gregory orekhov builds egg-shaped playhouse to simulate 'life before birth'

personal haven in the shape of an egg

gregory orekhov has created a small egg-shaped shelter for his young daughter, who dreamt of having her own outdoor playhouse, but found all classic options quite dull. although the newly unveiled ovoid house was constructed for a child, the project is designed to serve as a personal haven for people of all ages. ‘we all seek isolation from time to time’, the artist explains.
images courtesy of ivan erofeev and konstantin antipin

the importance of the egg shape

according to gregory orekhov, an ovoid is a perfect form in terms of architecture and proportion, and there is nothing superfluous about it. at the same time, the egg is the most ancient religious symbol, a visual image of a new beginning, rebirth, and infinity. ‘it embodies in itself a microcosm of a new life, it represents a universe in miniature, a whole world in a fragile shell,’ the russian artist mentions. ‘once inside, one gets the opportunity to experience ‘life before birth’, to find oneself under the protection of an outwardly fragile, but solid structure in pristine silence, which inhabitants of present-day megacities are deprived of.’

the project combines a direct utilitarian function, alongside a new large-scale embodiment of the form with which orekhov has been working for many years. the first sculpture from the ‘my egg’ series appeared in 2016, where the artist gave the familiar egg shape a different interpretation; it received four facets and a new artistic embodiment. the ovoid house is built upon the same principle — some might find it difficult to be in a round space devoid of angular corners, yet the tetrahedral ovoid becomes an understandable form; accessible and familiar.

image courtesy of ivan erofeev

the construction of the ovoid house

the ovoid-shaped house is assembled from hundreds of plywood lamellas stacked one after another. inside they form a stepped surface, while the walls are only 30 mm thick; the window upstairs is used for air exchange and natural light. in order to enter the structure, users have to climb three steps made of stainless steel. the shape of the ovoid is perfect not only visually, but also architecturally: despite the external fragility, the structure has incredible strength.