"Maroussia" - transformed Tonner doll

Maroussia — transformed Tonner doll. Handmade clothes only. Unique edition, date of work: May, 2014

This doll transformed by Anna Zueva participates in the NIADA’s wonderful Transformed Tonner project. NIADA will use all Transformed Tonner dolls for their archives and for the auctions when they are finished touring. All the dolls were shipped to The Tonner Doll Company where they will be on display for Robert’s Convention on October 5. The theme is Wilde Imagination so they will be perfect and be exposed to his collectors. From there there is the possibility of them being on display at The Fashion Institute (FIT) in Manhattan and FAO Schwarz, a fabulous toy store also in Manhattan. (FB NIADAorg)

Маруся — кукла производства компании Tonner, преображенная Анной Зуевой в рамках благотворительного проекта NIADA. Авторская версия сделана в единственном экземпляре в мае 2014 г. и отправлена в США для участия в выставках NIADA (www.niada.org)

First of all I really wanted to change the texture of the doll itself. To do so, I covered its face and body with thin paper and painted over it with acrylic paints to get a beautiful uneven surface texture.

The costume was chosen to display folk elements, but not of a certain people: more of a mixture from different cultures. The clothing isn’t specifically a Russian or Ukrainian folk costume; it represents my attitude to the ethnic folk costume as an entity. It shows my respect for the traditions of any given nationality, its crafts, history and customs. To achieve this effect I used simple but bright fabrics with prints, ornamental braid, various buttons and beads. What I opted for was a Russian Nesting Doll effect — a vivid, multicolored, joyful look.

Anna Zueva