Task

Donstroy is building a number of residential complexes in Ramenki — these are houses with modern architecture, thoughtfully designed infrastructure and aesthetic public spaces. Some of the art piece have already been commissioned and are separated by sound insulation screens from the complexes under construction. They are seen by residents of houses, potential customers and people passing by, so the task of stylizing them using a brand book is very relevant. The company turned to us.

Choosing an Illustrator

It was necessary to paint more than 100 meters of the fence for the project. For this task it would be possible to find an illustrator who would draw sketches and a contractor who would transfer them to the surface. However, we, along with our client, decided to look for an artist who can fully immerse themselves in the project and make it on his own. The customer chose Antonia Gapotchenko for her bold style and bright colors, among other things.

Search for Stories

In order for the illustrations to form a beautiful, complete story, it was necessary to choose a theme. One side of the fence has become a children's section — we decided to depict cute scenes with animals and plants in branded colors on it.

For the adult side, we chose the theme of cinema. We used the golden fund of the Cannes Film Festival as a basis, adding several modern Hollywood and classic Russian films.

Recognizable or Art House?

Antonia drew the sketches in a few days, but it turned out that even some classic films are not so easy to recognize from one image. It would be possible to add frames that even a person who is unfamiliar with the world of cinema recognizes, but Antonia clearly reflected this objection — it is much more interesting not only to draw pictures (of which there are already thousands), but to create something so that a person passing by has an emotional reaction and a desire to stop and look at the picture.

This question caused a heated discussion, and as a compromise, Antonia took the famous shots from the films “Some Like It Hot", "Roman Holiday", "The Taming of the Scoundrel", "La dolce vita" and others.

"Ideally, I just wanted to convey the mood, and not play with the audience in the joy of recognition. Therefore, I initially was not in favor of the idea of using super-popular frames from films like "Kidnapping, Caucasian Style" and "Some Like It Hot". I wanted to depict more aesthetic classics, which the broad masses have forgotten, but on which the history of modern cinema is built. However, the client insisted on greater accessibility, and as a result, the work turned out to be somewhat more pop. Maybe it's not bad, I haven't decided yet," says Antonia.

"My favorite story is a frame from the movie "La dolce vita", it is the very first on the outside. I drew it on the sketch first, it set the tone for the entire wall. In this scene, the characters of Marcello Mastroianni and Anita Ekberg bathe in a fountain in the scenery of night Rome.

I thought that the aesthetics of the 60s and the feeling of a warm, southern night are precisely the most interesting elusive mood in which I want to stay longer. I wanted to immerse myself in nostalgia for times and places in which I had never lived. At the time of the birth of the new wave cinema, Godard, resting on the Cote d'Azur, Sophia Loren, hiding behind a giant sun hat, carefree Hollywood with rising stars Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe. This factory of dreams and desires is still able to enchant us."

Ready, set, go!

A few weeks later, we received a signal about the start of the project. The very next day (which amusingly coincided with her birthday) the project’s producer Lena Kudasheva until late purchased necessary materials, and a day later she and Antonia were already at the facility, received their helmets and started working.

The project was constantly being viewed — representatives of the management company, builders on the site, passers-by. People stopped by and took pictures of illustrations.

"There was a lot of different work going on around me all the time, headphones and audiobooks saved me from getting worn out. Otherwise, everything was fine: for me, working with a spray can is physical labor that replenishes strength and frees the mind and body, " the artist shared her impressions of the project.

However, it was not without unforeseen difficulties — Antonia was used to working with brick and concrete, not metal and in this case, due to the specifics of the material, the paint laid quite differently and required much more material than we had originally thought.

Result

We finished the work in a few weeks. Looking at 100 meters of illustrations in person is simply incredible! "It was important for me not to spill and convey my idea to the client, conveying a certain atmosphere in the image. Perhaps the most difficult thing was to win his trust — and it turned out to be largely due to the efforts of the producer of the project, " says Antonia.

Producer's impression: "Participation in the physical embodiment of ideas, as it turned out, is absolute magic. To watch how Antonia applies a drawing without a stencil, just by moving her hand with a spray can, creates stunning gradients — is better than any movie about modern art. I am very grateful to the entire team that supported me when I had to suddenly leave Antonia to help and I am especially grateful to my partner in crime."