The project “Lifes” unfolds as a delicate yet resilient structure woven from seaweed strands that hold stones in tension. This image becomes a metaphor for human existence - fragile, yet filled with inner strength. The stones sometimes slip and fall, but these “failures” do not destroy the installation; rather, they emphasize its essence, reflecting the nature of life and its unpredictable end.

The first version of the work was created in 2024 in Ebeltoft (Denmark) using locally gathered seaweed. In this new iteration, made from materials collected along the Odesa coastline, the project gains a local dimension - rooting itself in the landscape and memory of the artist’s place of origin.

“The seaweed I use for ‘Lifes (2)’ is called Zostera marina - a species of marine grass.

My projects often emerge through the generous support of my family. For instance, about 200 meters of threads for ‘Lifes’ were woven by my father and mother. For me, this is deeply symbolic, as they are the people who gave me life.”

— Sofiia Holubeva

As part of the exhibition program, the artist conducted a workshop where participants, together with Sofiia, wove new threads from seaweed, attached stones to them, and incorporated these elements into the installation.

The collectively created fragments became a symbol of new lives being born and continued - transforming “Lifes” into an open, evolving structure that grows through interaction and shared creation.

The work was created within the exhibition “From Tides to Ebbs” and is the result of a two-week residency during which the artists worked with the archives of the Ukrainian Center for Marine Ecology and attended lectures by scientists from the National Antarctic Scientific Center.

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