Fire Miracle of the New Year Night
Andrey Zaderiy, a gifted ceramist, was the main character of the New Year night in Omsk Fortress. Hundreds of city people were delighted to watch the final firing of his Fire Horse, the clay sculpture two meters high. Skillfully controlling the flames, the team of the artist staged an exciting fire show exactly one hour after the chimes struck.
Hours-Long Sculpture Firing
Meet the ceramist Andrey Zaderiy near his art object wrapped in a heat-resistant cover
The height of the sculpture is about two meters, and the artist started burning it in an open way
The oven made of bricks is ready, the firewood is stored: the process will take about 9 hours
The artist is sure that firing in this format defies all laws of physics
The temperature must be increased very smoothly so that the clay does not crack
But please don’t worry: this is the 27th fire sculpture in the master’s career since 2013!
Fire Show
Shortly after midnight, the guests of Omsk Fortress gather at the observation deck by the river
At first, one can only admire a weak flame, which takes the shape of a crown
The spectacular finale starts at exactly one o’clock of January, 1
Andrey carefully removes the veil…
…and the clay horse appears in all its fiery glory
The team helps the master to finish what was started
The body of the animalistic sculpture has hundreds of holes
They are the ones that make such spectacular firing possible
Wind and snow successfully complement the proud symbol of the coming year
The show wouldn’t be complete without a few buckets of the tiniest dry sawdust
The sawdust is being thrown into the fire synchronously from four sides at once
Once the particles reach the target, the brightest flash occurs…
…and immediately after, thousands of magnificent fireflies rush into the night sky
In this halo, the horse looks as majestic as possible
Tricks with sawdust are being repeated again and again
Each time the flame produces a new pattern, unlike the previous one
People say that one can look at fire everlastingly: this night show confirms this statement
All phases — from flashes to sparks — fascinate with their unpredictability
Let’s come through the sequence once again: sawdust — number one!
All-consuming flash — number two!
Sparkling chaos of the fiery element — number three!
What one saw is impressive: a variety of associations arise involuntarily
At some moments, the sculpture looks like a chess piece…
…and just a few seconds later — like a fabulous heroic horse
Why don’t we change the angle for a while?
From the other side the horse is no less stately…
…and it’s bright fiery mane is just as attractive
A few minutes remain for the first strong emotions of the new year
As the firewood is burning in the oven, the ceramist’s team takes memorable photos
Meanwhile we can admire the master’s fine work in every detail
Finally, there is less and less fire
Let’s look at the clock: the show lasted about a quarter of an hour
The sculpture begins to cool down
Team and Fans
Without the flames, the horse looks completely different
Nine-hour marathon completed successfully
Tired but satisfied showmen pose against the backdrop of an iconic art object
Now everyone can see the symbol of the year up close
The Fire Horse exhibit location will be the Art School #3 of Omsk
“A horse, a horse! My kingdom for a horse!” — isn’t it a good caption to a hilarious selfie?
Everyone can warm the hands by the heat from ceramics, and even the Siberians like doing it
Spontaneous fireworks put an end to this chapter of New Year’s celebrations
Inspired by the wonderful program, Omsk people wish everyone joy and good luck!
