Mergen Kavaldanov, The Bas-Relief of the Heroes from Jangar

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Mergen Kavaldanov, The Bas-Relief of the Heroes from Jangar's image

Description:	Mergen talks about the bas-reliefs that he made which depict heroes from the epos Jangar.


Created:	2018-09-11 13:46
Collection:	Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Project (ARCHITECTURE)
Publisher:	University of Cambridge
Copyright:	University of Cambridge
Language:	rus (Russian)


Abstract:	The idea to erect the bas-reliefs of the heroes from the epos Jangar belongs to Basan Zakharov. This project was sponsored by the company ‘Betoninvest’. For three years I on my own sculpted the bas-reliefs of the Jangar heroes and cast large concrete slabs weighing 4 tons. I worked in all seasons, however cold or difficult it was. Sometimes the clay froze, and I had to warm it up on the stove. The bas-reliefs are ready now. This project was conceived as a Kalmyk version of the Stonehenge – a place of power where anyone who believes in the magical power of the epos Jangar could pray. There are 14 columns. The height of each column is 7 meters 40 cm. 7 and 40 are sacred numbers. According to the Tibetan book of the dead, it is 40 days that the soul of a deceased wanders between life and death. In the epos, Jangar himself is about 40 years old, which is a time when a man is at the zenith of his power. When people go to that place I hope that they will stand in the middle, surrounded by the 13 heroes, and feel themselves as part of that sacred circle. For me, epic heroes are characters who live in a parallel universe. They observe our actions, which are reflected in both worlds, ours and theirs. Each hero has his own quality, which can serve as an example for us. For example, poets, musicians and creative people can have Mingiyan as their patron, athletes - Savr, militarily inclined and courageous individuals - Khongor, and people with leadership skills can have Jangar as their patron. In the bas-reliefs Khongor is sculptured as a hero with a huge hat, armored and with a sword. His shoulder armor has the engraving of lions. The shaman Gyuzyan Gyumb wears a helmet with horns and necklaces made from skulls, which alludes to Buddhism. He also holds a sheep’s shoulder blade in his hand (which is a reference to a Kalmyk movie called ‘Fortune-telling on a sheep’s shoulder blade’). I wanted to represent Gyuzyan Gyumb as a kind old man, who can do divination and cleanse people of their anger. Since he can speak several languages, I molded Ke Dzhelgan as having a mask with several tongues on his waist. A two-headed parrot that is on his chest represents interpreters. Bor Mangna, who is Jangar’s standard bearer, may seem as a secondary hero. But with his reckless courage, he can sacrifice himself to the state. He always goes ahead of Jangar’s army. Savr reminds me of Hulk. He is the strongest of all the heroes. I made him so that he does not fit the column.

Abstract:

The idea to erect the bas-reliefs of the heroes from the epos Jangar belongs to Basan Zakharov. This project was sponsored by the company ‘Betoninvest’. For three years I on my own sculpted the bas-reliefs of the Jangar heroes and cast large concrete slabs weighing 4 tons. I worked in all seasons, however cold or difficult it was. Sometimes the clay froze, and I had to warm it up on the stove. The bas-reliefs are ready now.
This project was conceived as a Kalmyk version of the Stonehenge – a place of power where anyone who believes in the magical power of the epos Jangar could pray. There are 14 columns. The height of each column is 7 meters 40 cm. 7 and 40 are sacred numbers. According to the Tibetan book of the dead, it is 40 days that the soul of a deceased wanders between life and death. In the epos, Jangar himself is about 40 years old, which is a time when a man is at the zenith of his power.
When people go to that place I hope that they will stand in the middle, surrounded by the 13 heroes, and feel themselves as part of that sacred circle. For me, epic heroes are characters who live in a parallel universe. They observe our actions, which are reflected in both worlds, ours and theirs. Each hero has his own quality, which can serve as an example for us. For example, poets, musicians and creative people can have Mingiyan as their patron, athletes - Savr, militarily inclined and courageous individuals - Khongor, and people with leadership skills can have Jangar as their patron.
In the bas-reliefs Khongor is sculptured as a hero with a huge hat, armored and with a sword. His shoulder armor has the engraving of lions. The shaman Gyuzyan Gyumb wears a helmet with horns and necklaces made from skulls, which alludes to Buddhism. He also holds a sheep’s shoulder blade in his hand (which is a reference to a Kalmyk movie called ‘Fortune-telling on a sheep’s shoulder blade’). I wanted to represent Gyuzyan Gyumb as a kind old man, who can do divination and cleanse people of their anger. Since he can speak several languages, I molded Ke Dzhelgan as having a mask with several tongues on his waist. A two-headed parrot that is on his chest represents interpreters. Bor Mangna, who is Jangar’s standard bearer, may seem as a secondary hero. But with his reckless courage, he can sacrifice himself to the state. He always goes ahead of Jangar’s army. Savr reminds me of Hulk. He is the strongest of all the heroes. I made him so that he does not fit the column.

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