Photo: Miro Kuzmanovic

The starting point for the project „Going Backwards in a Circle“ is  found in the late 1970s, in the laboratories of SCHOTT AG. At that time, the company patented two innovative types of glass-ceramic: Zerodur, the substrate material used in astronomy for optical mirrors and Ceran, widely known as a material for cooktops.

The different sculptures of the group „Going Backwards in a Circle“ reflect on the visual representation of the spheres of so-called productive and reproductive labor. Petrov‘s work draws upon historical research, including the archive of the Schott company, to examine the design history and marketing strategies used by the company. Thus he makes an ironic comment on the illusion that technology has made

household work effortless and entertaining, as perpetuated by advertising.

The single sculptures of the installation reflect in multiple ways how socially blind technological progress impacts the part of the society engaged in care work. Petrov invites the viewer to take a closer look at the stains of the overcooked milk and the working tools that are hidden in the kitchen´s corner.