Master from Mstislavl (Vitebsk region) nails 145 horseshoes to a usual egg.Valery Kiselev, a teacher of elementary technical modelling at Mstislavl’s House of Creativity, places four nails into each horseshoe. Keeping the delicate eggshell intact is his secret. He holds a fragile masterpiece, decorated with copper and worthy of display at any national museum. Being modest, he keeps his treasure on a shelf in his flat. Of course, his shod egg isn’t a Fabergй masterpiece but who knows how the world’s art market will react to Kiselev’s work. Meanwhile, Valery shows me several more eggs, proving that human hands can create real wonders; one is decorated with computer microcircuits.
Kiselev began creating unusual artworks 25 years ago. “In one scientific journal, I read that someone in Europe had shod an egg,” he recollects. “In fact, it was an ancient tradition in his country. True or not, I decided to try and achieve a record. First, I removed the contents of the egg (which make it fragile); it took a hundred hours of work to gain success. I made horseshoes from copper wire and then marked fixing points. I’ve invented a micro-drill for the holes — rather like that used for tattooing. It uses the engine from a toy car. Each nail is 0.3–0.4mm in diameter; however, I won’t disclose the secret of how I manage to make my pieces so delicately.”
It takes a certain dedication and skill to shoe an egg. Moreover, Mr. Kiselev has managed to apply glue to attach nails inside his egg. His art is a true masterpiece bordering on fantasy.
By Viktar Korbut
