MAY 2025
Luv Toprak
Plastic Press Workshop
Luv Toprak project
In the spring of 2025, following the studio's relocation, the open workshop resumed its activities, thanks to Petya Mashinets’ initiative and his ability to offer space and explore the possibilities of working with plastic. This marked a new phase, as the heat press had now become the primary tool for creating thin plastic material, which, unlike the material created with an iron, acquired entirely different characteristics and, thanks to the speed of production, allowed for extensive experimentation.
The workshop opened with an exhibition of works created by Petya and Sasha, a demonstration of Andrey Strizhkov’s heat press, a master class, and a cozy gathering with old and new friends. At the opening, we created new artworks that joined the Abastan gallery.
Throughout the spring and summer, while we had the opportunity to work in this space, the studio was open for workshops, master classes, and experiments. Guests from various countries and local residents visited the studio and learned about recycling techniques. For example, Anya Kislova experimented with deep printing on a heat press. Or Tania Mikitina, an artist from Tbilisi, mastered the technique of recycling plastic bags during her three days in the studio and created artworks and design pieces from them. We held a workshop on making handmade paper from recycled materials.
One of the most exciting events was the preparation for the Green Green eco-festival, when the Abastan team fully got involved: they designed and built a booth entirely from recycled plastic bags and presented our initiative, equipment, workshop, and the Abastan community as a whole at the Green Green eco-festival in Yerevan.
And then came another relocation of the workshop, but that’s a story for another time
