12 Hour Shift (graphic series

I took part in the RUDA Project art residency in Kryvyi Rih city, Ukraine, where I spent 12 days with 5 other artists. Kryvyi Rih is an industrial city, built by the largest iron ore deposits in Ukraine. Its ore mines supply the largest iron factory in the country, which exports construction steel worldwide. Almost the entire population of the city works in metallurgy. The theme of the residency was ‘Industrial Aesthetics’. During the residency we visited the quarries and the factories, where we explored the full process of steel production, and the life of people who inhabit the city. Then each of us made an individual art project inspired by the experience.

graphic art series

There is a widespread opinion that the work of metallurgists is devoid of any joy, and Kryvyi Rih is a gray and monotonous city inhabited by gloomy and exhausted factory workers. The ‘12 Hour Shift’ project is designed to refute this superficial impression, and show that people who work twelve-hour shifts at the steel plant are confident professionals who live a fun fulfilling life. They are excited about their work, knowing that they play a big role in the development of humankind. At first I created an art project consisting of 12 drawings, which tell the story of a typical workday at the steel factory. Then I created a short film based on those drawings. The title refers to the fact, that the duration of a work shift at the Kryvyi Rih steel plant is in fact 12 hours. It is very impressive, considering how difficult and dangerous the job is. I tried doing 12-hour shifts while animating this film, which was not easy, although my job was far from being as heavy and dangerous as ferrous metallurgy. The aesthetics of both the drawings and the film present black metallurgy as a magical phenomenon, while the smooth jazz soundtrack creates a pleasant mood and emphasizes the flow and coherence of the various shops of the plant.