RussianMind #16 23 - 19 January

EU

UK

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Contents

RM TEAM ACTING EDITOR OLGA KUDRIAVTSEVA

5

6-7

8-9

LAYOUT YURI NOR

Wake Up, It Is Almost 2012!!!

10-11

The Super-Rich Just Get Richer

It’s Party Time…But Not as We Know It...

14-15

12-13

COVER PAGE: LIZAVETA WYATT. HEAD OF EDITORIAL BOARD MARK HOLLINGSWORTH MANAGING DIRECTOR AZAMAT SULTANOV SPECIAL PROJECT DEPARTMENT DARIA ALYUKOVA

Mikhail Prokhorov: The Billion-Dollar Man

The Cinema of Alexander Sokurov

The Lumiere Brothers Photogallery. Jubilee Exhibition

21

16-19

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR ALINA BLINOVA IT DIRECTOR OLEKSII VYSHNIKOV SUB EDITOR JULIA GOBERT ACTING EDITOR’S ASSISTANT RUKHSHONA SHAKHIDI DISTRIBUTION OLGA TSVETKOVA

22-23 Eva Caridi: Labyrinths of the Soul

Top Winter Films

24-25

Christmas Shopping: the Russian Generous Spirit

26-27

IN PRINT: STEWART LANSLEY, RICHARD BLOSS, DAN PELESCHUK, XANTHI SKOULARIKI, DAVID GILLESPIE, EKATERINA PETUKHOVA, OLGA LESYK CONTACTS: EDITORIAL STAFF: OLGA@RUSSIANMIND.COM GENERAL ENQUIRIES: INFO@RUSSIANMIND.COM DISTRIBUTION: DISTRIBUTION@RUSSIANMIND.COM

St Petersburg: What to Do in the Northern Venice this Winter?

29

RM Guide

31

ADVERTISING: ADV@RUSSIANMIND.COM ADDRESS 40 LANGHAM STREET, LONDON W1W 7AS UNITED KINGDOM TEL: +44(0) 207 637 1374

O Christmas Tree...

3

It’s Winter, Baby, It’s Furrrrrrrrr

WAKE UP, IT IS ALMOST 2012!!!

W ell, well, my dears, we are approaching the end of another

the latest preparations and are readying for the festive season, I am far from

the same as the Earth is far from the Moon! But I am going to start right now, with my year summary, resolutions and congratulations.

me means to say nothing. Optimistic start, wasn’t it? Nevertheless, it turned out to be one of the most exciting ones

on my memory. As this year we started a great project called RussianMind and I underwent a bright array of different feelings: from fear to delight; from upset to happiness and from melancholic downs to creative ups. Sometimes it seems to me that RM is like my spouse whom I promised to be with for better and for the worth. Whatever has happened to the publication during 2011, it was an experience and as far as I know what else can be more valuable?

Taking into consideration this valuable baggage, next year we are looking forward to further development, because life is like a bicycle, if you want to keep the balance, you need to turn the pedals. That’s the most important resolution for the coming year.

Looking back to the past year, I am grateful to the circumstances which led me to get acquainted with the numerous people that appeared in RM’s pages, I am proud to work with those professionals, who put the real effort into the magazine’s production. From deep in my heart I want to say a HUGE THANK YOU! As to the New Year wishes, I desire that everyone listen to your heart, follow your own brain and always be brave to face life’s circumstances. "

# "

sand, the out on a limb part is still on the outside. $

$ "

# all dreams come true. You know what, this year when the clock strikes 12, I will raise a glass of champagne for all those dreams to come true. Who knows, maybe it works.

A Very Happy Christmas & the BEST New Year to you all Olga Kudriavtseva

P.S.

RussianMind magazine takes a winter break from 26 December to 19 January. See you in 2012.

5

Editor

THE SUPER-RICH JUST GET RICHER

by Stewart Lansley IN AUGUST THIS YEAR, THE RECORD FOR THE MOST EXPENSIVE UK HOME WAS BREACHED YET AGAIN. THE PRICE: £140 MILLION. THE PROPERTY: PARK PLACE, A 300YEAR OLD, GRADE-II LISTED MANSION OVERLOOKING THE THAMES NEAR HENLEY. SITTING IN 200 ACRES OF PARKLAND AND COMPLETE WITH TRADEMARK HELIPAD AND SPA, THE PROPERTY’S BUYER WAS AN UNIDENTIFIED RUSSIAN.

residential research, a heady ÂŁ6 billion of

%

into the prime central London market in the last year.

As a result, 17 of the 20 most expensive properties in the UK are now owned by the global rich. Of the top 20, 4 are owned by Russians, 3 by Ukrainians. Eight of the twenty have been bought from British owners or British property magnates in the last two years. It was the Russians who initially led the latest charge on the UK’s prime property market – just as they had in the mid-2000s. But in the last year they have

After something of a lull during the depth of the downturn, the UK prime property market has suddenly burst into life. While the cost of an average house has fallen in real terms – by about 7 per cent - in the last year, Britain’s prime properties have been changing hands at an ever increasing rate. Top central London prices – from Belgravia to Mayfair - have hit record highs, rising 40 per cent since 2009. Driving this mini-boom has been a new surge of cash from the global superrich looking for a safe haven for their money.

According to Savills 6

been nudged into fourth place, overtaken by the Chinese and, according to the leading property agents, Knight Frank, investors from Malaysia and Hong Kong. While the Chinese forked out an average of ÂŁ6.5 million, the Russians spent ÂŁ5.4 million per dwelling.

Britain remains the favoured home for spare oligarch cash. And they still have plenty of it.

The richest Russians took something of a hit when the international

broke. With stock markets and commodity prices plunging, Roman Abramovich’s paper wealth shrank by a third

in 2009. Oleg Deripaska was forced to sell off a good deal of his global business empire. Since then they have more than bounced back, with most of the Russian oligarchs sitting on fortunes higher than before the recession.

Today, the country boasts an estimated 101 Russian billionaires, the third highest after the US and China.

This is almost double their 2007 count. This resurgence is not just true of personal fortunes in Russia. According to the American business magazine, Forbes, the number of global billionaires jumped by nearly a third in the four years to 2011, despite the deepest slump since the 1930s. Today some 1,200 people hold

Aided by the falling pound and the growing political and economic uncertainly across the globe, the world's superrich are, as one property agent put it "coming out of hiding – on the hunt again for bargain trophy assets in the UK�.

We are still some way from the frenzied foreign spending power of the boom years with multiple bidding wars for the most expensive mansions or the tear away prices for private jets and

* Bond Street retailers.

But the Russians are creeping back. Moreover, the Russian economic muscle is now being felt in a largely uncharted quarter – the top end of the London stock market.

At the beginning of * " + /

a collective wealth of some $4.5 trillion, giving them an economic punch equivalent to a third of the size of the American economy.

Moreover, over the last decade, much of this personal and mobile wealth, especially that of the Russians, has ended up in the UK. This is no accident.

From the mid-1990s, the British authorities set out to lure the foreign rich – and their money - turning London in particularly into what Forbes has described as “a magnet for the world's billionaires".

For a while from 2008, the money slowed. The oligarchs were tied up in trying to rebuild their

) now it seems the money

%

huge mining conglomerate,

and Russia’s fourth-largest gold miner, with a market value close to £4 "

/ " Russian company to join the FTSE 100. The group is controlled mainly by Russian businessmen < = *

Alexander Mamut, who %

value of their company.

Then a couple of weeks later, Russian steelmaker Evraz, part-owned by Roman Abramovich, also %

>

stock exchange. This may be the beginning of a trend. Another Russian company large enough to join the FTSE 100 #

%

London in 2012 is the Russian potash miner, Uralkali.

Russian buying power, of course, rarely comes without controversy.

The injection of overseas money since the millennium, for example, has had a very mixed impact on the British property market, helping to hike prices outside of the hot spots â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and out of the reach of ordinary buyers - during the boom years. The Russian share listings mean big money in the Square Mile, but have raised eyebrows on issues of transparency and corporate

*

of course, will stop the money from coming, nor the cheering by top end property agents and City

Stewart Lansley is the author of The Cost of Inequality: Three Decades of the Super-Rich and the Economy, Gibson Square, published this week.

7

Opinion

ITâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S PARTY TIMEâ&#x20AC;Ś BUT NOT AS WE KNOW IT...

BY RICHARD BLOSS WHO BOLDLY GOES AND LOOKS AT PARTIES AT WORK

Good morning. Privet.

Please excuse this informality but it is Christmas here and I am starting to relax, and I have great news, tidings of joy, etc. I am here to announce a new British institution: the coming of the Business Party. I got invited to one the other day. It was supposed to be a meeting of business people, but it was in an art gallery and full of beautiful people who all spoke Russian. We all exchanged business cards and we talked interesting talk and we will never see each other again. One guy and his companion were already

evening.

I do appreciate that this is not the News you were expecting. You were thinking of Angel Gabriel and Shepherds and stuff like that. But you are wrong. First, everybody has heard about Angels etc before, nothing new there, then - and second, your understanding of this new British social genre will be key to your

work in her life, is "in business". They all have their latest blog of their cat, on YouTube. The invitation that arrives by email, along with the obligatory photo

% kids, the new husband, whatever... also includes the logo or cover of the new book they are writing, the new charity, or the new design business, along with the tag line that goes something like this: "I mean, the market for vegetarian

in Hampstead, is so HUGE!" If you are really unlucky, the gushing prose continues with some words along the lines of "and Josh, - my new partner- just adores the new pop-up we are doing next to the YMCA at Ladbroke Grove tube station".

And everyone talks about things called Virals which I honestly thought came with a course of antibiotics.

It is confusing and also dangerous because

success in the year to come. And as you guys are new to all this in London, if you don't mind, listen up please.

Like so many things in British life, the "business party" is a contradiction in terms.

It is more than just another Russian cocktail party. It's neither one nor the other. It is not @

employees endure and only the most naive or people who want to lose their job ever drink more than one glass of wine: nor is it an actual party where you can go see people who you would actually like to see, and who will not publish the pics of you falling over, in Hello magazine.

The emphasis or secret source of this, is not in the word "party", but in the word "business". Everybody is "in business". The Lithuanian girl that serves you in Starbucks is "in business". Your neighbour, who is married to a banker in Canary Wharf and has never done a days 8

we have no idea where we stand now. We could go along to Meeting A, only to discover we are at Party B. We no longer have friends, - we have "friends", where the

is someone who we will allow to share their most intimate problems

can sell to. And we no longer have clients, or customers. We have "friends" here too. These are deeply meaningful relationships that will clearly stand the test of time, as long as our bills get paid on time by their accounts people.

If all this is beginning to make you wonder and nod in agreement, then I do indeed have a simple solution and maybe this is the good news I was mentioning earlier.

When the invitation

inbox, just hit the Delete button. And stay at home, ...with a few friends.

Opinion

9

Person

MIKHAIL PROKHOROV: THE BILLION-DOLLAR MAN

by Dan Peleschuk

BILLIONAIRE TYCOON AND OCCASIONAL POLITICAL PLAYER MIKHAIL PROKHOROV ANNOUNCED HIS CANDIDACY FOR THE RUSSIAN PRESIDENCY, IGNITING SPECULATION OVER WHETHER THE MOVE IS A KREMLIN PLOY OR AN INDEPENDENT MANOEUVRE. THE TIMING, PARTICULARLY, IS CURIOUS: WITH THE KREMLINâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S AUTHORITY AT PERHAPS ITS WEAKEST POINT SINCE THE LATE 1990S, LARGELY THANKS TO LAST WEEKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S UNPRECEDENTED WAVE OF PUBLIC PROTESTS, MANY ARE WONDERING WHETHER REAL POLITICS ARE RETURNING TO RUSSIA, OR IF IT IS THE RULING PARTYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S LAST DITCH EFFORT TO MANAGE A SUCCESSFUL PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IN MARCH?

his target constituency would be Russiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s everexpanding middle class. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think society is waking up, whether we want it to or notâ&#x20AC;?, he told journalists, according to media reports. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That part of the government which does not establish dialogue with society will have to go in the near future.

Serious changes are taking place in the world, and a new kind of man is emergingâ&#x20AC;?.

P

The announcement raised several eyebrows amidst a dizzying and = %

activity in Russian politics since the contested December 4 Duma elections. And as many observers struggle to tilt a wide-angle lens over the events, it remains unclear what role Prokhorovâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s possible

rokhorov made his announcement at a hastily-called press conference on Monday, reportedly rousing the room full of journalists and injecting yet another dose of uncertainty into Russian politics, which by all accounts have lost much of their predictability in the past week. Claiming it was â&#x20AC;&#x153;the

most important decision of my lifeâ&#x20AC;?. Prokhorov stopped short of offering a concrete policy platform and remained secretive about his hypothetical choice for Prime Minister.

Instead, he noted that only â&#x20AC;&#x153;ten percentâ&#x20AC;? of his campaign would be devoted to criticism of the Vladimir Putin administration and that 10

candidacy may play in the unfolding political landscape. On the surface, he has an axe to grind: he suffered a public falling out with the Kremlin after he was removed from his post as leader of the Right Cause party, offering scathing criticism of chief ideologue Vladislav Surkov in the process. It was a scandal that drove Prokhorov into silence for nearly three months and led many observers to mark him as yet another political casualty in Putinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Russia.

Yet time and again, through one extension or another, Prokhorov has appeared to be the Kremlinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s man. Just last week, as the antigovernment protests in downtown Moscow begun to gather steam,

Person

he announced his tacit â&#x20AC;&#x201C; if somewhat hesitant â&#x20AC;&#x201C; support for Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in a blog entry: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Like it or not, Putin is still the only one who can somehow

state machineâ&#x20AC;?. Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more, news of his announcement led the evening reports on state-run television on December 12, a less-than "

approval of his candidacy.

And because the Kremlin has found itself increasingly vulnerable after several days of unsettling street protests, pushing its own authorised pocket opposition candidate might be a smart move.

Though authorities have mostly been awkwardly tight-lipped on the past weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s events, Surkov gave a rare interview last week in which he recommended the creation of a new, expansive liberal party to channel the discontent of a frustrated urban middle class.

But the extent of the Kremlinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s continued electoral micromanagement, as well as Prokhorovâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s involvement with the ruling establishment, remains uncertain, experts said.

Vladimir Pribylovsky, the head of the Panorama Information and Research Centre, noted that although Kremlin approval still plays a key role in the process,

" #

own detriment. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If he

then itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a sign that there

may be some sort of agreement, either with Surkov or someone else â&#x20AC;&#x201C; or perhaps with Putin himselfâ&#x20AC;?, Pribylovsky said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But if he fails to collect this all-important signature, then that may play even more into his genuine popularity among votersâ&#x20AC;?.

Other experts agree about Prokhorovâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s potential popularity, but also point to the billionaireâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s presidential bid as an honest attempt at electoral competition, perhaps in hopes of gathering up political acumen and marketability for the future. And according to Elena Pozdnyakova, an analyst at the Centre for Political Technologies, Prokhorovâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s prospective candidacy â&#x20AC;&#x201C; regardless of its links with the Kremlin â&#x20AC;&#x201C; may be the only option for those masses that have taken to the streets in discontent. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The exact people who would vote for Mikhail Prokhorov â&#x20AC;&#x201C; that is, the urban middle class, a more active and younger electorate than Vladimir Putinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x201C; have now been activatedâ&#x20AC;?, she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And they havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t seen a candidate who could represent their interests until Prokhorovâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s announcement. Voting for the Communist Party or Just Russia [in parliamentary elections] is one thing, a protest vote, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s completely different to offer someone for the post of Presidentâ&#x20AC;?.

The original source:

11

THE CINEMA OF ALEXANDER SOKUROV

Culture

by David Gillespie When Alexander Q # X Faust won the Golden Lion award at Z \ \

Q "

the director was once

of the great auteurs of

^ " _

to watchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; whose â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;sheer strangenessâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; takes the viewer well outside his or

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nevertheless also praised for its clear focus on { X "

the search for knowledge

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a continuation of his

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Moloch |}~~~ Taurus (2000) and The Sun |Â&#x201A;Â&#x192;Â&#x192;Â&#x201E; "

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personal philosophies

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these otherwise denigrated individuals

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Sokurov is interested in

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Russian Ark (2003) and the elegiac canvases that serve as " #

Mother

12

and Son |}~~Â&#x2039; $

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that Sokurov equates

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guile and attraction of Mephistopheles in Faust "

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Culture

more personally explored in Mother and Son, but it is also there in the companion piece Father and Son (2003), where the son is about to leave his father for military service, a symbolic rite of passage which will leave the still youthful father alone in the world, The strong emotional and physical bonds between father and son are explicitly celebrated on screen, leading some

homoerotic terms, but Sokurovâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s point is that the bonds between father and son, just like mother and son, are precious and irreplaceable, they are what make us human beings.

Mother and Son and Father and Son are "

" they also demonstrate a border consciousness, an awareness of change, transition and difference.

Days of Eclipse (1988) is set in Turkmenistan during the last years of Soviet rule, the border being both in geography (between Russia and Asia) and time (the twilight years of Soviet power). Spiritual Voices (1995) is a documentary

= hours and depicts the everyday lives, joys and

Palace), accompanied by humorous exchanges between a haughty Western aristocrat and his modest Russian minder (voiced by Sokurov) on the quality, originality and general worthiness of Russian art when compared to the El Greco and Rubens canvases on show. The X

Â&#x2020; history cannot be edited,

%

without jump-cuts.

Compare this to Sergei Eisensteinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s classic October |}~Â&#x201A;Â&#x2039; as a celebration of ten years of Soviet power.

The massed attack on the Winter Palace is where the culmination of the Marxist-Leninist montage of history-in-the-making (despite the factual inaccuracies), where

shots of no more than several seconds each.

Eisenstein storms the Winter Palace to do away with the peacockstrutting old order and forge a new future.

Sokurovâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wide-ranging and unbroken digital gaze

on the perceived glories, traditions and sheer pageantry of the Romanov dynasty that Eisenstein so triumphantly swept away.

fears of Russian soldiers stationed on the border between Tadjikistan and Afghanistan. Sokurov himself spent several months embedded with these troops, and the

personal portrait of young Russian conscripts serving in a part of the world totally alien to their culture and temperament. Alexandra (2006) is also set among Russian soldiers in another border territory: Chechnya. Here the border exists on several levels. It is, of course, one of the front lines for the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;war on terrorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. It is also the border dividing Orthodox Christian Russia from Moslem Central Asia. Finally, Chechnya also symbolises a border between past and present, between old Soviet certainties and post-imperial confusion.

Sokurovâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work is infused with a sense of melancholy for things that have ended and are gone, be that a way of life or a whole historical period and a dynasty.

Russian Ark offers a one-take ninety-minute stroll through the Western art treasures of the Hermitage museum (housed within the Winter 13

Russian Ark ends with the old order leaving the Winter Palace and the Russian narrator (Sokurov) saying farewell to Europe. Pushkin and his wife Natalia leave together, but their visual estrangement is a harbinger of future

% Â&#x2020;

writer will be killed in a duel with a French army

the honour of his wife.

The cinema of Alexander Sokurov is more about the end than any new beginning.

rings more loudly than any anticipation of regeneration. Thus it is also no accident also that the word â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;elegyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; crops up so often in the titles

Faust is an ambitious, some say brilliant â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and certainly innovative â&#x20AC;&#x201C; relocating and reimagining of the Goethe text. Film adaptations of a literary work must always seek to make that work relevant and important to a contemporary audience, and thus liberate the ideas from the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;prisonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; (as Grigorii Kozintsev said, when adapting Hamlet) of the written word.

Sokurov damns us all with Faustâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ambition.

But humanity survives.

Details

THE LUMIERE BROTHERS PHOTOGALLERY JUBILEE EXHIBITION

This December the Lumiere Brothers Photogallery in Moscow celebrates its 10th anniversary by presenting a special exhibition of photographs from its own foundation. It has more than 150 vintage photographs, the most rare and valuable exhibits in X

% the development of the Soviet era photo art. The exhibition contains works by famous Soviet artists such as Alexander Rodchenko, Emmanuil Evzerihin, Mark MarkovGrinberg, Ivan Shagin, Anatoly Skurikhin and others.

photo-journalism and fashion, in addition to representing works by Russian contemporary artists. The collection of the Gallery contains works by such classics of Russian photography as Lev Borodulin, Jakov Khalip, Boris Ignatovich and many others. Contemporary artists represented include Sergei Konukhov, Ekaterina Golitsina, Dmitriy Donskoi, Vadim Gushchin. Nowadays the photogallery continues to enrich its funds from classic Russian photography of the XX century and work with many talented emerging artists.

The Lumiere Brothers Photogallery was founded in 2001 "

in Russia devoted exclusively to

$

`

20th century Soviet era photography,

The Jubilee Exhibition takes place at the Lumiere Brothers Photogallery until 15 January 2012 Address: Bolotnaya Embankment 3, building 1, Moscow lumiere.ru 14

Details

15

Art

EVA CARIDI: LABYRINTHS OF THE SOUL

by Xanthi Skoulariki

EVA CARIDI, A GREEK-BRITISH SCULPTOR, IS PREMIERING A MONUMENTAL IRON INSTALLATION COMPRISED OF TWO LABYRINTHS CONTAINING AN INTERACTIVE SCULPTURE INSTALLATION. THIS IMPOSING PROJECT WILL BE ON FROM 11 JANUARY AND FOR TWO WEEKS AT THE UNDERGROUND HANGAR SPACE OF AMBIKA P3. CURATED

BY FRANCESCA NANNINI, RM FEATURES A PREVIEW AND AN EXCLUSIVE DIALOGUE BETWEEN ARTIST AND CURATOR. Eva Caridi is a bold artist. Born on the Greek Island of Corfu, she

explains â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is her [the artist], grasping for breath in an attempt to come out of the state that so much has embroiled her and enveloped us in her work; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s her again, looking straight into the camera as if to defy the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;time machineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; she has been enclosed inâ&#x20AC;?.

The title of the exhibition is Nude, serving as a commentary on the human condition, on what lies in each of us underneath the cultural layers we are cloaked in. It is the human soul, undressed

%

and the ephemeral, of the constraints and structures society holds us prisoners to.

The minimalism of the installation, acts as a

reach our purest essence that will hopefully get

is an award-winning sculptor who dared to develop a project of impressive scale, to be unveiled in January: 11 tons of steel and 3 years of preparations at S&W of Midlands, the interactive installation will cover 14,000 square feet and will take about

Caridi, a graduate of Academy Julian in Paris, has shown her work in New York, Paris, Cairo, Florence and Sao Paolo but never before has she touched the subjects of concern â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the everlasting and the transient - in such a grand manner.

The installations feature a video projection and a group of 20 unique sculptures silently observing the visitor who will be passing through the labyrinths. Curator Francesca Nannini 16

to be revealed as we, the audience, step into the labyrinth and embark on a spiritual journey.

The cathartic process

labyrinth that is build in a Cretan fashion, with a one-way path leading to the core where there is a video projection.

The symbolic power of the labyrinth, the erratic element and the discrepancy between time and sound, make this work a portable window into the subconscious. The time

%

from past to present to future. This is the stage of life where the merging of the three moments is reinforced by the three stages of life, reverberating through the installation as one will walk inside it. The second labyrinth, set in a

separate space, dismisses the claustrophobic sentiment and trades it for an open, unhidden scenery, best described as a deconstructed space that loosens its morale and digresses to the primitive. Fragile, lifesize plaster sculptures inhabit the space that is " X classical temple-like colonnade, enhanced by 20 iron blocks forming a path that mirrors the labyrinth behaviour, albeit an imaginary one.

Curator and artist go into conversation, exploring Nude and unfolding Caridiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inner creative existence in ten plus one questions.

Francesca Nannini: Why nude?

Eva Caridi: Nude is a fragile condition of human existence. When

you were living in a labyrinth?

I believe time forces us to have a unicursal direction, where the past has already gone, the future is yet to come and the present combines both.

you chose a title for your work, you try to embody the essence of your inspiration. Human, time, introspection are %

What does the labyrinth represent?

The labyrinth is used as a symbol to represent a three-dimensional feeling, to concentrate on feelings. It forces you into a pilgrimage, a journey through time.

People lose track of direction and of the outside world, ascending towards a personal state of mind. Despite feeling confused and lost, one

end, which is in fact the beginning. In the core of the construction I have placed a short video showing females in their three stages of life.

Do you feel as if

In your video installation you use a passage from the Bible â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

Is that innocence forever lost?

If you cannot get to the point where you can understand yourself and surrender to that state of mind, then yes, it is.

People seem to forget and we try to complicate things and ignore the simple meaning of our existence.

When do we start forgetting ourselves?

As we move on with life we take Art lots of things for granted and give value to shallow stuff. We lose the child like approach which

" $ X

# X " #

point, this happens step by step and it is more

# " #

What are the nicest memories of your childhood?

The funny thing is that $ X

$ have no vivid childhood memories. I cannot remember myself as a child. This project could be research because I came to a certain point where I understood, without losing the child in me. I think my art comes out as very primitive, very pure; I feel that memories are

A LIFE-SIZE PLASTER SCULPTURE

BY EVA CARIDI

17

Art

TWENTY OF THESE UNIQUE SCULPTURES BASED ON THE SAME MODEL WILL BE PLACED IN HER LABYRINTH AT AMBIKA P3

not bad but sometimes they can pull you back.

will understand the video installation better.

Are you afraid of death?

I am afraid of suffering, of illness. I am not afraid of death but of how I will arrive to that point.

Do you see the labyrinth as having a therapeutic effect?

In every way, yes. I believe it can be a very cathartic experience.

Back to the labyrinth: as it is very narrow and claustrophobic, what reactions do you expect from the people walking inside it?

I think it depends on oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s state of feeling at a certain time, on whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inside their subconscious. I think it will be a different experience for each one. The corridors are narrow and high enough in order to put everyone in a certain state and hopefully when they arrive in the core they

And the sculptures... who are these sculptures? What do they represent?

I like to work in this secular way. It is easier for someone to make meaning when they are looking at a threedimensional object. Every sculpture is the same model, the same person in different emotional phases and for the viewer, a different threedimension is nearer to the human existence.

When you are standing in front of a painting you perceive it in a different

way- a sculpture comes nearer to you. The only intermediary is the video: $

between. When you are about to make a decision, this state is the purest feeling of all, just before you take your decision: this is the primitive.

The sculptures have a sad look, like most of my work because I am experiencing a moment in my life that has this impact on me. An artist

% by society and the country they live in and the historical moment

at. These sculptures %

live in, our feelings.

The body has its own way to depict emotions.

I hope the visitors can

labyrinth and identify with my work.

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When did you realise you wanted to become an artist?

My father is a painter and I grew up in a very artistic environment.

I learnt music from a young age. One is born an artist, born with the vocation. You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t discover at one point in your life that you are an artist; it comes very naturally and you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really know how. It is this need to materialise your feelings that come out from the inside and go straight to your hands.

Eva Caridi, Nude 11-22 January 2012 p3exhibitions.com evacaridi.com

STILL FROM CARIDI'S VIDEO INSTALLATION, REFLECTING ON THE THREE AGES AND STAGES OF LIFE. CARIDI, LEFT, REFLECTS ON THE PRESENT.

Art

EVA CARIDI

19

TOP WINTER FILMS

Have to Watch

IN WINTER WHAT CAN BE BETTER THAN WATCHING A MOVIE? RIGHT, WATCHING A GOOD MOVIE!

The Artist Romance, Comedy, Drama Director: Michel Hazanavicius This tribute to silentera Hollywood is pure joy â&#x20AC;&#x201C; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s funny, warm and clever. It features French actor Jean Dujardin as a silent actor struggling with the dawn of the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;talkiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, and best of all itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shot and presented entirely as a black-and

music and a scenestealing dog.

Release Date: 30 December

J Edgar Biography, Drama Director: Clint Eastwood Anyone whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ever harboured a secret desire to see Leonardo DiCaprio

be your lucky day. The beefy star teams up with director Clint Eastwood for a brooding portrayal of paranoid FBI chief (and rumoured crossdresser) J Edgar Hoover.

Release Date: 20 January

War Horse Drama, War Director: Steven Spielberg Steven Spielberg adapts Michael Morpurgoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bestselling book about a Devon farm horse co-opted into the British Army in 1914, and the wide-eyed teenager who sets off to Flanders to get him back. Expect plenty of heartstring-tugging and epic quantities of mud.

Release Date: January 13

The Iron Lady Drama, Biography Director: Phyllida Lloyd Whatever your politics, it will be fascinating to see how this biographical " Â&#x201C; Thatcher plays out. Meryl Streep takes the role of the Iron Lady herself, Maggie, Mrs T or, as she was known to her enemies (and there were many), That Bitch. Rumour has it

looking back at her life from old age, so we see episodes from her younger days and her later career from the perspective of the end of her life.

Release Date: 6 January

Carnage Comedy, Drama Director: Roman Polanski Roman Polanski has adapted Yasmina Rezaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hit French play â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;God of Carnageâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Kate Winslet, John C Reilly, Jodie Foster and Christoph Waltz. This claustrophobic comedy follows two middle-class Manhattan couples as they try â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and fail â&#x20AC;&#x201C; to stay civilised while discussing a row between their respective young sons.

Release Date: 3 February

The Muppets Comedy, Family, Musical Director: James Bobin Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re back! Judd Apatow alumnus Jason Segel writes and stars in this lovingly made reboot for Jim Hensonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s iconic gang of furry freaks, as Kermit and crew run riot in Hollywood in an all-singing, all-dancing, all-star spectacular.

Release Date: 10 February 21

Shame Drama Director: Steve McQueen British artist-turned # Q McQueen follows â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Hungerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; with this contemporary story of a young professional (Michael Fassbender) living and working in Manhattan who masks his troubles with a freeand-easy approach to sex.

Carey Mulligan also stars as his equally troubled sister.

Release Date: 13 January

The Descendants Comedy, Drama Director: Alexander Payne George Clooney hooks up with â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Sidewaysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; director Alexander Payne for this sweet â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; sour comedy-drama about a successful family man who discovers his hospitalised wife was having an affair. Expect hugging, learning and growing â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but with a sharp satirical edge.

Release Date: 27 January

Lifestyle

CHRISTMAS SHOPPING: THE RUSSIAN GENEROUS SPIRIT

by Ekaterina Petukhova

New Year is the favourite holiday in Russia. What makes it so special? Even without any profound analysis it is easy to get an idea that all other holidays were let's say outlawed by the USSR. In the Soviet Union holidays were mainly devoted to

historical events. New Year was somehow the only holiday which gave the real feeling of joy and happiness for everyone without any excuse needed.

Queuing for presents and New Year trees, cooking Russian salads and setting the table with so many varied dishes that one can eat them for at least two weeks afterwards, watching TV programmes all night long â&#x20AC;&#x201C; it's all in our blood. All these became more of a ritual than a mere routine.

New Year has the main existential meaning, it's the sacred day when the famous Russian generosity of spirit show itself as large as life. Caviar, "

endless presentsâ&#x20AC;Ś They say you should really do your best when celebrating the New Year as the whole year you will be in the same mode as you looked, behaved and felt like on New Year Eve. That's why shopping before the New Year is such a challenge that it's better to describe it with a famous line: ÂŤIf I can make it there I will make it anywhereÂťâ&#x20AC;Ś Millions of photo frames, tons of chocolates, endless packs of candles and of course those famous sets of soap and shower gel or shampoo (even if only the anti-dandruff sets are left) - when

Â&#x160; and then mess up for hours with crowds in shopping malls it all works.

However it's worth mentioning that in Russia we have less time to do our shopping than in Europe and the USA. Santa Clauses and his deer occupy the shopping windows much earlier. In Russia the holidayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s preparations start in the mid-November. Connected

22

Lifestyle

with the payday and a famous Russian tradition â&#x20AC;&#x153;to leave everything for tomorrowâ&#x20AC;?, a wave of shopping rush covers Russia on the 10th of December and lasts till the latest hours on the 31st.

Due to the economic situation, New Year shopping has also become a challenge, while people try to save up as much as they can and arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t ready to spend on presents more than â&#x201A;Ź150-170 and â&#x201A;Ź300-350 when it comes to Moscow. Just to compare, in

France which is considered to be quite a thrifty country especially in comparison with Russia, an average French citizen is going to spend about â&#x201A;Ź600.

Has the Zeitgeist killed that famous Russian generosity? Zeit itself will show. But personally, I do not believe it will ever be possible. Well, I hope not.

Comparing the generosity by a sum of money is too logical and too accurate when you talk about Russia. All in all, it's more about

23

your attitude. As dressing up in expensive clothes does not mean being stylish or fabulous, spending lots of money on presents doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t imply having a great holiday. Especially in times

the idea that we starve so much for the really rare stuff. Smile,

happinessâ&#x20AC;Ś share this mood with others, and probably that is the genuine generosity.

Photos by vogue.com

T

by Olga Lesyk

WHAT TO DO IN THE NORTHERN VENICE THIS WINTER?

ST PETERSBURG:

Travel

THE LASER SHOW IN PALACE SQUARE

THE LASER SHOW IN PALACE SQUARE

THE LASER SHOW IN PALACE SQUARE

24

here is hardly a person who has not heard of the beauty of St Petersburg, Russiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;culturalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and northern most capital.

The picturesque bridges, canals and the lush green of itsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; many gardens are all so attractive under the # ) what about in the harsh and long winter months?

This is the time to discover the festive side of the city, provided you are dressed accordingly.

Staying in St Petersburg over winter is not too different than in the summer. You can still visit the museums and = "

#

historic centre or indulge your shopping passion

# boutiques. You can even visit some of the palaces outside the city, only none of the fountains will be in operation. Places

# +

+ X summer residence in Strelnya are better appreciated in summer. _ # X

for the tourists during the snowy months are the many festive outdoor activities.

And considering that

# }Â&#x2013; off for the New Year and Christmas celebrations, you can get an idea of the fun on offer: LASER SHOW IN PALACE SQUARE Every New Yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eve the Palace Square in St Petersburg turns into the main countdown arena, similar in style to Red Square in Moscow; Trafalgar Square in

London or Times Square in New York.

It is also the place for the traditional Laser Show that thousands of people come to watch in person, and a few millions more – do it from home. Accompanied by classical music, the laser projections appear on the walls of the legendary Hermitage (Winter Palace) and the adjacent buildings, and are indeed a hallmark of the night.

CHRISTMAS FAIR IN YEKATERININSKIY GARDEN The Christmas Fair in Yekaterininskiy Garden, just off the Nevsky prospect, is now six years old and this tradition is proving a hit every year.

The fair features traditional Russian food, drinks and souvenirs; folk songs and costumes and all sorts of Russian street entertainment.

The Fair opens on December 14th which include celebrating the Western European Christmas, and runs up until the Russian Orthodox Christmas (January 7th).

Each year the fair takes on a new look. The

Travel

themes from the past are ‘Russian folk’ (traditional village style), ‘Ice City’ and (last year) – the ‘Winter Garden’.

WINTER CLUB CULTURE There is a place in St Petersburg where the New Year’s celebrations never stop. The Purga (Snowstorm) Club is a Mecca for the White party fans. Entry fees are 200 Rub (4 GBP) Sunday to Thursday, and 400 Rub (8 GBP) Friday and Saturday (purga-club.ru).

Another attraction is the Bar ‘Led’ (Ice Bar) – where the interior is pure ice and their visitors are issued with protective coats and leg warmers.

With a kaleidoscope of drinks to choose from, the sub-zero temperature in the bar is merely a touch of je-ne-sais-quoi? (luchnikoff.com).

It is worth mentioning the New Year’s theatre repertoire. The focus is always on ‘The Nutcracker’, which can be a play, an opera or a ballet. Although even without ‘The Nutcracker’, you are assured to get a real fairy tale experience in St Petersburg.

THE CHRISTMAS FAIR FUN

ICE BABY: CHILLED DRINKS GUARANTEED IN THE LED BAR

EQUIPPED FOR THE ICE ADVENTURE

25

Guide

JINGLE ALL THE WAY

MEET PENGUIN FATHER FISHMAS Until 1 January 2012

HARRY POTTER CHRISTMAS TOUR Until Sun 25 December

The icy environs of the London Aquarium's Antarctic Penguins enclosure are the ideal spot for Penguin Father Fishmas to set up his icy grotto. There's a present for each child at these morning sessions and the chance to see real Gentoo

%

their ice wall and chilly pool. Book online for the best prices.

TICKETS: ÂŁ19.02, ÂŁ14.04 children (3-14), ÂŁ18 students & concs, underthrees free, ÂŁ60 family.

ADDRESS: County Hall, Riverside Building, Westminster Bridge Rd, London SE1 7PB CONTACTS: 020 7907 7071, visitsealife.com/london

A festive version of the Muggle Tours walking tour for 'Harry Potter' =

locations and inspiration for the books, with props and trivia and a few seasonal surprises.

The tour runs on Saturdays and Sundays in December, up to and including Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Booking essential.

TICKETS: ÂŁ15 CONTACTS: 07917 411374, www.muggletours.co.uk

CIRQUE DU SOLEIL: TOTEM 6 January â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 10 February 2012 Critics were generally underwhelmed at this collaboration between Cirque Du Soleil and Robert Lepage when it came to the London last year. Audiences, however, lapped up the circus franchise's latest spectacular incarnation.

'Totem' - which is vaguely themed around evolution -returns for another run at this prestigious venue.

TICKETS: ÂŁ23-ÂŁ84 ADDRESS: Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore, LondonSW7 2AP CONTACTS: 020 7838 3100, www.royalalberthall.com

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SECRET CINEMA Until 22 January 2012 This mysterious movie happening is popular now that it extends to weeks of interactive and live cinema fun including matinee performances and a New Year's Eve bash too. The

# hush-hush until the day, but you can expect live music and DJs, hundreds of actors who recreate a

"

the set, food stalls and a impressive set decoration.

The effort these guys go

ticket price, making for an exceedingly impressive alternative night out.

TICKETS: ÂŁ35 and concs ÂŁ25 in adv only ADDRESS: a secret London location CONTACTS: secretcinema.org

Guide

DUCKIE'S COPYRIGHT ŠHRISTMAS Until 31 December Two things to bear in mind: Christmas is just around the corner and the consumerist society is falling apart at the seams. How to reconcile these two pressing but

%

concerns? Duckie's festive Barbican show, of course! This year, they've rounded up the sterling likes of Scottee, Harold Offeh, Dickie Beau, Ryan Styles, Jess Love, Bird La Bird and H Plewis for a shopping-themed promenade performance with accompanying bizarre bazaar in the foyers (6pm-9.30pm). All your Christmases will come at onceâ&#x20AC;Ś TICKETS: ÂŁ19.99 ADDRESS: Barbican Centre, Silk St, London EC2Y 8DS CONTACTS: 020 7638 8891, barbican.org.uk

HIDDENCITY Until 1 January 2012

THE ANIMAL PARTY 31 December

SLAVA'S SNOWSHOW Until 8 January 2012

HiddenCity is a mobile game which requires you to solve a trail of clues sent to you by text message. As you send each correct answer back, you'll receive the next clue (there are no premium text message charges). This version is a special Christmas trail in conjunction with Time Out. Take your mobile phone and a map, and get ready to discover a London transformed by Christmas as the trail leads you through wintery parks, uncovering hidden streets and stopping by cosy taverns. The trail starts at the Serpentine Bar & Kitchen (sign up online "

TICKETS: ÂŁ16 per team (any number of people) ADDRESS: Serpentine Bar & Kitchen, Serpentine Rd, London, W2 2UH CONTACTS: 020 7193 4843, timeout.com/hiddencity

Not content with throwing another of their huge New Year's Eve masked balls, The Last Tuesday Society are at it again with a proper party on the last night of the year themed around friendly furry creatures.

Dress like a beast and prepare to act like one, they say, with prizes for beastly transformations, DJs Penny Metal, The Delinquent Dandy and more spinning anything from gypsy to exotica on the decks and a live set from Mariachi Jalisco.

Plus more oddball performances, a chocolate fountain and hosts Suzette Field's famous cheese board and Viktor Wynd's midnight feast of yesterday's cakes. DC: Animals, but do use your imagination.

TICKETS: adv ÂŁ25 ADDRESS: a secret warehouse in E2 CONTACTS: thelasttuesdaysociety.org

The multi award winning international sensation, Slavaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Snowshow has delighted and thrilled audiences in over 80 cities around the globe including New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Rome, Hong Kong, Rio de Janiero and Moscow. \

three years this dreamily anarchic clowning spectacular returns to the UK, pitching up at the Royal Festival Hall for a Christmas season. Experience a joyous dream-like world which will touch both your heart and funny bone, culminating in a breathtaking blizzard leaving you literally knee deep in snow!

TICKETS: ÂŁ20-ÂŁ60, concs available ADDRESS: Belvedere Rd, South Bank, London, SE1 8XX CONTACTS: 08703 800 400, southbankcentre.co.uk

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EVERY FOURTH CLOTHES ITEM SOLD GLOBALLY IS BOUGHT BY A RUSSIAN DOLCE&GABBANA TOPS THE LEAD AS THE MOST POPULAR LUXURY BRAND 95% OF RUSSIANS HAVE AN EXPERIENCE OF BUYING OUTFIT AT OPEN AIR MARKETS EVERY THIRD MAN IN RUSSIA PREFERS SPORTSWEAR IN A DAILY LIFE

ESPER GROUP Welcome to Russia! www.esper-group.com

RED SQUARE, MOSCOW

O CHRISTMAS TREE...

Snapshot

THE HOLIDAYS ARE JUST ROUND THE CORNER AND THE WHOLE WORLD IS GETTING READY TO CELEBRATE. LOOK, HOW DIFFERENT COUNTRIES DECORATE THEIR CHRISTMAS TREES AND DON’T FORGET TO BUY YOURS, IF STILL HAVEN’T.

GALERIES LAFAYETTE STORE, PARIS

TRAFALGAR SQUARE, LONDON MAIDAN NEZALEZHNOSTI, KIEV

QUEEN VICTORIA BUILDING, SYDNEY

BRANDENBURG GATE, BERLIN

BELLEVUE SQUARE, WASHINGTON

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MAGNA PLAZA MALL, AMSTERDAM

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Street Chic

Linda, 28, student US brands, Burberry, fur from Italy JESUS

Benjaratt, student American Apparel, fur from Spain MAKE-UP

Francesca, 19, student Zara, Primark, BEING RICH

IT’S WINTER, BABY, IT’S FURRRRRRRRR The Miracle Is… Katerina, 26, student Abercrombie & Fitch, vintage LIFE

Harriet, 20, student Top Shop SHOES

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Photographer: Gafur Sadikov

Paula, 23, student, Burberry, Louis Vuitton, H&M. CHRISTMAS

SUBSCRIBE TO RUSSIAN MIND AND RECEIVE A BOOK LONDONGRAD AS A GIFT