RussianMind #5 (21) 16- 29 March

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№ 5 (21) 16-29 March 2012, www.RussianMind.com

Contents RM Team Acting Editor Olga Kudriavtseva Layout Yuri Nor

6-9

5

Being Different is NORMAL! 12-13

Cover Photo Andrey Fedechko Cover Page Lizaveta Wyatt Head of Editorial Board Mark Hollingsworth Managing Director Azamat Sultanov Special Project Department Daria Alyukova Advertising Yordanka Yordanova, Maria Yadrikhinskaya IT Director Oleksii Vyshnikov Sub Editor Julia Gobert Acting Editor’s Assistant Rukhshona Shakhidi Interpreter Ekaterina Ovechkina Distribution Olga Tsvetkova In print: Richard Bloss, Anastasia Zheltova, Kristina Kuzmina, Polina Dronyaeva, Xanthi Skoulariki, Olga Lesyk, Anastasia Grishchenko.

Contacts: Editorial Staff: olga@russianmind.com General enquiries: info@russianmind.com Distribution: distribution@russianmind.com Advertising: adv@russianmind.com Address 40 Langham Street, London W1W 7AS United Kingdom Tel: +44(0) 207 637 1374

10-11

Russia is Rich but the People Remain Poor

So… Are You a Racist?

14-17

Thinking Aloud

22-23

18-20

Yuri Shevchuk: “The Artist is Always an Individualist”

Irene Caesar: Art as Shock Therapy

26-27

24-25

Oleg Mirochnikov: London is an Ideal Stage

Detroit: the City that Once Was

RM Guide

28-29

30-31

From Varyag to Gulag: And other Tales from the North-West 3

Tennis 2012: Start-Up

Editor

BEING DIFFERENT IS NORMAL! In London people differ by race, religion, cultural habits and even dress preferences, but it seems they all feel comfortable living together in this big city

To be honest, I hesitate as to whether the Brits consider new entrants as their peers, probably some even hate the

In Russia, the word “tolerance� came into use in the 2000s. Maybe it was used before, but at the beginning of the new century, we all went crazy, using it left, right and centre. The word itself isn’t the point, but it seems to me when it appeared in the vocabulary of the average citizen, only than did they start thinking about its meaning.

Today we have made a certain progress towards respecting the differences. We are open to multicultural communication, welcome foreigners to our countries and travel abroad for international experience. But if we talk about tolerance inside our own society, we still live looking backwards at our neighbours and judging those who vary.

For fairness’ sake in capitals and big cities people are more tolerant (or maybe indifferent) to other peoples way of life; however in small towns the Soviet idea of identity is still alive.

On the state level, freedom of speech, plain civil position and obvious dissatisfaction are never welcome. The sheep must follow its shepherd.

Nevertheless, there was, are and always will be citizens with a strong civil position, who are not afraid to be who they are, no matter whether you are tolerant towards their choice or not.

!" #$%&

'

Shevchuk the importance of artistic individuality (p.14); talk to artist Irene Caesar about the sense of provocation in art (p.18) and look at the altered reality displayed at the exhibition “The Ruins of Detroit� (p.24).

In the end, I want to tell you a personal story. When at the age of 15, I coloured my hair violet and started expressing my thoughts out loud, the school director wanted to exclude me, despite having A grades. The long “instructive� conversation with me came down to one conclusion that I need to dress, live and think like the majority do. I will never forget the phrase “and what would people think?� At that time I strongly endured public opinion, fought with it at times, gave up at others. At the age of 19, I moved to the country, where no one judged the way I dressed nor what I said - probably because no one really cared.

So I hope that tolerance here is more than just a word.

Best Olga Kudriavtseva Acting Editor 5

Business

6

Business

RUSSIA IS RICH BUT THE PEOPLE REMAIN POOR

PUTIN WAS REELECTED PRESIDENT LARGELY BASED ON HIS RECORD OF IMPROVING THE LIVING STANDARDS OF ORDINARY RUSSIANS AFTER THE CORRUPTION AND CHAOS OF THE YELTSIN YEARS. BUT RUSSIA’S RELATIVELY PROSPEROUS ECONOMY IS ALMOST SOLELY DUE TO THE HIGH PRICE OF OIL. AND WHILE THE COUNTRY NOW BOASTS OF EXTRAORDINARY WEALTH, THIS IS CONFINED TO A TINY ELITE WHILE THE MAJORITY OF RUSSIA’S CITIZENS LANGUISH IN POVERTY.

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ast year Forbes estimated that Russia contains 101 billionaires, the richest being the steel magnate Vladimir Lisin, who had an estimated net worth of $24 billion. Only the United States and China (both of which have much larger economies) had more billionaires (413 and 115 respectively). Moscow, where the vast majority of Russia’s billionaires are based, has the most billionaires in the world with a total of 79, compared with New York

Oleg Deripaska has a family home in Moscow and in the southern region of Khakassia and a mansion in Belgrave Square, which he bought in 2003 for £25,000,000 using a British Virgin Islands company. The property was used as collateral for a $100 million loan from Credit Suisse First Boston International Ltd (CSFB) negotiated in October 2003. He also owns a house in Weybridge on Surrey’s St George’s Hill.

He paid ÂŁ7.1 million for the property in 2001, using a Cyprusregistered company, and installed a gymnasium and swimming pool.

According to High Court documents he also owns three houses in France, another in Sardinia, New Delhi, Beijing and Kiev.

Aside from his numerous properties, his other major luxury asset is his super-yacht Queen K.

which had 59, and London which had 41. Together Russia’s 101 billionaires have a total net worth of $432.70 billion) – an amount which is the equivalent to well over a quarter of Russia’s total gross domestic product (estimated by the World Bank as 1,479.8 billion in 2010).

Between 2010 and 2011, Russia’ richest man, Vladimir Lisin, increased his wealth from $15.8 to $24 billion.

Putin’s challenger, Mikhail Prokhorov, increased his wealth from $13.4 to $18 billion and Oleg Deripaska increased his wealth from $10.7 to $16.8 billion. Prokhorov lives in a 21,500-squarefoot mansion with a stainless-steel swimming pool, a gym, a wine cellar and a library featuring three solid gold eggs). In 2009 he put down a ÂŁ35 million deposit on the world’s most expensive house, Lily Safra’s Villa Leopolda on the French Riviera. He also has a 200 foot yacht which he only uses for two weeks a year ‘as a platform for jet skiing’. When he was asked by CBS where the yacht was he said he didn’t know because he had people managing it for him.

This is a mere glimpse of the Russian superrich. And yet, despite the country›s vast natural resources, 13.1% of the Russian population live below the poverty line and every year it gets worse.

Last year the number of people in poverty had increased to 16.1%

quarter of 2011 22.9 7

million were living in poverty – an increase of 2.3 million people. In the last quarter of 2011, the Statistics Agency reported that due to

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population was below the poverty line. When Putin

that he would run as President he referred to the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;dangerous levels of social inequalityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in Russia. But very little has been done.

Last week Alexander Surinov, the head of the Federal State Statistics Service, announced that the number of people with incomes below the subsistence level was 12.8 percent of the total population in 2011. But these are merely the

analysts accept that the

the limit for physical survival. Indeed in 2011 a senior government

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admitted that the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;minimum subsistence levelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; was only enough â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;to stay aliveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

Indeed,

org note that â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;the minimum wage amounts

.

In January 2011, a teenage blogger

Business

VLADIMIR LISIN

OLEG DERIPASKA

MIKHAIL PROKHOROV

called Vitaly Nikishin attempted to live on

minimum subsistence level. His diet was so inadequate that at the end of the month he wrote that he was scared to even think about how he would

experiment. When his

public attention he was invited to meet local politicians. He told the St Petersburg Times: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;They apparently invited me to see them because my blog has attracted a lot of attention. But some were openly yawning at what I said, while the others offered only a nominal replyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

A survey conducted by a Russian NGO, the Public Opinion 8

Foundation, found that 45% of respondents said they lived in poverty and the Russian Academy of Sciencesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

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reportedly found that 59 percent of Russians live in poverty whilst Russiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s middle

European standards, comprises between 6-8% of the population.

note that: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Another criterion that some researchers use

share of income spent on food. People who spend more than a half of their income on food are deemed poor. In Russia, this group is estimated at 50 to 60 percent of the population, according to various surveys. About

Business

a third of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s population can afford only food, about a half only food, clothes, and cheap household appliances, and the rest â&#x20AC;&#x201C; expensive goods, such as carsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

According to the World Bank, the average monthly wage in Russia in 2010 was $697.80.

But in reality this is not enough to live on.

As

note: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;[U]tility payments for a small, one-bedroom apartment start from 2,500 rubles ($90), and

" 7,000 rubles ($250) in small towns and from 28,000 rubles ($1,000) per month in Moscow.

A universal transportation pass for one month in Moscow costs 2,380 rubles ($85).

Even if the hypothetical minimumwage earner doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t rent # left after housing and transportation expenses is not enough to live on.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Oxfam note that, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Although Russia is a middle income country with some of the richest natural resources, many people still lack access to basic social services such as healthcareâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

The CIA World Fact Book currently rates Russia as having the 7th largest economy in the world but ranks it

Russia after the onset

but the CIA World Fact Book suggests that level of inequality have remained more or less steady since. In total, 60% of the population was found to have the same real income or less than the average 20 years earlier. (Tom @ â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Russiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rich double their wealth, but the poor were better off in 1990sâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, guardian. co.uk, 11 April 2011).

at 163 in terms of life expectancy at birth (behind India and North Korea). It is ranked at 132nd in terms of its health spending relative to GDP, which is estimated as 5.4% (compared with 9.3% in the UK).

With the collapse of the Soviet Union and the imposition of a free market (dubbed â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;shock therapyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;) the Russian economy collapsed.

Whilst a tiny number of

enriched themselves through the acquisition of formerly state-owned assets, around third of the population was

After inequality in Russia became more of a political issue last year, the investment bank Renaissance Capital released a report

plunged into poverty.

According to Russiaâ&#x20AC;şs state committee on statistics, in 1992 33.5% of the population had a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;money income below subsistence minimum levelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, whilst in 2000 29% of the population were still below the poverty line.

claiming that â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;the level of income inequality [in Russia] is just about rightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; since â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Russia is only marginally more income-unequal than China and India, but far better placed than Brazilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x201C; which is true but rather overlooks the fact that governments in those three countries have similarly been criticised for the high levels of inequality

The World Bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s statistical database does not yet contain any

X

9

engendered by their economic policies.

All these statistics detail the contrasting income enjoyed by the poor in Russia compared with the upper middle class. They do not therefore capture the incredible income disparities between Russiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s poor and its super-rich oligarchs, who are numerically too small a group to be included in such statistics. Neither do the statistics capture the true nature of inequality, since statistics based on income differentials ignore inequalities in wealth (and power).

As anyone who has lived in Russia knows, the truth is that the countryâ&#x20AC;şs vast wealth has been siphoned off by a small number of well-connected and ruthless businessmen and corrupt

Putin became President in 2000 on the basis that he would root out corruption, tax evasion and fraud to ensure that hardworking Russians would receive their fair share of the countryâ&#x20AC;şs oil, gas and mineral wealth. But so far he has failed to deliver on that promise.

Let us hope that he keeps his promise this time in his new period

Opinion

SO...ARE YOU RACIST? % " & " '

There's a young man at Liverpool Street train station. It is cold, he's tired, I'm tired and it is busy even for a Sunday evening and the last thing I need is some guy giving me a hard time. The young man's job is to open the barrier and I have lost my ticket. There are a lot of people around. Nobody wants to wait

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I wave it under the young man's nose. He takes no notice, so I tap him on the shoulder: The young man spins round: "You touch me again, and you go to Court!"

The young man, of course, is black.

I am surfacing at Kings Cross tube en route to Heathrow: I have decided to break my journey. The guy opens the glass barrier and I take a quick coffee and I return to the tube station. The guy at the barrier has changed, but I explain: "Look, your colleague let me pass...etc" The barrier man is also black, and he smiles and laughs: "Yes we all look alike, don't we!"

We shake hands and smile as good friends.

One of the key reasons why you come to England is that we are the most tolerant country in the world. Notwithstanding whatever our government says, we welcome anybody and everybody. It is our greatest strength and also our biggest weakness. If you care to " "

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next to Heathrow airport when you touchdown, just explain to the girl on the desk that you are setting up the Al Qaida Centre For Extreme Politics and they will give

you employ two school leavers who don't have any GCSEs and who are from single parent families.

It is a funny and disturbing thing. A lesson in double standards. You as relative newbies, are perfectly free to join a Club for Russians who live in Chiswick: but woe betide you if you set up a group for â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Ordinary White Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; who have 2.2 kids and a mortgage. We can no longer make fun of minority groups, in case people are "offended" and yet the arbiters of such offence are middle

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with groups supposedly being "offended". And my sadness is that, whilst humour is the best way to diffuse racial stereotypes, there are times when humour per se is |

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you, above all, as sophisticated New Russians, will know that

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if you choose to do it, the most easy thing in the world. It's not like you

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that greets you, and says: "oh you come from St Petersburg? Take the tube to Canary Wharf". You can do whatever you like, as long

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enough to me.

So, that being all said... How come our UK media is full of racial tension? What is it about some people who go all faint and canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t possibly compromise their feelings

10

of psychological abuse just because someone loses their temper, says a few home truths? And why is it only focussed on coloured or religious groups? I mean, there are no stories about footballers insulting their colleagues from Poland, or from the USA. People do not demonstrate in the street about Russian art galleries. So... Where

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you are a minority group too.

Now I don't want to condone for a second the vicious racial abuse that every now and then rears up into violence not just in England, but it seems everywhere. \

England that the tail is beginning to wag the dog. And worse, that it actually suits minority groups to be continually cast as the "offended " Â

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be called a "racist" and stop a black person in the street?

The problem now however, is

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a point where we are beginning to say "enough is enough". And this has an effect on everybody, including you. The very tolerance and the live and let live approach to incorporating every culture into

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to go into reverse.

Or maybe it doesn't. Maybe I'm getting too sensitive. Didier Drogba is back from the Africa Cup and playing today down the Fulham Road. I think I'll pop along and see the game. It's good to have him back.

11

Culture

ZEMFIRA:

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Culture

IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO PLEASE ME.

MY POSITION IS THAT, WHEN YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY, SAY IT, IF NOT â&#x20AC;&#x201C; RETREAT QUIETLY AND WAIT.

YOU CANâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T TALK ABOUT LOVE OUT LOUD, BUT I SING A LOT ABOUT IT.

I AM NOT JEALOUS. I AM NOT ASKING FOR HELP, I AM ASKING NOT TO HINDER. THESE ARE MY CONCERTS, THEREFORE THESE ARE MY FAULTS TOO. I DONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T LIKE DICTATORSHIP: NEITHER MATRIARCHY, NOR PATRIARCHY.

I AM BY NATURE AN OPTIMIST. EVERYTHING WILL BE FINE, BUT IT IS BETTER NOT TO SPECIFY THE DATE.

I CANNOT HURT THOSE WHO ARE NEAR ME. I TREAT THEM VERY TENDERLY AND CAREFULLY.

ALL THESE SONGS ARE NOT ANGRY, THEY ARE SIMPLY VERY PERSONAL, THATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S WHY PROBABLY THEY ARE SAD.

YOU CANâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T IMAGINE WHAT PEOPLE LIVE LIKE IN BASHKIRIA: THEY ARE A DISASTER. AND I AM THE BRIGHT REPRESENTATIVE OF IT.

SLEEP AND EAT YOU CAN AT ANY AGE. 13

IF I LOVE YOU DESPERATELY, IF I HATE, IT IS ALSO POWERFULLY. I AM HAPPY WITH MY FAULTS, WITHOUT FAULTS ITS IMPOSSIBLE. THINK LESS, FEEL MORE.

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Person

YURI SHEVCHUK: â&#x20AC;&#x153;THE ARTIST IS ALWAYS AN INDIVIDUALISTâ&#x20AC;?

by Anastasia Zheltova

YURI SHEVCHUK IS A PERSON, TALKING ABOUT WHOM YOU DO NOT WANT TO HANG ANY LABELS. THE SOUL OF THE COUNTRYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S ROCK OR THE CONSCIENCE OF RUSSIAN MUSIC - IT IS ALL ABOUT AND NOT ABOUT HIM AT THE SAME TIME. IT HAPPENS BECAUSE SHEVCHUK AND HIS MUSIC ARE REAL. THIS MEANS THAT FOR EACH OF US HE IS DIFFERENT. AFTER A CONVERSATION WITH THE â&#x20AC;&#x153;DDTâ&#x20AC;? SOLOIST, RUSSIANMIND HAS ONLY ADDED EVIDENCE THAT THIS IS RIGHT:

RM: Most of todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s artists do not realise the meaning of the words in their songs. And your music is calling for moral improvement, advocating their civil stand. There is a feeling that you are â&#x20AC;&#x153;a man that can win a war?â&#x20AC;?

YS: No, I do not have those feelings. For instance, the new programme called â&#x20AC;&#x153;Inacheâ&#x20AC;? (Eng:â&#x20AC;&#x153;In A Different Wayâ&#x20AC;?) is an attempt to talk about us as people, about a person as a Human Being and not as an appendage of â&#x20AC;&#x153;something somewhereâ&#x20AC;? and about a man as something powerful and deep. In

my opinion, it is banal to put any man in the scope and boundaries of the objective world. The fact that many young bands do not give a damn for their text, can be explained by the situation that only the bands that emphasise the meaning of the sound and music have entered the industry recently. From morning till night they practice scales, read practically nothing, look at themselves in the mirror and see themselves as â&#x20AC;&#x153;cool musiciansâ&#x20AC;?. Although, it is worth mentioning that these musicians play a hundred times better than we 14

played in our time. Their outcome is high quality, however, the substantial meaning is lost.

RM: Did you write your early songs

" Vladimir Vysotsky? Until now, you are compared only with him. How do you feel about that?

YS: I believe that Vladimir Vysotski was one of my teachers. But in this case, I do not consider myself to be an excellent student and suppose I can write much better.

I was interested as well in Okudzhava, but I have a loud voice, which is similar to the

Person

one Vysotsky had. Also, I love Galich, Vizbor and Vertinsky, who were geniuses of their time. And Vysotsky is Russian song poetry, song literature with very simple, yet philosophical and spiritual language with powerful metaphors.

RM: The last few years, you were supporting political opposition. How

" your creativity?

YS: I am not politically active. I am just a citizen of my country. The artist is always an individualist, who is independent and often not objective. The

as it is archaic, with an awful style and thinks about their pockets and lies all the time. Now and before, I am talking about it as an artist in a calm way. I just do not like it. I am a Russian citizen and I have the right to express my point of view. Though, I really love my country.

more individualistic the artist is, the more interesting, mysterious and incomprehensible he is. He is not a part of the masses, who is singing and dancing on television screens. He is an original! A single copy! The artist looks at everything with clearer sight and sees politicians as they are. I am talking about my ideal. Not about myself. The artist sees a man the way he is and loves him as he is, with all the negative and positive streaks he has. He has his own opinion about everything. I do not like the current government

RM: How would you like to see the younger generation?

YS: Joyful, desperate, revolutionary, reckless, drunk and loving within reasonable limits. Thus, the same as we were. After all, any young generation is like this. At 15

the same time, it should be solicitous of the traditions and coming up with something new, as in the 21st century it is important not only to know the history, but also to push our civilization and art forward.

RM: Is commercial success important for a musician?

YS: Of course. It is the Achilles heel of everything or of â&#x20AC;&#x153;dvizhuchaâ&#x20AC;? (i.e. dynamics) as the youth are saying. I did not make any money for

we launched the DDT Group in the late 1980s. I was ashamed to take

money. Then my parents fed Person me, but now I am a parent myself and I have to feed them myself. The main thing is not to write to order and not to sell inspiration, but bear in mind, money is only needed in order to survive.

RM: In 2011, Forbes magazine included you in their ratings of â&#x20AC;&#x153;the 50 richest celebrities in Russiaâ&#x20AC;?. You denied the data published about your income. It turns out that the publication of this data was taken out of thin air, so did they make it up?

YS: For some reason they asked for the data at one of the

world. How do you think the Russian and foreign audiences differ from each other?

YS: Four-eyes have the same glasses, women have similar hair, legs and hands, people have the same souls, but the culture and its perception is different. On the one hand, everything is more rational abroad. My friend, the clown Slava Polunin, once answered this question very well, by saying that

pleasure in how it was done, arranged and in Russia people do not think about the details, they dive into their creativity and can not describe exactly what was so delightful. So, the

Moscow agencies, with which we have never worked and counted the number of concerts, of which one third was charitable. And they have not considered that. The remaining concerts were played for â&#x20AC;&#x153;supporting the pantsâ&#x20AC;?. For two years we were working on a new programme, creating it and getting gradually into debt. Lots of thanks to those people who helped us. Where did the million appear? But as it is said, if they â&#x20AC;&#x153;nakarkaliâ&#x20AC;? (i.e. grumbled), however we are not against making a million with our new programme!

RM: You have been performing all over the

16

Russians have an ingeneous perception like babies do.

RM: In March, you have a concert in London. Do you like performing in the capital of the UK? YS: You are saying that as if I am performing there every Saturday - laughing - we are just taking our programme abroad. We will have a few concerts in Finland, in the former Soviet Republics and in those countries where people will accept us. I hope that we will have concerts in America, Europe (i.e. Germany and France) and Asia too. Our programme is worth seeing. This is a modern show, which we

are not ashamed to show there. We will demonstrate our anarchic origin in the west, thus saying that we also have something to stimulate their minds.

RM: Is Yuri Shevchuk the same person in life and on stage?

YS: I hope so. I have never painted my eyes or lips and have always been the four-eyed man in a vest. I believe that rock â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; roll is a democracy and I have never pretended to be some kind of a rock hero on stage as it would be very depressing. Moreover, that is funny and silly. I am singing in the same clothes as I wear everyday. I

to his love, thoughts, emotions, feelings and outlook. At that moment, he realises in his heart how it should be. And if the song is about the good, it touches people and changes them.

do not have make-up artists, costumers, as it is all too much. The main thing is what you are singing, telling or playing.

RM: Can the music lure an individual that has doubts, onto the good side?

YS: I guess it can. There is a man, who is walking along the streets, working, serving, learning and thinking, thinking ... thinking about the bad and the good. He is reading one opinion about Russia on the Internet, politics, culture and then, on another site the opposite opinion. He can not choose. Then, suddenly he

makes him feel and realises that it is similar

RM: Do you have a goal for your life, a motto that you

times?

YS: I have several favourite sayings for different occasions. For example, as far as the demonstrations are concerned it is necessary to remember the saying â&#x20AC;&#x153;if you pledge, do not hedgeâ&#x20AC;? and go to the protest march on the 4th February. Furthermore,

17

I have another phrase: â&#x20AC;&#x153;the Person hardest truth, even the truth spoken without love - is a lieâ&#x20AC;?.

RM: What to expect from the DDT Group and especially from Yuri Shevchuk in the foreseeable future?

YS: Terrible!

Stimulating your mind, scandals and revolutions in art, works! â&#x20AC;&#x153;DDTâ&#x20AC;? concert takes place on the 22 March at the Hammersmith Apollo.

Address: 45 Queen Caroline Street , London W6 9QH ticketmaster.co.uk, hmvtickets.com Photographer: Andrey Fedechko

Art

18

Art

IRENE CAESAR:

ART AS SHOCK THERAPY

by Kristina Kuzmina IRENE CAESAR IS AN USBASED RUSSIAN CONCEPTUAL ARTIST AND PHILOSOPHER. SHE HAS PRODUCED A SERIES OF STAGED ROLE GAMES DOCUMENTED BY PHOTOGRAPHS, WHERE PARTICIPANTS INTERACT WITH SOME OBJECT OR BETWEEN EACH OTHER ACCORDING TO INVENTED SITUATIONS. IRENEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S UNIQUENESS AS A WOMANARTIST IS IN GIVING AN ASSESSMENT OF THE WIDE SCOPE OF HUMAN IDEAS VIA HER ART.

understand who he is in real life. It is actual art. I feel the ideological

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I create. It even drives me to tears sometimes. And I feel pain.

For me pain is an indicator of

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RM:

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watching slaves tortured in the

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Coliseum while eating meat

be called optimistic. It is a kind of

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America and the Roman Empire are related â&#x20AC;&#x201C; people start feeling

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ideological struggle, because the became more human. approach of Russian Constructivism achieves the RM: You are an artist â&#x20AC;&#x201C;

In March she presents her provocateur, who creates the People do not just react to these exhibition â&#x20AC;&#x153;Last Breathâ&#x20AC;? in ideological and conceptual themes

Moscow. It is a set of images and a in a totally absurd performance.

video installation, that shows two Is it your method of attracting

people bring a third person, whose audience attention or your way to hands are tied behind his back, to a creating.

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make people think about important

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matters? and people have to decide whether his head into the water and holds IC: Sure, I use some provocation to live in real life according to it there for a long time. The man

this game or not. It is the ideas of

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subversion. It is not just to provoke "

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bursts out of the water, close-up people to go naked in the street as "

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shots show his face, and his breath

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through his different challenges, to between life and death is recorded.

The project was shot on location

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in Russia in 2011 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; â&#x20AC;&#x153;Pure Pondsâ&#x20AC;?

political stagnation and oppression.

RussianMind talked to Irene about

"

â&#x20AC;&#x153;LAST BREATHâ&#x20AC;?

19

Art

inside. My purpose is to make people be more alive and less like machines. I make people forget about the camera and live through this subversion. I create energy

generate the understanding of what an actual human being is.

My purpose is not just to attract or entertain but to struggle for humanity.

RM: Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t you think that the aim of art itself is to send positive vibrations rather than negative ones?

IC: I am a philosopher and I

"

everything including art is positive.

"

are always positive. They are just like a crystal: they have different

person. Art is to create something "

"

send negative vibrations. I do white magic. I will never do black magic.

RM: Nowadays more and more contemporary artists use â&#x20AC;&#x153;provocationâ&#x20AC;? in their works. Is there a risk of crossing a border, when such methods will be perceived as something usual rather than extraordinary?

IC: Â&#x2019;

X

in which every point is unique.

Even if you say the same sentence without changing a word to

" "

different. And if you explain

will be entirely different stories.

This is why the modern artists will never lose their provocative intense reality. The idea for artists

" X

connection with different people.

Provocation is individual.

Â&#x20AC;

"

I think you should love your family ground and never give it

to live abroad and visit Russia occasionally. And for the art newcomers I usually suggest going

" Â&#x2022;

'

Paris and London.

RM: Tell us about your project â&#x20AC;&#x153;Last Breathâ&#x20AC;?. What is its essence?

IC: I saw the essence of this project in dehumanisation. I got this idea when there was a big scandal in the US congress against water boarding torture on Iraqis. I was shocked that artists did not react during this period.

At this point I decided to create a role game with a kind of torture machine where no other race was subjected to torture except white people. The purpose was to show people that they could not continue this role game in reality anymore.

RM: Painting as a form of art, has changed according to the particular period of history and according to the general mood in the society. How do you think the art (and particularly painting) will change in the next 5 years?

IC: I believe that art should become actual art in 5 years time.

I think it is now on the way to self-destruction. There are a lot of things that machines can do - it is a kind of zombie art. It doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t

"

structural elements of human activities that can be easily copied by machines. But it will be a new era. And I suppose that Russia will have an art evolution because it has the Christian traditions of

Â&#x201C; "

" "

lived for their own pleasure not for money. And if Russia chooses the

"

in its future.

RM: Currently you are living and working in New York. Are there proper conditions for an artist to work and exhibit their projects in Russia? Or it is easier to live abroad and visit Russia occasionally?

IC:

#::/

Additional information about

\

exhibition â&#x20AC;&#x153;Last Breathâ&#x20AC;?, place and

dates: www.fondartproject.ru going to the north and when it is

Â&#x201D;

Photos by fondartproject.ru 20

Theatre

OLEG MIROCHNIKOV:

LONDON IS AN IDEAL STAGE

by Polina Dronyaeva OLEG MIROCHNIKOV IS A LONDON BASED RUSSIAN THEATRE DIRECTOR AND ACTING COACH. HE HAS BEEN TEACHING AT THE FAMOUS CENTRAL ST MARTINS COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN AND WORKING IN THE LONDON FILM INDUSTRY FOR 17 YEARS. AS A TEACHING COACH HE COVERS TECHNIQUES RANGING FROM STANISLAVSKI AND VAKHTANGOV TO DEVISED AND PHYSICAL THEATRE. THESE DAYS HE IS PARTICIPATING IN THE PROJECT THAT AIMS TO INTRODUCE UNKNOWN TREASURES OF RUSSIAN DRAMA TO BRITISH AUDIENCES. OLEG IS DIRECTING THE PLAY “A WARSAW MELODY” BY SOVIET PLAYWRIGHT LEONID ZORIN WHICH WILL BE PERFORMED AT THE ARCOLA THEATRE LONDON, LATER THIS MONTH. WHILE THE PREPARATION OF THE PLAY IS IN THE FULL SWING, RUSSIANMIND SPOKE TO OLEG: 22

RM: Is Leonid Zorin famous in Britain?

[Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the author of some favourite Russian plays, such as â&#x20AC;&#x153;Pokrovsky Gatesâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Royal Huntâ&#x20AC;?. His plays have been staged in Europe and his son is a well-known teacher of Russian literature at Oxford].

OM: His play â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;A Warsaw Melodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; was staged in 150 Soviet cities and in 14 European countries. It deserves its place among the drama classics and it can be compared with the wellknown plays â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Waiting for Godotâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Educating Â&#x2C6; \

to show this outstanding play on the British stage.

RM: How is the preparation of the play going?

OM: From success to success! Our enthusiasm has spread to the administration of the Arcola theatre, and they put us on in March-April.

It is good luck as this theatre is one of the most advanced in London and all the drama graduates want to perform here.

The Polish Cultural Institute is supporting us

heroine in the play is a Polish singer and part of the play takes place in Warsaw. In the play there are only two heroes â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a man and a woman. The male hero will be played

by Oliver King, who is also the producer of the project. For the female part I chose one of my ex

work with people I know.

RM: Is it true that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve developed a new unique method of acting?

OM: Yes and no.

My method grows

the circumstances, which affect their love. Is the female character a strong woman?

OM: As an admirer of Anton Chekhov I easily recognise in Zorinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plays echoes of â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Seagullâ&#x20AC;?, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Three Sistersâ&#x20AC;? and the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cherry Orchardâ&#x20AC;?, written

by Chekhov.

Chekhov certainly adored women, understood them and knew how to write about them to open them mentally and psychologically.

Zorin also loves and understands a woman, he admires her greatness and her ability

X

â&#x20AC;&#x153;A Warsaw Melodyâ&#x20AC;? we are introduced to the heroine when she is a young student and trace her path through the hardships and losses, seeing how she becomes stronger and forms her personality. I think it is not an exaggeration to compare her with Maria Callas, especially at the end of the play. This is the scale her identity becomes as a result of the hardships endured.

out of Vakhtangov traditions (editor: Yevgeny Vakhtangov, Russian actor and theatre director who founded the Vakhtangov Theatre), which itself continues the methods of Stanislavski (editor: Constantin Stanislavski, Russian actor and theatre director whose system of acting was built on the naturalistic movement and has developed an international reach).

Stanislavskiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

established as a part of the teaching programme in British theatre schools, but Vakhtangovâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s method is virtually unknown here.

A lot of English directors work in this style, but most of them come to it intuitively. And I am the only teacher of the Vakhtangovâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s method in Britain. Moreover I was taught by Vakhtangovâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s students, so I have direct training of his traditions.

RM: What are the main features of this style?

O.M.: The main feature is to replicate the wellknown Stanislavski system. Stanislavski tried to recreate reality on the stage and make it as close as possible to the truth, almost photographically.

Vakhtangov believed that theatre should remain theatre and reality should not only be

but recreated again with theatrical techniques. So he called his method â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fantastic Realismâ&#x20AC;?.

RM: A sad storyâ&#x20AC;Ś OM: Yes, I would call this play a story about missed opportunities. It is about the importance of not allowing outside circumstances to take over your life, as the man of the play Victor lets it happen due to his indecision. I am sure that a lot of people in any country will identify with these themes.

RM: In â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;A Warsaw Melodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; two people have to make a choice between love and duty, or rather

RM: What do you want to dedicate yourself to in the near future?

23

OM: I continue to teach at St Theatre Martins. Belka Productions also is going to establish a training studio. I have already taught the Vakhtangov method beyond the university so I might try it at Belka.

I also like coaching

"

them prepare the role.

I normally have to deal with Russian accents or sometimes the Russian context of their roles in general. In the upcoming â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;World War Zâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; I worked as

and a dialogue coach for Brad Pitt.

RM: And how do you * Â&#x201A; OM: London is an ideal place for people like me who want to develop in several directions at the same time: to teach, to act, to coach and to direct.

And here you do not have to lose your identity. I have the advantage of having experience of the Russian theatrical traditions, culture and mentality. If you are ambitious, if you are hungry for work, if you are resourceful, intelligent

Â&#x160; Â&#x201A;

great city for a theatrical person. That is why I am hoping to invite recent graduates of Russian drama schools to work here in London. I am sure

from such collaboration! â&#x20AC;&#x153;A Warsaw Melodyâ&#x20AC;? premier takes place on the 28 March and will continue until 28 April at Arcola Theatre.

Address: 24 Ashwin Street Dalston, London E8 3DL belkaproductions.co.uk arcolatheatre.com

Photography

MELTED CLOCK

( ) '

"#$ $ % & " '

DETROIT:

!

by Xanthi Skoulariki â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Ruins of Detroitâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is a photography exhibition at Wilmotte

in the UK images of abandoned buildings from the Gilded Age of Detroit. In conversation with RM, Tristan Hoare, curator of the gallery, talks about photography and his quest for quality contemporary art.

On the walls of Wilmotte gallery currently hangs a selection of largescale photographs reminiscent of a cinematographic doomsday or a

~

! "

for some well-deserved and nicelytimed) prophecy of the day humans went extinct. All this may not have ""

Â&#x20AC;

Â&#x2014;

two French photographers over the "

Â&#x2DC; Â&#x2C6;

cities and dreams.

~ "

industrial ruins of the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Paris of

Â&#x2019; Â&#x2C6;

Â&#x2014;

@ '

a fascinating survey of derelict

Â&#x2C6;

"

Detroit in the 20th century was

& Â&#x2122; Â&#x2C6;

Â&#x2C6;

{

" Â&#x2039;

remain of this era are carcasses of

"

and grand hotels that are now left

of the future. Shooting with a large

advantage of natural light and using

Â&#x160;"

the unique atmosphere of each

Â&#x2C6;

work retains a formal quality and is

"

Â&#x2014; Â&#x2C6;

Â&#x201C;

"

Â&#x160;

24

Â&#x2DC; Â&#x2C6; "

"

The exhibition is curated by Tristan Hoare who has chosen to dedicate his gallery to the art of photography. Wilmotte gallery is a new and elegant

London, formerly used by the

as a studio to photograph Royals and prominent members of the London society.

RM: You are currently showing photography of interior landscapes from Detroit urban ruins. Following past exhibitions on photography from Iran, Bangladesh and Scotland,

"

journeys and Odysseys?

TH: I have never thought of it

Â&#x2039;

"

"

quantity of art. I like to use the "

Â&#x160;

story to tell, wherever the artists are from. It is a great opportunity to introduce photographers who are still unknown in the UK. RM: What in your opinion is the special attraction of photography versus other contemporary art?

TH: I like photography because it is available to people, which is not necessarily the case with all contemporary art. This does not mean that it is â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;easyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Like any art form, it is a language with its own grammar and rules that opens up as you become more familiar with it. The contemporary photography world is extremely vibrant at the moment, with plenty of photographers emerging with interesting ideas.

RM: As the curator and owner of Wilmotte gallery, what was your mission when you set up the gallery about 2 years ago? Has it always been photography for you?

TH: My mission was and still is to exhibit quality photography. It comes in so many forms, but there is no denying it when you see it! I love many kinds of art, from medieval ivories to contemporary art, but as far as the gallery is concerned I wanted to keep a certain focus, so I chose photography. On top of this, the UK has an uneasy relationship with photography despite being one BALLROOM LEE PLAZA HOTEL

"

New York and Paris there are many galleries dealing in photography and people understand and accept the language of the medium. In London there are only a few galleries, which means less competition, nevertheless this is presenting a different set of challenges.

RM: You are running a commercial gallery in a residential area of west London with no other art spaces in radius. Has this been challenging in some ways?

TH: It has been fascinating. On one hand setting up in a residential area has been a challenge. The

Â&#x160;

Â&#x201E;

Â&#x161; > Â&#x201E;~ Dornburg with the artist Lawrence Weiner. I decided to paint his text piece on the outside of the building and so I met all the local residents because they all came to complain!

I get very few people walking past and deciding to come in, as it is a good walk from the nearest tube station. However there are all sorts of interesting and creative people living in the area and as the gallery has become better known, people are happy to come by for a drink in the evening or after lunch on a Saturday. It is all a question of being known and then I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think the location is too important. On top

EASTOWN THEATRE

BIOLOGY CLASSROOM

25

"

Â&#x203A; ~ Michel Wilmotte, which

Photography

RM: How did it all begin?

TH: I saw an exhibition in the Musee de lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Art Moderne in Paris, which showed Ursula > Â&#x201E; Â&#x2014; Â&#x20AC;

photographers were part of the Dusseldorf school of photography and were very well known. I wrote to Ursula suggesting a project in London and shortly after I was on my way to the Venice Biennale

"

Â&#x203A; ~

Wilmotte. We discussed the idea of an exhibition in his new space and the project was born. The exhibition was really enthusiastically received and people kept asking me what the next exhibition would be.

RM: What does the future hold for Wilmotte gallery?

TH: Hopefully more of the same. Good quality artists with an interesting story. The next Â&#x160;

yet, but there are lots of exciting plans. Watch this space! â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Ruins of Detroitâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; runs until 5th April Wilmotte gallery, 133 Oxford Gardens, London W10 6NE www.tristanhoare.co.uk

Guide

Midcentury Modern 18 Mar

Film Fugitive: Pull up a Pew 17-31 Mar

Gilbert & George: London Pictures 9 Mar â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 12 May Gilbert & George take over White Cube galleries north (Hoxton Square), south (Bermondsey), west (Mason's Yard) and east (Hong Kong) for this show of 'London Pictures', which feature the duo and an array of newspaper headlines.

Tickets: Free Address: White Cube Bermondsey, 144152 Bermondsey St, London SE1 3TQ Contacts: 020 7930 5373, whitecube.com

A collection of images and memorabilia relating to Marilyn Monroe, commemorating 50 years since her death. Rare and well-known photographs trace her career from aspiring actress to superstar and are shown alongside dresses wore

by Monroe on screen.

A season of classic

and silent movies, some have live musical accompaniment, taking place in churches around London.

17 Mar: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Cabinet of Dr Caligariâ&#x20AC;? (1920) with accompaniment by pianist Wendy Hiscocks.

24 Mar: 5.30pm: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bugsy Maloneâ&#x20AC;? (1976); 8.45pm: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Steamboat Bill Jrâ&#x20AC;? (1928) with accompaniment by pianist Wendy Hiscocks.

31Mar: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bugsy Maloneâ&#x20AC;?

(1976).

Tickets: Free Address: Getty Images Gallery, 46 Eastcastle St, London W1W 8DX Contacts: 020 7291 538, gettyimagesgallery.com

Tickets: ÂŁ14, concs ÂŁ7.50 Address: St Dionis Church, St Dionis Rd, Parson's Green SW6 4UH Contacts:

Marilyn 9 Mar â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 23 May

26

Treat your mum to a day out in London on 18 March. You could spend the day browsing for vintage home-ware.

Vintage furniture dealers come out in force for this excellent mid-century fair, featuring classics of British, American and Scandinavian twentieth-century design from Eames to Ercol. A very stylish showcase of high quality, highly coveted furniture and home-wares that you can buy direct from the dealers. There's also a selection of new British designers, plus vintage entertainment and food vans on site.

Tickets: ÂŁ7, adv ÂŁ6, under 14s free Address: Dulwich College, College Rd, SE21 7LD Contacts: 07875 438188, modernshows.com

Guide

Pick Me Up: Contemporary Graphic Art Fair 2012 22 Mar â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1 Apr

Ron Falloon: The Man who shot the '60s 21- 23 Mar Ron Falloon arrived in London in the early 1960s and luckily got a job assisting John French who was considered one of the best photographers of the time. Ron opened his own studio in Covent Garden in 1962 and worked for all the major fashion houses in London and Paris.

He photographed many of the top models and celebrities of the time including Twiggy, Cilla Black, Jean Shrimpton, Pauline Stone, Vicky Hodge, The Rolling Stones and the Monkees â&#x20AC;&#x201C; to name just a few. His work perfectly evokes the swinging 60â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in London.

Ron has work on display at the National Portrait Gallery and his work will feature in a major exhibition of Bibaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s designs this September in Brighton.

Tickets: Admission Free Address: Pushkin House, 5A Bloomsbury Square, London WC1A 2TA Contacts: 020 7269 9770, pushkinhouse.org

Graphic art and design galleries, collectives and publishers sell a wide range of work by artists and illustrators from around the world in customised spaces within Somerset House. New for 2012 is the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Daily Specialsâ&#x20AC;? residency space, the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Children's Illustration Weekendâ&#x20AC;? (March 2425); the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cartoons and Comics Weekendâ&#x20AC;? (March 31-April 1), a portfolio surgery and enquiry desk run by illustrator Zara Wood. Peepshow Collective take up a tenday residency to present â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Museum of Objects and Originsâ&#x20AC;?, which brings together drawings, prints, objects and costumes in a changing display - workshop participants will have a chance to make work to

cabinets. There are late openings on March 22 and 29, with workshops, DJs and a bar.

The Big Egg Hunt Until 3 Apr Roundhouse CircusFest 2012 28 Mar â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 29 Apr

A London-wide hunt to discover ceramic Easter eggs designed CircusFest returns to and decorated by artists,

designers, architects weeks of contemporary and jewellers including circus from around the Polly Morgan, Jake and globe, including world Dinos Chapman, Bruce and UK premieres in the Â&#x152; Â&#x2022; `

Main Space alongside and Mat Collishaw. new commissions, talks This fundraising event

>

for Elephant Family Theatre. This year's and Action for Children programme includes challenges the public Cirque Mandingue's to try and spot the 200, â&#x20AC;&#x153;FotĂŠ ForĂŠâ&#x20AC;? (Mar 28two-and-a-half foot high Apr 7); â&#x20AC;&#x153;Undermänâ&#x20AC;? eggs, which are placed

by Circkus Cirkor (Apr on special plinths around 10-Apr 14) and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Professor the capital. At the end of the hunt the eggs will Vanessa's Wondershowâ&#x20AC;?

(Apr 23-Apr 29). 'nest together' before being auctioned for charity. See the website Tickets: various prices for updates.

Address: Roundhouse, Chalk Farm Tickets: Free Rd, London NW1 8EH Address: Around town Contacts: 0844 482 8008, Contacts: roundhouse.org.uk/ thebigegghunt.co.uk circusfest

Tickets: see the website for prices Address: Somerset House, The Strand, London WC2R 1LA Contacts: 020 7845 4600, somersethouse.org.uk 27

Having lived in St Petersburg for about 7 years, I havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t seen much of it or North-West Russia than I have done of, say, Wales. I hear itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lovely in Wales, but all Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve done so far is visit Cardiff. The same applies to St Petersburg and the vicinity. In hindsight, I regret missing out on unique travels offered by Russiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s western-most region. Peterhof, Vyborg (once a Swedish castle until captured by Peter the Great), Pushkinskie Gory (â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Pushkin Hillsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, Pushkinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s family mansion), Kizhi (open-air museum with more than 80 historical wooden structures) â&#x20AC;&#x201C; it would be pages of text to just touch upon these destinations of which you may know already. This time weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll make a short stop in one of Russiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oldest cities, before leaving for the legendary Ladoga Lake for a fresh breeze. As always, there are knowledgeable friends to brief us about whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in store.

Geographically, North-West Russia was the start of the famous trade route from the Varyags to the Greeks, and the

ruled Russia until the 17th century. The story began with a Varyag

Novgorod.

VELIKY NOVGOROD

by Olga Lesyk

FROM VARYAG TO GULAG: AND OTHER TALES FROM THE NORTH-WEST

Travel

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;My home town - Veliky Novgorod - says Nina Chirea,

to 859 AD. Visit it in summer. Best hotel: Volkhov (hotelvolkhov.ru/en/) is within a short walking distance from the landmarks and parks). Climb up the Novgorod Kremlin for a sweeping panoramic view, then lunch at Detinec cafe in one of its turrets. Visit St Sophia Cathedral and

(there is a related legend). See the bronze monument ! "

# $%&'

commemorate the 1000 years of Russiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s statehood. Then take a boat trip down the river Volkhov. The town is an open-air exhibition. There is history in the airâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

VALAAM * + 2

+

Valaam 3

mention. Not only is it the size of a sea, it also played a

466 ; < =$4>$ $4>>?3 @

2 E

#

E surface was a secret path (aka Road of Life) the Soviet army used for food delivery and evacuation during these winters.

Valaam

@

F " Holy Places. The term suggests rough beautiful scenery, a rather long journey and seclusion. The latter, however, was not the case for Ekaterina Vlasova, contributor to the previous piece on the Far East, who knows hard-core travel inside-out.

28

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;I booked my trip to Valaam with Russian Cruises (russian-cruises.ru) 5 years ago, in late June. The boat was OK, but fellow travellers would party hard every night. The guided walk through the island to the Valaam Monastery took two hours. There was a river nearby and

+

+

3 P

+ saying they had come especially for it. The monastery interior did not impress, its only hallmark being the relics of Valaam ascetic Antipa. I did enjoy a boat trip around the island. Hidden in the trees were many sketes; I recall one that was all wooden and built single-handedly by a monk.

On balance, Valaam is not a dream place, unless you are religious and pilgrimage is your favourite pastime. Sunrise and sunsets on Ladoga were worth the time though. The only odd thing about this whole experience was the boat parties on the way there and back. One would think this kind of spiritual trip implies exalted solitude at all stages. I guess itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s typical of Russians to match the unmatchableâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

Travel

NOVGOROD KREMLIN ON RIVER VOLKHOV

KARELIA To the north of St Petersburg, between Finland and the White Sea, lays the Karelian land. All I have ever known of it is that its forests have moroshka (fen-berry), a rare type only found in the North and used in traditional berry liquor called nalivka3 Z

+

account of their travels in this land proved a strike of luck again: Yulia Ulyanova, a teacher of English from St Petersburg and a friend of mine, canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hide her excitement as she recollects her adventures. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;We travelled to Karelia from St Petersburg by car several years ago. I loved the Kivach waterfall and the town of Petrozavodsk where we stayed overnight. From a smaller town of Kem further north we planned to take a ferry to the island of Solovki. I think Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll never forget that crossing! We were late for the ferry but wanted to get to the island that day, so we hired a tiny boat steered by a monk. All of a sudden, a storm broke

3 ! + + P

+

was like. The Solovki islands were a picture. Perched on top of rocks sat arctic birches, their dark trunks twisted, as if in pain. We rented bikes and explored the island. The Solovetsky Monastery struck us with its ancient beauty.

Though we could still sense the ominous presence of the Soviet prison camp its walls once housed (Alexander Solzhenitsynâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Archipelago Gulagâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is a literary testimony to that era). There are a few hotels on Solovki, but they are packed in high season (May to August), so book in advance. We rented a room locally. It was not hotel standards, but cheaper. There are a number of reasonably priced cafes. Take a boat trip to Zayatsky island, noted for old stone labyrinths from around 1-2 century BC. A Karelian Stonehenge! For the picturesque landscapes, historical sites and ancient wonders of the Russian North â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Karelia is a must-seeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

SPASO-PREOBRAZHENSKY MONASTERY IN VALAAM

KIVACH WATERFALL, KIVACH NATURAL RESERVE, KARELIA

MORE ON TRAVEL IN NORTH-WEST russiatravels.info/russia-travel-guide/northwest-russia.html travel-to-russian-karelia.com

29

MARIA SHARAPOVA AND VICTORIA AZARENKA, WHO ARE CALLED "TWO PREMIERE GRUNTERS OF THE GAME" FOR THE MOST IMPRESSIVE SCREECHING, FACED EACH OTHER IN THE FIRST RUSSIANBELORUSSIAN FINAL IN THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN HISTORY

Sport

AUSTRALIAN OPEN Australian Open 2012 marks the 25th year championships at Melbourne Park, the era that has seen the Australian Open go from endangered Major to Grand Slam goliath.

TENNIS 2012: START-UP

by Anastasia Grishchenko SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA AND MARIA SHARAPOVA

TEAM SPAIN DURING THE DRAW CEREMONY AT THE SHOPPING MALL SURROUNDED BY RUSSIAN FANS

RUSSIAN TEAM AT RED SQUARE (MARIA SHARAPOVA, SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA, CAPTAIN SHAMIL TARPISCHEV, NADYA PETROVA, EKATERINA MAKAROVA AND ELENA VESNINA)

FEDERATION CUP

Â&#x2122; { "

>" Â&#x;~Â } Â&#x160; ""

>

Â&#x2039; > ~

>

 #~  Â&#x20AC;" 30

LOST IN SINGLES AT EARLIER STAGES OF THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2012 SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA AND VERA ZVONAREVA WON TROPHY IN DOUBLES

Sport

NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO AND MIKHAIL YOUZHNY

RUSSIAN YULIA PUTINTSEVA AND AMERICAN TAYLOR TOWNSEND DURING PHOTO SESSION AFTER JUNIOR FINAL

IGOR KUNITSYN AND JURGEN MELZER

AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2012, FED CUP AND DAVIS CUP MATCHES LEAD THE WAY TO MAJOR SPORT EVENTS OF THE YEAR Photographer: Alexander Erastov DAVIS CUP

NOVICE OF RUSSIAN TEAM ALEX BOGOMOLOV JNR WITH CAPTAIN SHAMIL TARPISCHEV

Austria reached the last

time since 1995 after a 3-2 victory over Russia in the Davis Cup ย ยก "

round. Last year Russia won the right to stay in the World group in the match against Brazil.

This time it also won't be easy!

31