At the corner of Chkalovsky and Lenin streets stands an unusual monument to Daniil Kharms called the “Sphere of Wishes.” It is a small pedestal with an ordinary sphere on it. Symbolically, until 1992, there was a bust of Lenin on the pedestal. Later, the bust was removed, and the pedestal stood empty for some time. In the early 2000s, it was remembered and a granite sphere was installed on it, turning the former monument to the leader into a decorative garden and park sculpture. It was immediately nicknamed the “Monument to Kolobok” (a Russian folk tale character). If there was a monument to someone, then the sphere must also be dedicated to someone, not just “a sphere for no reason.” Admirers of Kharms, in memory of him, attached a plaque to the pedestal with his quote: “Gradually a person loses their shape and becomes a sphere. And becoming a sphere, a person loses all their desires,” and an inscription below it: “The memorial plaque was installed in memory of the outstanding St. Petersburg writer Daniil Kharms, who lost his shape and became a sphere on February 2, 1942,” from which it follows that this monument is dedicated to the famous poet and writer, master of the absurd, Daniil Kharms.

It is even more remarkable that this unique monument is located precisely on the Petrograd Side, where many of Kharms’ friends lived (Vvedensky, Lipavsky, Zabolotsky, Druskin, and others) and where the meetings of the OBERIU group took place.

Kharms has several other poems about spheres and the city, for example:

On Tuesdays on the pavement

On Tuesdays above the pavement

A hot-air balloon flew empty.

It quietly hovered in the air;

Someone was smoking a pipe inside,

Looking at squares, gardens,

Looking calmly until Wednesday,

And on Wednesday, after turning off the lamp,

He said: Well, the city is alive.

Source: http://www.d-harms.ru/news/v-peterburge-poyavilsya-pamyatnik-harmsu-shar-zhelaniy.html