", in which I explore a potential post-climate crisis Earth, where giant plant women hybrids have replaced humans, and the world is thriving as Nature reclaims what's hers. I chose the locations I wished to reimagine based on places I've been in the city that I felt were recognizable or were part of my daily commute. I wanted a mix of popular and obscure locations. The monochrome green evokes nature and plants.This piece is double-sided. I made the piece using a damaged hollow-core door, it is installed in a wall, with guests being able to interact and move the door to see the other side. This represents the actions humans have on their environment.

“Exerpt from Thesis Paper:"The buildings kept getting taller as she got closer to the heart of the city. She grew to match them, towering behind clusters of condos, as she stared down, surveying the empty streets. The clouds had followed, and they gathered around her like a large fluffy coat. The trees at her feet grew, rising until the lower building were completely hidden from sight. The lights dim, the city felt more like a child’s play set than the bustling metropolis it used to be. There was even a toy car: left behind, doors open, held down by the weight of a street light that had toppled onto it. Its metal pole had rusted, and the powerlines had torn, lying slumped on the ground beside it. The car was green. Her favourite colour.The biggest tree grew right through the roof of a giant domed building. Its fabric membrane had ripped, revealing the metal skeleton within. What was left intact was stained green and brown where mildew and moss had made themselves home, not given enough time to dry before the next rain. The big block letters that had been attached to the dome had fallen away, buried long ago by the plants and encroaching trees, but the trace of them remained etched into the walls. If she squinted, the figure could make out the words. She could look through the windows, get a glimpse of the inside. Instead, she peered down through the hole in the roof that the tree had grown out of. If she lay against it, using its branches as a head rest, she could make out the roots that had torn up the manicured field inside. The wind had blown dust and dirt all over the seats and the banners that had hung by the sides of the building had all either blown away or faded so much from the elements that they were unrecognizable. The wind settled and it began to rain. It fell lightly at first. A drizzle, a mist ghosting over the figure and buildings, and then it fell harder. It rained and it rained and it rained, soaking her hair until it dripped onto the ground below. She looked up at the sky and closed her eyes, letting the drops roll over her cheeks like happy tears."”