_FLY_AWAY_NORTH_//Two ways of knowing//_ is the second work in the _FLY_AWAY_NORTH_ series, where I explore how the boundaries between instinct and learning, reaction and attention are formed in birds — using the ivory gull as an example.

I would like to return to the first work in the series — _FLY_AWAY_NORTH_//IMPRINTING//_.

This installation is dedicated to the phenomenon of imprinting — a unique form of rapid and irreversible learning, first described by the ethologist Konrad Lorenz.

The interactive system engages the viewer in the process of imprinting through contact with a mechanical wing. A camera analyzes eye color: if it detects blue/light eyes — like those of the “maternal figure” (the artist) — the wing responds with movement. For other eye colors, the installation reacts with a flash of light, signaling that imprinting has not occurred.

The form of the wing is based on the anatomy of the ivory gull — a rare Arctic species. Its bright green coloration refers to the Arctic poppy, an endemic plant of the polar regions. Video materials for the project were provided by ornithologist Maria Gavrilo, who studies ivory gulls in the Arctic.

Sound is an essential element of the installation: a four-channel spatial composition. Since imprinting can involve not only visual but also auditory images, its foundation is a northern chant, enriched with voice and electronic textures.

The project was realized in collaboration with a team of engineers, artists, and musicians, including Maria Gavrilo (scientific consultant), Anastasia Balueva, Kirill Arkhipov, Daria Statsenko, Ruslan Bobko, and others.