ksenia kuzminykh
design and illustration
Paradise Dream
Moscow, Russia•2019
A musical experimental creative project. A collaboration of different genres (classical, electronic, folklore, hip‑hop).
Concept: music unites a variety of emotions and feelings through sound, reflecting love and philosophical depth. In the development of this project, the characters are treated as archetypes, based on C. G. Jung’s theory.
The title of the music album is «Paradise Dream».
Concept: the symbolism of light — the summer solstice, the time of maximum light. In many cultures, this is a moment of spiritual awakening, the victory of light over darkness, and renewal. A dream during this period can be interpreted as a «minor death», followed by «rebirth» with renewed strength.
Visual concept
The client had specific requirements regarding the choice of characters, their visualisation, and presentation.
I also designed print materials, including the cover for a vinyl record and the cover for a CD.
PM, initials of the project author.
Description
And yet, he holds the wisdom of the wild: not abstract, but earthy and instinctual—the Wise Old Man of the woods. As a threshold figure, the Faun mediates between the real and the magical, inviting us to cross into the unknown.
As the Great Mother archetype, the Virgin Mary in her lighted form represents the harmony of the nurturing principle and the power of unconditional, shielding love.
The central symbol (Self) is the core archetype: it unites the conscious and the unconscious, embodying the ultimate goal of psychic development in Jung’s theory.
As the Great Mother in her shadow aspect, the Virgin Mary personifies the weight of despair and despondency: enduring, unrelenting grief that immobilizes the spirit and drains the soul of hope. But the waxing Moon behind her serves as a subtle conductor of light, quietly challenging the sense of utter hopelessness. Its crescent marks the threshold of renewal, whispering of growth and the return of faith.
As an archetypal image, the vegetal ornament echoes the World Tree — a motif that recurs across mythologies and decorative traditions. It signifies the cosmic center, the convergence of space and time, and serves as a bridge between realms: above and below, earth and heaven. Through its organic transformations, the tree mirrors the human being as an integral element of the natural universe.
Within ornamental design, the World Tree motif is typically rendered in stylized form, becoming an intrinsic part of the pattern’s structure.
Through the lens of the Great Mother, the nymphs become guardians of nature’s generative powers: they dwell in springs, woods, and high places, nurturing and shielding life.
And as the Shadow, they give form to what is buried — fears, suppressed desires, and raw impulses — making the invisible strata of the soul visible.