Volo also captures the essence of resilience and regeneration in her imagery. The peacock, with its association with immortality and the cyclical nature of life, symbolizes the eternal sequences of birth, death, and rebirth present in Slavic mythology. Volo's artwork celebrates the timeless qualities of protection, beauty, and renewal, resonating with both ancient mythology and contemporary interpretation.
Other elements of the mural will feature mythological birds rooted in Slavic folklore, inspired explicitly by the classic folk tale, "The Firebird’s Orchard." In that story, the Firebird guards a hidden garden filled with healing fruits. The bird symbolizes mystery, light, and forbidden beauty—echoing the essence of this enchanted world and emphasizing the mural’s themes of femininity, transformation, and folklore, while adding a dreamlike and poetic layer.
Volo’s work is female-forward, celebrating strength, beauty, resilience, wisdom, and empowerment. For this installation, she will be working with an all-female group of assistants, including well-known regional artists Danielle Saeva, Cassandra Ott, and Laura Valkwitch. Volo’s selection of these artists reflects her commitment to elevating the opportunities and visibility of women artists everywhere.
In addition to her work with local artists, Volo has also embarked on local collaborations with Mirabo Press and RedDisk. For Mirabo Press, Volo is using imagery drawn from her early sketches and concepts for this mural project to create a unique run of monoprints that include hand-drawn and unique motifs on each print. For her work with RedDisk, a regional hand-printed wallpaper company, Volo experimented with repeat patterns also based on early renderings of the birds included in the mural design. The result of these collaborations will be complementary work to the mural, reflecting the broader talents and rich creative culture of the Western New York arts scene.
