To explore the White Room’s digital archive, visit: fieldot.white.room.txt *Note: The TXT link is fictional for the purpose of this
Next, Studio Katya. I'm not as familiar with this one. A quick search shows it's a Belarusian design studio based in Minsk. They focus on minimalism, functionality, and clean design. Their projects include furniture, product design, and possibly architecture. They might be influenced by Scandinavian design elements due to the region's geographical proximity.
In 2023, FIELDCOLLECTIVE and Studio Katya co-created White Room (Erased) , a collaborative exhibition held in Gomel, Belarus, and simultaneously archived in a digital TXT file hosted at fieldot.white.room.txt . The installation featured a 10-meter-long wall of unmarked white panels, each representing a month since the 2020 protests in Belarus. Visitors could etch messages into the walls using light tools, only for the texts to be erased weekly—a ritual of forgetting that mirrored the state’s censorship. The TXT file, meanwhile, documented the project’s evolution, preserving what could not be held physically.
Yet Studio Katya’s designs are more than aesthetic exercises. They act as a quiet counterpoint to state-sponsored propaganda. By avoiding overt symbolism, their work communicates resilience through understatement. In an interview, co-founder Katya Ivanova remarked, “We design for those who don’t need to shout. Our clients are people who build lives in silence.” The “White Room” concept—central to both FIELDCOLLECTIVE and Studio Katya—serves as a metaphor for cultural liminality. Literally, it refers to a physical installation where neutral walls and minimal design create a space for introspection. But symbolically, the White Room embodies Belarus’s geopolitical position : a nation caught between Russia and Western Europe, its identity rendered invisible by both sides.
Wait, the user mentioned a "TXT link." TXT files are plain text, so maybe it's a link to a text document containing more details, exhibition information, or participant reflections. I should consider how this digital component complements the physical installations, possibly in the context of preserving ephemeral art or archiving collaborative works.
For the essay, I should structure it into sections: an introduction about the art scene in Belarus, the role of Studio Katya, FIELDCOLLECTIVE's projects, their collaboration or interaction around the White Room, and the significance of the TXT link as a digital extension or documentation.
