CURRICULUM VITAE
PROFESSIONAL BIOGRAPHY
I am a third-generation builder, cultural author, and composer working at the intersection of craft, architecture, sound and philosophy — creating environments of memory, presence and inner time.
My current cultural development is focused on the UK arts & cultural sector, with long-term projects aimed at contributing to Britain’s cross-disciplinary creative landscape.
Though I am a Russian citizen, my practice is fully independent of any state or official cultural structures. My creative focus is aligned with international trends in craft architecture, ritual space and cultural ecology — with a strong orientation toward the UK cultural sector.
I have prepared a full Roadmap 2026–2032 to support these developments, and I have already presented it to leading UK institutions.
PROJECT CHRONOLOGY
2012 — present
Founder and head of NORLAFT workshop. Traditional handcrafted timber architecture based on Norwegian dry-laft techniques.
2019 — present
Founder and instructor of specialized timber construction workshops — small in-person groups (up to 4 people). 20+ students, now developing their own projects.
2023
Creation of a personalized art gift for London Grammar vocalist Hannah Reid
(wooden relief, handmade beech objects, and others). Eliciting a warm response and personal acknowledgments from the band.
May 2025 — present
Conceptualized and launched THE SAPIENS GARDEN — a concept for a cultural landscape with a lighthouse, garden of memory and open-air stage.
Introduced LUX MEMORY — an artefact-based funding model.
Creation and dispatch of THE SAPIENS DISPATCH — 7 handcrafted cultural packages sent to leading global institutions (Clarence House, Vatican, UNESCO, and others).
Launch of A-ETHERIA — book + soundtrack.
Outlined the Everhelg Art Schools — a network concept for new-generation art schools in the UK.
Designed Introvert’s Bay — an innovative mobile platform for composers and introverted artists.
ACHIEVEMENTS
• 40 completed bespoke architectural projects (houses and interiors) based on dry-laft and stav-laft technology.
• Design and construction of a unique wood lathe for columns (Ø 40 cm, up to 2.5 m).
• Author of the philosophical book “A-ETHERIA”.
• Creation and development of Ind.Lab. — studio for music and sound art.
• 170 pine trees planted in a wildfire-damaged area.
EXHIBITIONS / PUBLICATIONS / PARTNERSHIPS
• In preparation: exhibition model of THE SAPIENS GARDEN lighthouse
(UK — planned display in art spaces).
• Planned publication of the A-ETHERIA book (2026).
• Planned release of the Ind.Lab album (2027).
TEACHING / COURSES
• Regular workshops in Norwegian timber construction (NORLAFT)
• Online blog / YouTube channel — educational materials, philosophy of craft.
• Planned masterclasses in the UK (as part of SAPIENS GARDEN / Everhelg Art Schools).
Cultural Offer & Author’s Practice
This author’s practice presents the cultural, philosophical, and experiential foundation of the work enclosed.
The included projects form a cohesive practice of architecture, sound, ritual, and craft — a living exploration of memory, presence, and embodied cultural experience.
Alexander Tsvelev
Artistic pseudonym: Alex Skarshelg
Core Identity & Practice Statement
I create spaces — both public and intimate — where people can reconnect with memory, presence, and inner time.
Through architecture, sound, ritual writing, and crafted objects, I explore how culture can offer new forms of slow, embodied experience in a world that moves too fast.
My work is a living dialogue between tradition and innovation, rooted in deep craft and open to cross-cultural conversation.
Core Themes
Memory — collective and personalPresence — slow time, embodied experienceInner time —ritual, rhythm, and reflectionCultural ecology — sustainability through practiceCross-cultural dialogue — through craft and artistic formThe architecture of silence — resonance over noise
Practice PillarsArchitecture
→ THE SAPIENS GARDEN + NORLAFT
Spaces of collective memory, ritual presence, and sustainable handcrafted architecture.
Sound
→ Ind.Lab
Sonic architecture and emotional landscapes — compositions that hold space, rather than fill it.
Literature
→ A-ETHERIA
An embodied ritual practice and poetic-philosophical companion to THE SAPIENS GARDEN
Educational & Transmission Practice
→ EVERHELG ART SCHOOL + NORLAFT Masterclasses
Craft education, cultural transmission, and embodied learning
Artefact Craft
→ LUX MEMORI
Temporal artefacts and personal ritual objects for contemporary reflection and inner rites
Cultural Diplomacy & Exchange
→ SAPIENS DISPATCH
Artefact-led cultural dialogue and cross-cultural transmission
Ecological Practice
→ NORLAFT REFORESTATION
Regenerative forestry, cultural landscapes, and living heritage ecosystems
Institutional Positioning
Alexander Tsvelev is a cultural architect whose practice bridges architecture, sound, literature, and craft — creating spaces of memory, presence,
and embodied meaning.
His work contributes to the evolving fields of ritual architecture and embodied heritage, offering new pathways for cross-cultural dialogue and sensory cultural experience in the contemporary world.
Tagline
“Spaces of memory. Sound of presence. Rituals of inner time.”
Intellectual Resonances
(As perceived through practice)The ideas underlying THE SAPIENS GARDEN did not arise from academic study, but from years of embodied engagement — with space, sound, material, and ecology.
Only through later reflection did I come to recognize deep kinships with key traditions in European and global cultural thought.
These thinkers were not original sources of inspiration, yet their voices echo through the work’s forms and themes:
· Gaston Bachelard, philosopher of space and poetic dwelling
(The Poetics of Space)
· Mircea Eliade, sacred space and the architecture of time
(The Sacred and the Profane)
· John Ruskin, moral aesthetics of craft and architecture
(The Seven Lamps of Architecture)
· Christian Norberg-Schulz, genius loci and the spirit of place
(Genius Loci)
· Juhani Pallasmaa, embodied architecture and tactile experience
(The Eyes of the Skin)
· Christopher Alexander, timeless patterns of human-centered
architecture (The Timeless Way of Building)
· William Blake, visionary poetics of the sacred imagination and inner worlds
(Songs of Innocence and of Experience, Jerusalem, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell)
Thus, THE SAPIENS GARDEN became a living bridge between material practice and enduring cultural archetypes — affirming the timeless universality of these forms in contemporary creative work.
Context for the Enclosed Works
This Cultural Offering & Author’s Practice outlines the foundation and vision behind the accompanying works.
They are not standalone projects — they are deeply interwoven within a unified practice spanning architecture, sound, ritual, and craft. Together, they represent a living inquiry into cultural continuity, sacred presence, and inner geographies of human experience.
This practice has also included bespoke cultural offerings for members of the UK’s contemporary creative and musical community, as part of an ongoing dialogue between craft, memory, and cultural presence.
