WHO IS NEXT? PAGE 14
RussianMind â„–1 (01), 6-20 May 2011, www.RussianMind.com
High Tech Oligarchs Page 8 The Russian Facebook Page 10-11
Sixty Seconds with a Genius Page 24 Starman Page 16-17
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RM www.RussianMind.com
Contents
5 Neither Europe, Nor Asia
6-7
6-7 Putin the Great 8 High tech Oligarchs 9 The Art of Negotiation 10-11 Bright Young Things
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16-17
12-13 Notes from the Abyss 14 Always Bet on Putin 15 Time for some Clarity on Libya 16-17 Yuri Gagarin – Superstar
12-13 â„–1(01) 6-20 May 2011
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Contents
18-19 Russia in Faces Managing Director Azamat Sultanov md@russianmind.com
20-21 Love and Hate in the City of Lights
Acting Editor Olga Kudriavtseva olga@russianmind.com
22 Have Your Say
28-29
24 Sixty Seconds with Genius 25 What’s New?
Art Director Yuri Nor ynor@russianmind.com Special Project Department Daria Alyukova d.alyukova@russianmind.com
20-21
PR&Advertising Alina Blinova alina@russianmind.com
26-27 Russian Fashion for Beginners
IT Director Alex Vyshnikov it@russianmind.com Sub Editor Ricky Wyatt
28-29 The League of Gentlemen 30 Bartender
Head of Editorial Board Mark Hollingswoth mark@russianmind.com
wyatt@russianmind.com Distribution Olga Tsvetkova distribution@russianmind.com
26-27
In print: Chris Hutchins, Carl Thomson, Elizabeth Yurieva, Ekaterina Petukhova, Christine Riedel, Ivan Kolpakov, Ecaterina Kilian, Tatiana Irodova, Vadim Nikitin, Leonid Sukhorukov, Anton Phatianov, Olga Aprelskaya, Sergey Samsonov. Address United Kingdom 40 Langham Street, London W1W 7AS United Kingdom Tel: +44(0) 207 637 1374 E-mail: info@russianmind.com France 6 Rue du Docteur Finlay 75015 Paris, France Tel: +33(0) 981 147 395 E-mail: france@russianmind.com
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№1(01) 6-20 May 2011
Neither Europe, Nor Asia
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ear Reader,
I am from Tajikstan and so some might say that it is an awkward and even risky venture to launch a new magazine called RussianMind and a media project called Russian Media Solutions. But my nationality is symbolic of this project, which illustrates a new global approach and a common historical heritage shared by my generation born in the Soviet Union, which used to occupy one-third of the Earth. It is interesting fact that in today’s globalizing world, all people from former Soviet Union republics can feel common “Russian-speaking origin”, which unites them, only while being in the third culture country. The catalyst for ‘RussianMind’ was during my journey home from work one evening last year. I was reading the book “Londongrad: From Russia with Cash” and I was amazed by the empathy that the authors displayed for understanding Russia and Russian way of thinking. They found the most convenient words to describe this mentality of a population which occupies the largest country of the world. But what is RussianMind in the 21st century? The mentality generated by the synergy of all different nationalities of this country throughout its different and tumultuous history. We want to examine the Russian mindset where people have got used to everything being done on a large scale. This approach has brought great achievements. But at the same time this maximalism has also caused problems and developed a vulnerability to extremism and authoritarianism. For example, if Russia embraces patriotism, it ends up with nationalism and chauvinism. If it starts with communism and socialism, it ends up with Stalinism. If it is democracy, then it results in anarchy and chaos as demonstrated by the Yeltsin years. And if it established a managed democracy, then it results in authoritarianism as witnessed by the current Putin/ Medvedev regime. So that is why Russia always had its own way, and no one ever seemed to be that concerned. But the great potential of Russia is that you cannot not put limit on this country and its people. So what is RussianMind? Initially the idea was to explain the mentality and specific culture of all Russian-speaking people from former Soviet Union republics. Now we are building the media platform RussianMind.com, with the idea of creating social networking and communication field for all people interested in Russia. One of the peculiarities of RussianMind today is the ideological vacuum in post-Soviet mentality. People lack ideology as they look at the Western countries and admire the living standards and the quality of life. Lack of ideology creates a situation, when people are unable to see the future, what makes them fatalistic and living like there is no tomorrow, which is one of the parts of RussianMind today. Once one of my professors said, “the best ideology is an acceptance of the fact of its absence and a rare habit to work hard”. If you ever walk on Red Square and feel how huge is Russia, how strong is the power of government, how gigantic is the architecture, how wide are the streets, then everywhere else looks like a small grain of sand in the sea. It is so different from a user-friendly London, minimalistic Amsterdam or extravagant Paris, the cities, where freedom of expression and personal individualism have been cultivated for generations.
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Inside RussianMind there is nothing moderate or mild. Everything is maximum, colorful and extreme. There is no middle class,. If they are rich, they are billionaires, and if they are poor they have nothing to eat. This mentality had a great impact on all the former Soviet Union republics, which became an irreplaceable part of common Soviet heritage. RussianMind is mostly honest, blunt and very straightforward. It lacks diplomacy, subtlety and tact. But at the same time it is generous and full of mercifulness of the “wide Russian soul”, which is an irreplaceable part of the national character. Living in London, which my father describes as “the heart of capitalism”, I appreciate the main advantage of British society over Russian – the absence of any barriers and a common middle-class mindset, which is still missing in post-Soviet countries. As in the Soviet times, when “everyone was equal, besides some were more equal”, the gap between the elite and ordinary people is still cultivated as a major feature of the RussianMind. On contrary, Brits who are believed to be the snobbiest seem less complicated and much more easy-going.
I contacted the co-author of “Londongrad” Mark Hollingsworth and we met for a coffee and discussed this idea. Now only one month after that meeting you are reading a magazine called RussianMind. We live in the age of informational overload, informational wars and revolution. By analyzing informational streams about Russia, we witness the well-paid state propaganda facing the permanently skeptical Western media. What we are going to offer you is a third unbiased alternative, which may shed a light on the other side of Russia. As we have different heroes and idols, we are beyond everything you can find in the newspapers and Internet. We are beyond politics, corruption, conflicts, democracy and stereotypes. We are RussianMind. Open Russia with us. Hope you will have a quality time reading our magazine. Yours faithfully, Azamat Sultanov, Managing Director
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GUEST COLUMNIST 6
IT’S working! Russians in their millions have bought into Operation Vladimir Putin. The PR operation has proved to be such an astonishing success in his homeland that Putin is now unquestionably Russia’s most popular leader since Peter the Great. And what’s more it’s all his own work.
W Chris HUTCHINS is the author of PUTIN: A Portrait of Power to be published later this year. He is also the co-author (with Dominic Midgley) of ‘Billionaire from Nowhere – A Biography of Roman Abramovich’
hen he told his communications consultant – the equivalent of Blair’s former press secretary Alastair Campbell - that he was going to sing ‘Blueberry Hill’ at a charity event in St Petersburg, he was advised that one of his favourite Beatles songs might go down better. But Putin has a long memory and recalling a frosty encounter with Paul McCartney at the Kremlin, he declared that this was his party and he was going to do it his way. While the elderly and the sick continue to get largely overlooked when it comes to receiving the benefits afforded by the nation’s huge oil and gas wealth, Russians from Moscow to Chukotka nevertheless marvel at their prime minister’s heroic antics - from diving to the bottom of the world’s deepest lake in a mini submarine to rescuing a group of scientists from an escaped tiger in the east and cuddling a polar bear in the Arctic north. Putin fan clubs have sprung up in cities across the land and even Putin ice cream is all the rage in Russian seaside resorts (yes, they do have them). But how can he spread the word to the west where cynical observers have pointed out that he first shot the tiger with a tranquiliser gun, probably using the drug left over from sedating the polar bear? To that end Putin sent a group of trusted lieutenants to Paris last month for a conference thinly disguised as a think-tank to debate ‘Expectations of Europeans and Scenarios for Russia’. The group was headed by Alexandre Babakov, the hard-working (well he must be to
have amassed a $500 million fortune) vice president of the Russian parliament, the Duma. It included Russia’s leading pollster, Valery Fyodorov, who came armed with figures and percentages to show that Putin’s high ratings are real because, as he commented, the Prime Minister’s popularity had dropped from 77% in 2009 to 62% by the end of 2010. ‘That’s because we had a drought followed by fires which decimated the grain crop,’ explained Mr Fyodorov. Things should be better this year when the troubles in Libya push up the value of Russia’s oil and gas exports. Despite the recent decline, Putin’s ratings remain high enough to turn Sarkozy, Cameron and Obama greener than a conservation lobbyist. So how has he done it? Apart from hunting wild animals and deep water diving, Russians of all persuasions point to Putin’s restoration of their national pride – a trait instilled in him from an early age when he had to overcome an unhealthy inferiority complex. Regarded as a ‘puny sissy’ because his mother kept him virtually confined to their onebedroom shared flat until he was eight years old, Putin had to go out and earn the respect of local bullies by acquiring a reputation as just another hooligan on the block. Even when he had become his country’s president he ordered lecterns to be placed some distance apart to help hide his diminutive stature when he was obliged to attend joint press conferences with such lofty fellows as President Clinton and Prime Minister Blair. Surrounded by French culture but opting for Chinese cuisine in the basement of an eastern emporium, Mr Fyodorov pointed out that Putin remained very much a favourite with his people despite the fact that prices had increased (by 7%) more than wages (4.2%). I took his point. A school janitor in the Siberian town of Khanty-Mansiysk told me last year that his wife had had to cut down on their food and vodka supplies because they cost more than the rise in his wages. ‘But look,’ he proudly told me, ‘Our prime minister can fly a jet fighter, can yours?’ № 1(01) 6-20 May 2011
Putin THE GREAT! wealth for himself can do the same for his country even if it doesn’t exactly put jam on the bread of those who toil at the bottom of the ladder. And what of gossip circulating in Moscow high society that the onceshy Putin seems to have taken a leaf from the book of his close friend Silvio Berlusconi and now favours the company of glamorous young women? ‘It is the same in Russia as it is in France and Italy,’ says my obliging informant, ‘If he had a pretty mistress or two, it would just be seen as one of the perks of the job. The people don’t mind. They like a virile leader. Russians want a Peter the Great not a Mahatma Gandhi’. After a decade under the direction of the drunken and corrupt Boris Yeltsin, Russians seem pleased that his successor is a very different man indeed. Putin has given them financial stability – salaries get paid nowadays – and regard it as even more important that he has restored national pride. Russian prestige which suffered terribly after the nation lost the Cold War has been restored - with or without the help of the PR antics. Vladimir Putin is now unquestionably Russia’s most popular leader since Peter the Great
The UK Prime Minister, I have to confess and would hasten to point out if I was ever allowed back (KhantyMansiysk is a ‘closed town’), cannot even get his sums right: while the UK borrows ever more billions. And Goldman Sachs reckon the Russian budget will be deficit free before the end of this year and in surplus in 2012.
previous one, Mikhail Khodorkovsky)? It took the small son of a shepherd to point out Putin’s ‘pretty watch’ on a visit to the Siberian republic of Tyva. Putin then removed the timepiece from his wrist and gave it to the boy whose father later had it valued – it was a Patek Phillipe Perpetual Calendar model worth $60,000.
Do ordinary Russians care if their leader – on a relatively small salary – is said by the analyst Stanislav Belkovsky to have become the country’s richest man (having jailed indefinitely the
So does his apparent wealth anger the population? Not at all, says a member of the Paris mission. Apparently, the average Russian believes that a man who can amass
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There have been mistakes along the way: as Fyodorov pointed out - Putin’s declaration of war on corruption backfired, serving only to remind people that corruption was still rife in their midst. ‘But that’s the downside of free speech’, he said. ‘Journalists are now free to write about corruption whereas in pre-Putin days it was a taboo subject’. Desperately seeking a word of dissent, at breakfast I found Evgueni - a Russian bodyguard fittingly equipped with hands and arms like ham hocks – and asked him if he liked Putin: ‘No, not at all, no I don’t like him,’ he obligingly grunted into his low-fat yoghurt. 7
Business Watch
High tech Oligarchs A Vadim NIKITIN As the number of Russian billionaires swells to record numbers (101 from last year’s 62) - recession be damned! – oldschool raw materials magnates face competition from a new breed of internet entrepreneurs.
Yuri Milner
ccording to the FT, the Forbes list – long the preserve of wellconnected oligarchs that had made their fortunes from exstate assets sold in the murky early 90s – is fast becoming populated by IT newcomers, “thanks to the rapid growth of Ilya Segalovich the internet in Russia, where penetration rates are said to resemble those of the US in 1999“. Some old mineral barons are beginning to invest their wealth into startups, too. Seeing big bucks made from new technology as opposed to cannibalising the country’s natural resources is a welcome trend, one that could finally break the popular notion that the only road to success in Russia is through oil, gas or minerals, big fists, and a whole lot of government ‘krysha’. However, the list also showed the enduring symbiosis between money and power in Russia.
Evgeny Kaspersky
As her husband Yuri Luzhkov was deposed as Moscow Mayor, Elena Baturina, who had long insisted that her billions from lucrative construction contracts had nothing to do with connections to the city’s ‘chief builder’, saw her fortune plummet from $2.9bn to $1.2bn. Coincidentally enough.
Arkady Volozh
Milner, chairman of Mail.ru, the London-listed internet ‘‘Yuri giant, joined the top 100 this year with an estimated personal wealth of $1bn, while not far behind are Arkady Volozh and Ilya Segalovich, the co-founders of internet search engine Yandex, and Evgeny Kaspersky, chief executive of Kaspersky Labs, the antivirus software company.
Financial Times 8
Business Lunch
The art of negotiation more preparations. There is no point investing a lot of time when preparing for negotiations on a smaller scale. Negotiation is not a contest. It is just a process where both parties come to a mutual agreement about the matter. The best outcome is when both parties win. “Win-win” negotiations are the best scenarios for maintaining great professional relationships. Building trust, rapport and empathy with the other person plays a great role if you are selling something that is not unique. Do not get emotionally involved. Stay friendly and calm even if the other side starts losing control. Never shout or threaten. Maintain control over your own emotions. Never let negative emotions ruin the negotiation process. Deal with the issue. We often have to negotiate with people we do not like for various reasons. Negotiation is not about personality, it is all about acknowledging that both parties are responsible in dealing with the problem in question. Prepare various options if your solution is rejected during the negotiation process. Be ready to discuss your needs and understand the other side’s needs as well. Do not let the other side take advantage of you. Showing emotions and weaknesses will only ruin your chances to close an effective deal.
We all negotiate on a daily basis
3 Tatiana IRODOVA The Negotiation process does not have to be awkward and uncomfortable. We all negotiate on a daily basis. Negotiation skills are vital for negotiating deals in various industries. Effective negotiations require a variety of skills, which are easy to learn and practise.
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Do not be afraid to ask. The fear behind the negotiation process is unjustified. There is absolutely nothing wrong with trying to save money or resolving conflicts. On the contrary, there is something wrong with not wanting to negotiate. Know what you want and what you do not want. Know your goals as well as thinking what the other side might want. Ask for everything you want and continue negotiating until you are completely satisfied. Preparation before the negotiation process is a must. Research the other side’s strengths and weaknesses. Understand who and what you are dealing with. Bigger deals require
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Effective negotiations require a variety of skills
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Negotiation is not arguing. If you start arguing with the other person, it will mean that you are trying to prove him wrong. Arguing becomes personal. The other side may feel threatened and offended. Ask for more than you expect. After the negotiation process, the other side will feel like a winner while you will still get what you wanted. Use the “authority figure”. Pretend to negotiate for your boss. This strategy will save you time because the other side will want to get it over with quicker and will prevent people from rushing you into a decision. Be willing to give up things that do not really matter to you that much. This will ensure that both parties are satisfied and do not feel cheated. It will also help you to build a long-lasting relationship. Do not act too interested. If the other side get the impression that you are
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likely to seal the deal as it is, then there will not be much room for discussion. Overenthusiasm will make the other person demand more. Polish your body language techniques. Make sure your body language matches your words. If you are making a final offer, gather your papers, put away your pen, sit back and wait for the other person to respond. The other side will understand that this is in fact your last offer and will know that you do not want to continue the discussion. Research various tactics used by skilled negotiators (e.g. the good guy and the bad guy). Learn how to recognise and overcome these for successful “win-win” negotiations.
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Ekaterina PETUKHOVA
Bright young things
When Facebook came to Russia Lookatme already existed. When Google was searching for ways to expand to the local market, Chanel was choosing them to advertise with. Lookatme is an extremely popular social network and digital media that covers almost all urban youth interests: exhibitions, concerts, cinema, fashion, gadgets, design, parties and clubs.
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it as a basis to start from. Of course, we wanted immediately to launch a printed magazine but a site seemed more strategically sound. So a new Lookatme was born. We met Ekaterina working on a project and became friends and then it all finished up with a mutual business. Ekaterina Bazilevskaya: I have always had that entrepreneurial spirit so when such an opportunity came up I realized it’s a “now or never” choice. I am sure you can go in for such a challenging project only when you are young and do not have family and those kind of obligations. So it was the only right time.
he daily magazine is attracting more than a million users a month. It looks so serious that you can not believe How do you feel when looking back Ekaterina Bazilevskaya your eyes when you see three young now? guys in their late 20s standing behind it. Before starting the new project, all of them Bazilevskaya: Happy, I think. had certain successes in various fields. Ekaterina Bazilevskaya When you are looking back, you do really understand what had a vertiginous career in the advertising business. Alexey has been done. During the process you are always dissatisfied. Amyotov previously worked for leading Russian magazines You speculate on what you could have done better. But only in covering international affairs. Vasily Esmanov seems to have time do you see the real growth and impact of what has been been connected with every hype magazine and project in done. I would say today we do more things consciously, we face Russia since the beginning of 2000. In 2006 they left everything problems more easily, it’s normal as we are more seasoned. they had in order to commence the most challenging project of their lives and at once they made a small cultural Russian Amyotov: Anyway, from the very beginning we wanted to internet revolution. make a big media-project as it actually turned out to be.
How did you dare to start “Lookatme”? Alexey Amyotov: I was already fed up working as a journalist in 2006 and had begun searching for an alternative. I still wanted to stay in writing texts and the Internet seemed to be the most adjacent field. It was a kind of open space for innovation but still a media. So we did several online projects together with Vasily and then the idea of Lookatme came up. Vasily Esmanov: Long time ago Lookatme was a street style blog without any media content. Once we thought of starting up our own project together with Alexey, we decided to use 10
Bazilevskaya: We had our tough times. We launched just before the latest crisis, so the moment we should have of achieved our breakeven point, we instead plummeted into crisis. We got out of it by the end of 2009. It’s talking financial stuff. But even at the toughest times you do not feel pity about anything as it’s a pleasure to work with the people around you. Every person we met and cooperated with was very special and creative. And today there are around 70 people working for the company.
It’s true your office was always a place half-working halfsocializing. There is a concentration of young people from
fashion, media, advertising, music - all messing around talking about the current situation and starting up new projects.
Esmanov: Moreover, I think the point of superinnovation is not to make something absolutely new but to make something that already exists much better. It’s an attitude. Look at the stories of such companies as Virgin and Apple.
Amyotov: It’s true as the Internet itself makes culture move faster. In Russia it is a tool of help for those directions which try to catch up in a global context. Maybe Moscow once was a periphery of Englishspeaking culture and an intermediary for regions but thanks to the Internet people in Russia are now consuming information they need directly. Big cities with Internet access are developing much faster in all senses.
What hinders Russian young guys from becoming world-renowned?
And what about modern young people in Russia?
Vasily Esmanov
Amyotov: Time. I think in 5 or even 3 years Russia will move more to the epicenter of the Western culture. It will get that current vibe which it lacks to become world-renowned. It’s a gradual process, first we needed to separate the wheat from the chaff, then to copy the wheat, to learn skills and techniques and now we are ready to produce our own stuff. You see it, the quality of cultural products is much more higher. Esmanov: Yes, in the 90s there was fast culture. It was the time of breakage and as for me I am not even a bit nostalgic about it. I think we should now move on to a new culture. Bazilevskaya: And we do. When you think of the beginning of the naughties there was not a band or designer covered by international media. Now there is for example Mujuice covered by a world-renowned Pitchwork. What would really move us forward is understanding that we should compete at a global level. And we are already competitive in many spheres such as games, web-design.We should stop thinking that there is something impossible. Alexey Amyotov
Esmanov: People do not change, they have new gadgets, better food but generally they stay the same. Maybe our young people have sometimes more modest financial possibilities compared to their peers in Europe. Bazilevskaya: It’s very important to take into account that we all nowadays develop in one and the same cultural context. We have of course our specific features, for example, Russian online services are more popular with local users than their global prototypes mainly as the Russian companies were more technologically successful working for local Russian-speaking audience. But we look in the same global direction. What excites about young Russian people is their ambitiousness, active life attitude. Everybody is thrilled by the fact that in Russia young guys do business, perform activity which is ranked as normal only for much older people.
And what is the idea you are trying to deliver to these people? Amyotov: We show cultural patterns from different fields made with feeling and quality of a level. We set good examples. We try to set the standard and push young people to make a move. Esmanov: My idea is also to show people how to make a deliberate choice and to distinguish beauty from ugliness. I feel responsibility working with people and setting a determined perception level.
Is Lookatme going to make an international move? Amyotov: Yes, we are also moving on to the center. In some years we are planning to be a global media company producing cultural content. Soon we will launch in English and cover new markets but the concept will stay the same.
And finally what do the words “Russian mind” mean for you? Amyotov: A savvy mind. Esmanov: It’s a skill to see things on a large scale without going into details. Bazilevskaya: Russia is very emotional country, I would say, Russian mind is Russian heart. 11
Culture
Notes from the abyss On the surface Perm looks like an average Russian city: the streets are dirty, the traffic is chaotic and the local economy is based on mining. But beneath the bleak, gloom and an awful curse, Perm has been almost transformed by the cultural revolution of 2009. IVAN KOLPAKOV
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lexander Herzen, the publisher of the famous London weekly magazine for Russian immigrants ‘Kolokol’, spent three months in exile in Perm and witnessed the change first-hand. Here is his perception of the city. The road to Perm took really long – several days. One morning Herzen woke up because of the irons clank – his carriage was passing by the crowd of state convicts. What he saw was disgusting: bald heads, wild expressions, and the Kalmyk guard with a whip. Herzen frowned and turned away. Then he saw a pillar on the road, with a sign. And a bear with the Gospel and a cross were depicted on the sign: that was the Perm coat of arms. Arrived finally… At that time Herzen was learning Italian and reading Dante’s “Inferno”, so the convicts truly reminded him of some Dante’s images. While resting on one of the Post offices of the Siberian route (That time the Post Offices were used not only for postal services, but were like small road hotels. It was possible to dine and spend a night there after a long trip), he scribbled on the windowsill: «Per me si va ne l’eterno dolore, Per me si va nella citta dolente…» – this phrase was written on the Gates of Hell. Herzen certainly decided that “Per me” should have stood for “Perm”. But we still do not know, actually, whether he had ever found out that the brook near the local cemetery was called Styx. Satan is still running the life of Perm Region. Not far from Perm there is a small town called Berezniki. It is inhabited by only 200 thousand people. For several decades the town has been a place for potassium ore mining. Some years ago the town started sinking just because the old
empty mines were not filled with rocks in time. Just imagine a rather big town with its streets, squares, factories with smoking pipes and… an enormously huge crater on the edge of it, a hole in the ground. You can stand on the very brink and look deep into the abyss, indo Hades, into Hell. But to be fair, Perm is just a kind, variation of Hell. Not the Dante’s, but the Gogol’s, which all of Russia turns to be, if to regard it from the civilized point of view – from the point of view of a Moscow citizen, for example. The main feature of Russia is that there is no Russia as it is. It means that Russia exists almost like horror stories for children and fearful white-collars. Russia is a decoration; really clumsy, shabby, with birches and fir trees, poorly painted, with bears made of papier-mâché and carton citizens; a veneer that is sometimes shown on TV when it’s time for the President to explain what exactly he is going to modernize or when it’s time to show the brand new, marvellous Russian “Lada-Kalina”. It is well-known that whatever happens in Russia, it is always both comic and terrifying. An icicle falls on a baby carriage. A wife kills her husband for hitting the piglets who ate the chicken. And so on, and so forth. Russia is the Hell of sham, inanity and cruelty. The Bears are riding a bicycle, and a cat is riding backwards (The line originally belongs to Korney Chukovsky, a popular Russian children’s poet. The line opens his poem “The Giant Roach”, written in 1921). Moreover, Russia is terrifying because it is grotesquely huge. The cities are numerous, but the difference between them is really unclear. The only thing which is clear is that nothing good happens in any of the cities. Russia is a huge suburbia, no matter how you see it. Big Russian cities of 20 th century are rather pathetic themselves, especially Perm. It is known that in the Soviet times Perm was the main military and industrial hub: canons, aircraft engines, parts of rockets were produced here. That was the reason why Perm has lost its status of the Ural region central city (later given to “high-society” populated Ekaterinburg). The city was closed, meaning, forgotten. Not a word about Perm on TV or in the newspapers, and the access №1(01) 6-20 May 2011
Photographer: Ivan Kozlov
on its territory was restricted. It seemed that the collapse of the Soviet Union and “opening” of Perm should have changed the life there. But no one seemed to be interested in Perm. No one wanted to come to Perm. And the locals were and still are very eager to move to the places where roads are repaired, and winter lasts less than 6 months a year. Of course, Perm history has a secret plan. In the 19th century Perm was getting ready to become one of the biggest Russian cities – a powerful industrial, trade and cultural centre. Hundreds of enterprises, dozens of schools and a Theatre were successfully functioning here. In 1916 the University was open – as a branch of St. Petersburg University. Probably the funds saved during the 19th century helped Perm not to run wild within the period of Soviet industrialization. But for the last twenty years Perm has been slowly decaying, despite the illusion prosperity and has now finally become the city without motives, ideas or aims. In 2009 the “Cultural Revolution” began. It hasn’t stopped the decay and hasn’t turned the historical vector on 180 degrees, but at least has become a really seductive chance for Perm to break the curse. It all started with the Museum of contemporary Art, founded by Marat Guelman, famous Moscow gallery owner and political strategist. The opening of such an institution in a rather conservative and culturally traditional city was an outburst. Art has suddenly become the main topic on the front pages of local newspapers. The Federal Media began to pay attention to Perm a bit later: after Perm’s intention of becoming a cultural capital of Russia and then Europe had been announced. The events between 2009 and 2011 were a real cliff-hanger. New museum, new theatre, Residences for Artists, the opening of Perm centre of design development, mind-blowing contemporary art exhibitions, street art; festivals, the amount of which is growing in a geometric progression. But it is not that everything is perfect in Perm, local communities do not really welcome the cultural “revolutionists”, some of who moved to provincial Perm from “crowded, stuffy, vulgar and depraved Moscow”. It is considered that the conflict between patriots, national loyalists and newcomers who intend to change the image of Perm actually leads the plot of this cliff-hanger. And at the same time it seems that the implied sense of the cliff-hanger is hidden somewhere deep in the plot. And this secret meaning is a story of how Russia tries to see real trees behind the painted ones, tries to overcome itself and its fate. Although we are still far from the experiments completion, it most certainly still remains incredibly curious and entertaining.
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In 2009 the “Cultural Revolution” has begun
Art has suddenly become the main topic on the front pages of local newspapers
Tens of exhibitions, street performances and concerts are being held during one of the most important cultural event– festival of contemporary art called «Zhivaya Perm» (“Living Perm”)
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Always Bet on Putin
OPINION
Christine RIEDEL
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As the 2012 Russian presidential election draws near, there has been a buzz of speculations and a flurry of possible scenarios floating in the press as to who will run in the election and most importantly be the next Russian president.
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hough incumbent Dmitri Medvedev has not officially announced his bid for a re-election although he said he might – many expect this as a given. The Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has not stated out right that he is intent on running either, but a day later said he might oppose Medvedev in the race. Putin must have his reasons and according to the New York Times he thinks that announcing the candidates outright might paralyze the government. Geoffrey T. Smith of the Wall Street Journal believes that there is no chance that Putin will run against Medvedev, because the two are political intimates and long time partners, just as this would be unusual anywhere else in the world. In the same vain, as quoted in the Voice of Russia, president of the Effective Policy Foundation Gleb Pavlovsky is sure that only one from the Medvedev-Putin tandem will run for president: “Either Medvedev or Putin will take part in the election race, so a choice of candidate within the party of power won’t be a problem. Even though there is no consensus to this effect in the press, only one will run, as required by the current concept. If the two fail to come to agreement,
which is highly unlikely, the situation will follow quite a different scenario. A third candidate may come onto the scene. But this would undermine the unity of the ruling tandem.” Yuri Mamchur of the Russia Blog, on the other hand, believes that both Medvedev and Putin will run, with Putin winning the presidency largely due to his popularity, literally fuelled by the fortuitous circumstances brought on by high oil prices and relative stability of the last 11 years. Russian political analyst Irina Khakamada offers another scenario: “There can be three options. First, Medvedev runs for president by agreement with Putin, Putin remains prime minister to keep the main financial flows under control. Second, the two agree that Putin will run, so Medvedev gets a good position in the government. Third, both go to the polls to attract more public interest and to demonstrate that there is democracy in Russia.” Meanwhile, United Russia recently backed Putin as its candidate for the 2012
presidential election. According to the Telegraph, Yuri Shuvalov, the deputy head of the party’s ruling council said the following: “As for the party’s position on the 2012 elections, United Russia will orient itself on its leader Vladimir Putin. We are looking primarily at his candidacy when deciding the question of nominating a candidate from our party for the presidential elections.” Not to be outdone, according to Russia Today, the Prime Minister recently retorted that party members would be better off concentrating on their current work and the upcoming elections to the State Duma, which are due to take place in December 2011. In terms of the approval ratings, Putin and Medvedev are neck to neck (the latter’s popularity has risen a few points since last year). The registration of presidential candidates is due to start in five months, but there is still no concrete information regarding who will run. To some, it is even less certain who will win, but something tells me to always bet on Putin. Read more on www.russia.foreignpolicyblogs.com
Time for some clarity on Libya
Carl THOMSON Boris Gryzlov, the Speaker of Russia’s State Duma, famously said that “Parliament is not a place for discussion”. The same could be said for the House of Commons. On the day the Prime Minister announced that British military advisors would be sent to aid Libya’s rebels in their campaign against Colonel Gadaffi, there was no Minister at the Dispatch Box to explain this escalation of our participation in the conflict.
The House of Commons is currently on a long recess, rising in early April and returning for the three day week between Easter Monday and the royal wedding. This means MPs were unable to debate the change in our war aims from the protection of civilians to ousting Gadaffi from power, as well as other matters of importance. Even before the declaration from President Obama, Nicolas Sarkozy and David Cameron that the safety of civilians could only be guaranteed by Gadaffi’s removal, there was a growing realisation that we would only be seen to have achieved success once the dictator was gone. The UN resolution that forms the basis of Britain’s involvement in Libya authorises coalition forces to establish a no-fly zone to protect civilians from air strikes. It has also been interpreted to allow action against tanks and offensive weaponry if UN forces believe they are going to be used against non-combatants. Regime change goes further than this, and was not part of № 1(01) 6-20 May 2011
the original UN mandate. Moreover, it contradicts promises that were made to Parliament at the commencement of military action. This change in policy has received little in the way of scrutiny or debate, but has serious repercussions for the length of time we can expect to stay involved and the resources that will be required to succeed. Widening our mission to involve NATO forces in deciding the military outcome not only goes beyond our remit, but will lead to the West becoming more implicated in any future political settlement. Very little scrutiny has been given to the Libyan rebels and who they represent. Their fighting prowess and access to artillery and armoured vehicles suggest they are hardly terrified, huddled civilians. Questions are already being asked about how much money we are committing to the fight and who will pay for the rebuilding of Libya once the war is over. The Prime Minister needs to explain what offers of support he has had from the international community, particularly the oil rich Arab nations that were so keen on action against Gadaffi and which must now bear their share of the cost. The vote in the House of Commons on 23rd March gave the Government overwhelming support for military action, but there are indications that MPs may have been out of step with the public. An Ipsos poll suggests that more than half the British population are against our involvement in Libya. 51% agree that “the problems in Libya are none of our business” and 79% believe that in the current economic climate we cannot afford any more military intervention. The danger is that, the deeper we get into Libya, the more we find ourselves in a quagmire from which we are unable to extricate ourselves. Thankfully, UN forces have so far ruled the skies, with little in the way of casualties. But even if Gadaffi loyalists are not yet planting IEDs at the roadside or strapping on suicide belts, there is likely to be no shortage of radicalised young men from Sudan and Saudi Arabia willing to do so. If we are now committed to full scale military intervention on behalf of the Libyan rebels, we need a clear timetable from the Government about how long it believes it will take to remove Gadaffi, as well as their strategy for doing so and what plans they have for post-war reconstruction. It would also be helpful if they would set out exactly where our national interest lies in Libya. Some analysts have suggested Nicolas Sarkozy supported intervention against Gadaffi to appear decisive on the world stage ahead of next year’s presidential election. Sarkozy would do well to remember his historical Russian counterpart, Vyacheslav von Plehve, who in 1904 suggested that a “short, victorious war” would do wonders for the popularity of Tsar Nicholas II. At the time, no one could have anticipated the results of a similar over-confidence and lack of planning to that which we now see in Libya. 15
Step Forward
I Daria ALYUKOVA
There is no doubt Yuri Gagarin has become one of the few contemporary global idols who are neither musicians nor sportsmen. For many o f those born before 1990 space exploration has a touch of personal story. Many dreamt, as kids, to become cosmonauts. The dream job list could include a border guard dog, a long distance trucker and an icecream vendor – but there is no doubt cosmonaut/astronaut was in the top-5 in many countries, especially in those actually involved in space exploration.
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nterestingly, Russian Google search returns 2,410,000 results to “when I grow up, I want to be Gagarin” and only 439,000 “when I grow up, I want to be a cosmonaut”. This is a vivid illustration to the way Gagarin embodies the dream of space exploration. But what life did Yuri dream about when he was a kid himself? How did he decide to become a pilot? He was born on 9 March 1934 in a village of Klushino in Smolensk Oblast in Russia. The story runs that he was chosen over German Titov because the latter was born in Altai krai, a colonized territory, while Smolensk has been Russian territory from time immemorial. Contrary to a popular misconception about Gagarin’s purely proletarian origin (his parents were a milkmaid and a carpenter), his mother spent many years in St.Petersburg and was able to educate him culturally.
Few things are known for sure about Yuri’s childhood, as the village he grew up in was destroyed by war and turned into a concentration camp. On the 1 September 1941 he started school, and by the 12 October the Nazi’s occupied the village. No doubt this period was the most difficult for his family. The acid test of the wartime stress educated and strengthened Yuri. If what was said by official propaganda is true, he decided to become a pilot when he saw a shot down Soviet aircraft falling, and this sounds very plausible. Although space technology was largely mythologized, Yuri Gagarin seemed very human, charmingly nonperfect amid other cosmonauts who were mostly solemn and laconic – the Olympian gods of the Soviet era. This is likely to have added a lot to Gagarin’s image of an unquestioned global idol. An image of Yuri Gagarin, an undoubted hero, is getting more and more popular. His face is among most recognized Russians abroad. Gagarin is a potential pop-idol depicted on the number of T-shirts matched only by Che Guevara and Albert Einstein sticking his tongue out. Gagarin was one of the best PR-projects of the
Soviet era; but his popularity is more than a product of Soviet propaganda, it is a social phenomenon per se. Despite the fierce competition in space technology, the 12 April 1961 was a moment of joy, a celebration of human achievement. Thankfully, nowadays space exploration is a matter of international cooperation instead of competition.
Yuri Gagarin
Superstar A brief historical note on the first man in space may create an illusion that it all went predictably and smoothly. This, in a way, belittles the achievement: as if Korolev at the first whistle from the Party sent Gagarin, without fear and without doubt, up to the eternal glory. But there was much more to it.
Short of the launch, neither Korolev nor the other engineers were entirely sure the mission would be successful. The whole technical team was under threat in case they cancelled the flight, and the launch mission evaluation was signed (for fairness’ sake, the Challenger launch decision in 1986 is ascribed to NASA’s choice to accept a safety risk to meet a launch schedule, so Korolev’s risky decision was not an attribute of Soviet regime). The news report announcing the first manned flight into space was not live – it was prepared in advance. Besides the triumphant report, there was another one in reserve: an obituary for the first cosmonaut who died an honourable death. The first man in space was accompanied by the first gun in space. It was a Makarov given to Gagarin under formal submission of a possible landing in an
uninhabited land. Between the lines was the option for Gagarin to use the gun for himself in case of technical failure. In press and official photographs the event appears polished and perfect. However, as times go by this perception plays a low-down trick: one might think that as it was all so
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he British Council also co-produced a movie ‘First Orbit – Around the World in 108 Minutes’. In collaboration with the European Space Agency and the astronauts onboard the International Space Station, filmmaker Chris Riley created a movie that weaves historic audio recordings of Gagarin’s voice with new footage of his orbital route. The film premiered globally for free on YouTube at sunrise on the 12th April. In addition, the Yuri’s Night network organized hundreds of parties across the world to watch the film on more than 700 screens in 60 countries and celebrate the incredible breakthrough. Filmed by astronaut Paolo Nespoli, ‘First Orbit’ delivers breath-taking digital, full high-definition views of the Earth from above. The script demonstrated by Chris Riley is probably the most unusual in the industry: it is in fact a map of the orbital path of Vostok 1. It was used to recreate Gagarin’s original route as closely as possible.
well-planned and smooth, it wasn’t as heroic after all. But there were hitches, disturbances, uncertainties; it was a truly heroic deed, an amazing achievement beyond human compass. It was not as predetermined and obvious as it may seem now. Thankfully, Korolev was right, the obituary remained on the shelf, and the gun did not shoot a bullet. 17
Russia in Faces
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â„–1(01) 6-20 May 2011
Photo blog Photographer: Sergey Samsonov
â„–1(01) 6-20 May 2011
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Love and Hate
in the City of Lights Poklonnaya Hill
Moscow Bolshoi Theater
8-9
years old. I just turned eight the first time I came to Moscow. We ended up living there for a year. It was mostly school, more like a prison back then. I remember all the kids being very competitive in every single way. My father used to take me to the Poklonnaya Hill to rollerblade almost every weekend. The hill has the monumental museum to the Soviet victory in the Great Patriotic war, with a very long alley way leading to the museum. This place is overflowing with history. In 1812 this was the place where Napoleon expected the keys from the Kremlin to be brought to him; little did he know that that was never to happen. It has tanks and other war machines exhibited that were used during the World Wars. I still go back there to remember how great and united the country was during the war.
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10-14
years old. Once we left Moscow, we would still come back every summer. I hated it. I didn’t know anyone, all my so called ‘friends’ from school weren’t exciting and I lost all interest. All I had left ‘fun’ to do was going to see family on the outskirts of Moscow, or hang out with my childhood friend. I was way too young for anyone to be interested in hanging out with me, even though there were attempts on occasion. This is how I discover theater, not just any but the Russian theater. Every theater has its own troupe of actors, some of them are stars some of them aren’t, but they are still amazing. Unfortunately for me, summer is a very low season for theater but any chance I had I would buy a ticket and sink into the magical world of the stage. This was also a stage in my life when me and my childhood friend would spend much time together, our favorite pass time was rescuing animals, we had a kitten, a rat, a fish, and a lobster called Sebastian, yes like in the little mermaid. None of them, for some reason, would stick around, so the sandbox in the playground resembled the pet cemetery in a couple of years.
Old
The outskirts of Moscow, or podmoskovie has nature out of this world. Many areas have relaxation homes, where you can get healthy and rest all year round, but the summer is the best; long walks in the forest, bathing in the lakes, cycling in the fields, it’s breathtaking.
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years old. This brought on a period of my life where I didn’t want to go to Moscow at all, I was bored, I couldn’t stand sitting at home all the time, or seeing family who, during the rebel Vinzavod
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Traveller’s Diary Love-Hate relationships are close to me, but this one has seen a drastic transformation over the last few years. As I grow I start thinking that Moscow is like an adult movie, it shouldn’t be allowed for children. The lifestyle and what the city of lights has to offer can send you into a whirlwind of emotions and parental control is advised in the beginning. Over the years my relationship with Moscow has drastically changed. This city is like a good book or movie, the one where you discover something new every time you go back to it. My story with Moscow changes over certain periods of time.
Ecaterina KILIAN Noor Bar
Old Arbat
teenage years, all seemed evil and irritating. I may have even skipped a summer. I was starting to have a soft spot for art, especially contemporary art, Moscow has that in abundance. Vinzavod is the best example of that. The latter is an exhibition space in central Moscow. It used to be a wine factory, hence the name (vino-wine, zavod-factory), but has now been refurbished into the most hyped and fashionable exhibition space in Moscow, with constant pop up shops and cafes. During lonely afternoons the best place to go was the Stary Arbat (Old Arbat), a very long pedestrian street that used to be filled
№1(01) 6-20 May 2011
with different souvenir tents, painters and other street artists. The long walk is peaceful despite the amount of people passing by everyday.
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years old. This is when everything changed. When at university I met two girls who were from Moscow, we started getting along extremely well. They are the ones who changed Moscow for me once and for all. With them I started discovering the other side of the city of lights, the side that doesn’t sleep. Did you know that the only time of the day when you don’t’ have any traffic is between 5 am and 6:30 am? This is when people shower and change between fun and work. Where else in the world can you have a business meeting or a date at 2am? Moscow is a 24hour city, once I was looking for the strangest 24/7 business, and you can get tractor pieces anytime delivered to you. It all started at Propaganda, near the Kitay-gorod metro station. Propaganda is a fairly priced, good food place during the day that turns into a night club during the night, It is buzzing with tourists and is a very hip place. Then it moved to the Simachev Bar, a shop and bar/club owned by
the Russian designer Denis Simachev, and ‘Sorry, Babushka’, a karaoke/bar/restaurant/ shisha/club, all near Kitay-gorod underground station. Enough with the party places, let’s move on to where to eat. Moscow has an ever changing food scene, not everyone can survive. The best known steak houses are Goodman, all over Moscow, Sushi restaurants in Moscow are amazing, all of them. My recent favorite ones are Milli and Chi, situated on the Lubiankiy Proezd, built within the same building with one part Italian and the other Chinese. Milli has a delightful terrace from April till October and Chi has an open kitchen where you can see the chefs at work. On my recent trips, my favorite place to go has been Noor Bar, in the middle of the Tverskaya Street, the welcoming staff and amazing barmen make you feel very at home. The bar is not big and simple but has been growing in popularity with the creative population of the capital, it’s sister restaurant Dodo has the best fish you can have in Moscow.
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Rule Your Life Blog Letters to YOU:
“How can I create a Blissful Life?” Dear YOU, How many times did you hear your friends, colleagues, family members saying how badly they want to change something in their lives…be it a job, a partner or a house? How many times have you said to your friends, colleagues, family members how badly you want to change something in your life? I hear this every day, even on my days off work (oh, yeah, it is my job to help people go through changes in life fairly quickly) – I hear about “life changes” during dinners with friends, on Facebook, in newspapers, on TV and even from my mum! Everybody seems to be desperate to change life or even to start a new one! But how many people have you met that actually DID change their lives around and enjoy the benefits of this change?! Probably, just a few. It doesn’t matter what it is that you want to adjust in your life, it’s just not enough to say two hundred times that you want to change this or that - it’s important to come up with a good plan and stick to it. I want to offer you a few steps that will bring you closer to creating happy, blissful life. Think about your past mistakes and FORGIVE yourself. Re-living past unhappy moments is very destructive for present life. There is literally nothing you could do about past – so stop blaming yourself for what you could have done differently but haven’t done and let it go! Think about people that hurt you in the past. Are these people still in your life? If the answer is NO, then I’m very happy and you’re already blessed. If you
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have unresolved situations with some people, and it’s still bothering you – speak to them, stop being angry and let it go! Also think about people you might have hurt in the past – and ask them to forgive you! It will definitely lift the weight off your shoulders. Think of the things that you value the most in your life. If someone doesn’t like your fashion sense, then it has nothing to do with you – so stop worrying what people think about you. Think this - “If you don’t like me remember it’s mind over matter; I don’t mind and you don’t matter.” If you don’t like something in your life, then change it. I know it sounds simple, but why complicate things?! Don’t expect other people to change, start with changing your attitude towards your life and towards other people, start changing yourself to the way you want to be! Start thinking what it is that YOU really want and what it is that is missing in YOUR life. If you hate your job – quit and find a new one! If you are missing some professional skills – find and attend the right courses.
Pay attention to the language you use – make sure you use more positive words. Happy people are attracted to other happy people. Eliminate all the negativity from your life. Smile more often and invite happiness in your life! Think of all the great things you already have – food, air, shelter etc. Doesn’t matter how much or how little you have - learn to appreciate what you already have and be grateful for it. Express your gratitude for everything that is happening around you. Get all the help you need from family, friends, life coach or mentor. Let these people help you find your strengths and fight your weaknesses, keep you on track, remind you of your progress and of course…celebrate with you!!! Be healthy, wealthy and happy…..& Remember: “Life is beauty, admire it. Life is bliss, taste it. Life is a dream, realize it. Life is a challenge, meet it.” Always by your side, Tati Irodova www.lifeskillsemporium.com
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Conversation
Sixty Seconds with a Genius Grigori Perelman, the worldfamous unsociable genius, has managed to produce two global sensations in a row. First, when he solved one of the biggest mysteries of mathematics known as the Poincaré conjecture, about the nature of space. Second, when he rejected a 1 million dollar reward from the Clay Mathematics Institute. Now the mathematician hits the headlines once again – he allegedly granted an interview to the “President-Film” producer A. Zabrovsky.
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rigori Yakovlevich, yet in your school years you represented the USSR at the International Mathematical Olympiad in Budapest and became a gold medalist… Preparing for a competition like that, we tried to solve mathematical problems which required abstract intelligence. This ability to distract your mind from mathematical logics is the primary objective of such daily practice. To find the right solution, you need to envision “a part of this world”. Isn’t that too complicated for schoolchildren? Well, if we speak about conditioned and unconditioned reflexes, a baby starts to discover the world at birth. If you can train legs and arms, why can’t you train brains? Do you happen to remember a problem that seemed unsolvable? Hmm, rather not. Challenging – that would be more precise. Do you remember the biblical legend about Jesus walking on the water? So, I had to calculate the exact speed that he had to move with in order not to sink. Were the calculations right? Well, if the legend still exists, I guess they were. There is no complicated puzzle here. Thanks to our teachers, we had decent knowledge in topology – the science that allows the understanding of space properties and the handling of formulae intelligently. By the way, I never regarded the competition victory as a milestone event – it was just another step in the learning of a favorite 24
science. By the way, do you know I had to scratch my head when I was choosing a profession? How is that possible? I had a right to enter any higher institution in the USSR. So I was torn between Mathematics and Mechanics Faculty and a music conservatory. I opted for mathematics… Now it’s great to recollect the student times. We managed to do so many things. The process of learning was absorbing, we used to lose track of days and seasons You made a statement in science in your early twenties… I did not make a statement I just continued researching the problems of three-dimensional space studies. It is so interesting. So you tried to embrace the unembraceable? Exactly. Except for the fact that every unembraceable thing is embraceable. I wrote my PhD dissertation under guidance of Alexandrov, a
member of the Academy of Sciences. The subject was easy: «Saddle surfaces in Euclidean spaces». Can you imagine equal-sized and non-equidistant surfaces at infinity? So we need to measure the “valleys” between them. Is this a theory? This is already practice. What will the trajectory be of a spaceship flying to the Canis Major constellation? What will be the obstacles in his way?
If you want to put it even simpler – is there any sense in cutting the hay in a valley among three hills? How many people and machines will you need for that? Turns out the Ministry of Agriculture is redundant. You have a formula – use it and calculate. And you won’t have to worry about crises. Isn’t it scholasticism? You can call it a wheel, an axe, a hammer or an anvil – anything but scholasticism. Let’s see. The peculiarity of contemporary mathematics consists in the fact that it studies artificially designed objects. There are no multidimensional spaces in nature, no groups, no fields and rings of the kind that are studied by mathematicians. While engineering constantly produces new appliances and devices, mathematics produces their analogs: logical techniques for analysts in various spheres of science. And every mathematical theory sooner or later finds an application. For example, many generations of mathematicians and philosophers tried to axiomatize philosophy. As a result of multiple attempts, a Boolean algebra was created – it is named after George Boole, the Irish mathematician and philosopher. This theory has become central to cybernetics and general control problems, along with achievements in other spheres that led to the invention of computers, contemporary naval, aerial and space vehicles. The history of mathematics is full of similar examples. Does it mean that every theoretical development has the potential for applied relevance? Undoubtedly. Why was it important to spend years struggling with Poincaré’s conjecture? Simply put, the essence of the theory is as follows: if a three-dimensional surface is something like a sphere, it can be turned into a sphere. Poincaré’s conjecture is called “A Formula of Universe”, as it is essential for studying complex physical processes in the theory of the universe – it responds to the question of its shape. This will also play an important role in nanoscience. Hence the cheerful, reassuring statements of the “pioneers” in this sphere… They are all nonsense. An attempt to build a house on sand… I learned how to calculate voids, and together with my colleagues we study mechanisms of filling in social and economic “voids”. They are everywhere, and this can be calculated, this gives tremendous opportunities… I know how to rule the Universe. So why do you think I would run for the stupid million?! №1(01) 6-20 May 2011
Arts Classical
What is New
Cinema
An Elephant Story Ecaterina KILIAN
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ater for elephants is love story. Starring Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon, Christoph Waltz and most importantly Tai the elephant. The film is about a veterinary student who on the day of his final exam finds out that both his parents have died in a car accident. He then decides to leave his life and stumbles upon a circus that welcomes him. This is where he meets Marlena, the star of the show, and her husband; the director of the circus. Jacob, portrayed by Pattinson falls for the forbidden fruit; Marlena, portrayed by Witherspoon. Christoph Waltz plays the petrifying director of the circus who is desperately in awe of his wife and could anything and everything for her, his emotional stability is tested when he notices that Jacob has a crush on her. Waltz’s performance is Oscar worthy, he is one of few actors who can exceptionally play anyone. In this movie all the recognition should be centered on Tai who plays Rosie the elephant, that was the best performance in the movie. Witherspoon is very confusing as the confused strong woman, by the end of the movie she is still not very convincing with her life decisions. Robert Pattinson did crack a few smiles, which is a big change from Twilight and remember me, and he did have a shower which is already more than enough. All together the movie is good, and is definitely on the ‘to watch’ list of 2011 but not great enough for the award season. Out in the UK the 4th May 2011
Unbelievable Show Ecaterina KILIAN
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illy Elliot has been a front runner on the London theater scene for years. You will know why when you see it. You have to see it to believe what children are capable of. The show is not just a well rehearsed choreography, every movement, word, breath, look comes from within the heart. Billy Elliot is a story about a little boy who wants to become a dancer, the difficulties he meets on the way are the death of his mother, his father, and the miner’s strike. The story is set in north east of England during the 1984/85 miner’s strike. The show has been running since 2005 and has fast established itself as one of the best shows in the world. Dean Charles Chapman plays one of the Billys, he has a captivating voice and look. Watching the show is better than watching the movie. Everyone seems to be born with the knowledge of what they are supposed to do and where they are supposed to be. The children that are in Billy’s ballet class are wonderful, they are good enough to dance badly and all of them have amazing facial expressions. The show is long, and it does get late, and even though there are four boys playing Billy and they change the kids from the dance class, no one would be able to say if they are tired or that this is a routine for them, it looks very fresh. Billy Elliot is a great family show, and would be one of the best theater experiences you could experience being an adult or a child. Trade secret: Monday to Thursday tickets are £20 for best available places if bought on the day. Now booking until 17 December 2011
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Fashion Insider
Russian Fashion for Beginners Everybody has heard something about Russian fashion and if you speculate a bit on the issue you get the idea that it must exist. However you can hardly find a person who has seen it with their own eyes.
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will reveal the mystery for you right now. A Fashion industry in Russia really exists, but the question is to which extent. The main problem of such misperception is the outcoming information you get. Russia is luxury. No comments, but just take into account that luxury is just 15% of the whole market. And what is usually the main representation of the fashion industry inside a country? Yes, it’s a fashion week. The event which somehow shows the state of the industry – its achievements, opportunities and strengths. At least it should not focus on its weaknesses so much. Quantitatively there is no problem with fashion weeks in Russia. Paris and Milan could envy. We were lucky to have three fashion weeks devoted to the season autumn-winter 2011. It is important to mention that we are talking only about Moscow now. Guests and journalists felt glamorous and a bit perplexed by the choice they had to face as the runway schedules were overlapping one another. Some journalists mixed up which show belonged to which week. It’s unpleasant but understandable. Several foreign bloggers were invited as it later turned out for the evil – some of them didn’t like the shows and speculated about it in a written form for many readers to follow. Even a runway show devoted to pineapples as a form of life exploring its interconnections with fashion didn’t help to improve the situation. The most interesting battle still was in the sponsorship – two car producers against one credit card. Lose-lose-lose situation. If you have economists among your friends tell them about the phenomenon. Last week however a curious event happened and it had much more to do 26
with the above-mentioned story than it seemed from first sight. The premiere of film “Generation P” took place in Moscow. Based on a cult novel that exploded into Russian society in 1999, it tells a story of a young guy with a strange name Vavilen Tatarsky who became a copywriter and creator at the upscale of the 90s. Surfing on the waves of incipient capitalism Vavilen adjusts advertising to the so-called Eurasian mentality and writes slogans trying to find out what is really happening with Russia and who is responsible for it. Life to Vavilen is a lonely trip under burning sun, in his case the trip is a kind of esoteric – with character Ishtar goddess leading him to the ziggurat of consumer culture. In Russia we have been waiting for 10 years for the film but now many who have seen it are rather dissatisfied. The most radical critics mention that it’s all advertising of advertising, and the more lenient ones say that the content of the book is too difficult to visualize. Actually the film is marvellous. They say, 10 years is too long to wait for it but in fact a much longer period is needed in order to get away from that period and take a look at it from a distance. The film is not about the 1990s. It’s still a film about our world today. As one of the characters said the essence of the events happening in Russia would always be the same so the concept of a job in advertising and PR would always be the same. So it’s no doubt. Next year we will see those high-budgeted events again. Some may blame me for criticizing the Russian fashion weeks – they are relatively young and they at least let events happen in Russia. Then it could give birth to something more valuable if we follow this logic. The fact is that so many valuable things are happening all around right now and they do not have enough attention, proper coverage or finance and it jeopardizes its development. Talents should receive help, that’s true. That’s what we will do here. We will tell you about things that are really going on and people who really are changing the
Vinzavod
GUM – main department store in Moscow
shape and content of the Russian Fashion industry or could have changed with a bit more of help. We will base out estimates on facts and make judgements; we will be subjective and turn to the opinion of other professionals who are contributing to the industry every single day – from business owners to store managers. Together we will try to form maybe for the first time a deliberate perception of processes happening in Russian fashion and show who is pulling the strings. And now a small reality check test in order to prepare you for the next issue. Do you know that there are Russian designers you even do not see during the fashion weeks who are distributed all over the world? A good example is Gosha Rubchinsky who questions the deepest cultural references in his collections. He got a good response to his enquiry. Dover Street Market made an order for Gosha’s line and Phoebe №1(01) 6-20 May 2011
Ekaterina PETUKHOVA
A model displays a creation of Russian designer Slava Zaitsev during the Russian fashion week in Moscow
The most hype department store in Moscow Tsvetnoy opened in November, 2010
Philo from Celine appeared personally to buy some stuff in London. Another intriguing question. What place in the Russian market does a world leader like H&M hold? Only the 17th as 18% of the market belongs to the Russian companies and those other giants like Zara, UNIQLO, Benetton, with H&M not even managing 5% of the market by turnover. Sounds a bit unexpected, doesn’t it? №1(01) 6-20 May 2011
And last but not least, at the conference devoted to the development of online retail in Russia it turned out that there are 60 million people inside the country ready to shop online. Taking into account that Russia is quite a sealed online market with practically blocked express delivery from abroad we are waiting eagerly for a new astonishing retail project to come. Investors
and target audience are also waiting impatiently. Russia is still a country full of opportunities and people doing amazing projects in fashion here and now. Let’s take a look deep inside and find out what’s going on. Well, turning to Pelevin again, you know that “deep knowledge of life can be drawn only from life itself”. 27
Street Chic
The League of Gentlemen Whom Do You Associate with Russia?
Marco Tenten, 26 years, student, M&S Suit, loake shoes
Jonathan Hunt, 28 years, consultant UBS, suit from Jaeger
George Navesey, 18 years, promoter, Taylor and Wright suit
Tom Vale, 26 years, M&S Store Manager, Suite from Next
Andrei Arshavin
Abramovich
28
Vladimir Putin
Putin
Paul Synott, hedge fund operations, suit from Paul Costelloe
Andrei Arshavin
Rupert Bell, 27 years, engineer, 3 piece Victorian style suite
Nobody
â„–1(01) 6-20 May 2011
James Blah, 34 years, caterer, Edwardian businessman style suite
Roman Abramovich
Tucani Naxoweni, 32 years, broker, suit French Eye
Vladimir Putin
â„–1(01) 6-20 May 2011
Jorge Montana, 25 years, research analyst, suite from Zara
Russian Vodka
Michael, 28 years, Financial Adviser, Suit from Reiss ArshavinÂ
Jan Hazel, 29 years, Asset Management Directions. Tailored suit from Thailand, shoes topshop
President Medvedev
Fulgence Kayiranga, 41 years, Investment Analyst, suit from Charles Tyrwhitt
Medvedev
29
Bartender
THE ARCH BAR C
entrally located between Knightsbridge and Mayfair, the newly opened bar at InterContinental London Park Lane – The Arch Bar - is already a hit with locals, hotel residents and London’s most discerning drinkers. Set within the hotel, The Arch Bar boasts unobstructed views of the outside gardens and parks as well as the iconic Wellington Arch and completely transforms the hotel’s food and drink offering outside of its two lauded restaurants, Cookbook Cafe and Theo Randall at The InterContinental. Largely gin-focused and set within a relaxed and contemporary space, The Arch Bar offers a wide spectrum of the highest quality spirits – many of them carefully sourced from a number of virtually undiscovered artisan
London producers. A large selection of English wines and beers by the glass are also on offer, as well as a considered list of Champagnes. Highlights from the brilliant cocktail list include: Mother’s Ruin made with Six o’Clock Gin, Tuppence Duty, a mix of champagne, fresh lemon and Fifty Pound Gin and Ernest Roots – a new take on the classic Hemingway Daiquiri. Running daily between 5.30–6.30pm, The Arch Bar Gin Hour currently offers regulars and newcomers alike the chance to sample the bartenders’ daily gin special. Tuesdays are known as “Tipple Tuesdays” - visitors to The Arch Bar are encouraged to enjoy free cocktail tastings, hosted by a visiting Gin Ambassador representing one of the 25 gins the bar has to offer. This is without doubt an
ideal opportunity for drinks enthusiasts to really brush up on their spirits and cocktail knowledge! And on the third Thursday of every month, The Arch Bar showcases exclusive Champagne brands like Moet & Chandon and Veuve Clicquot and feel-good live music Adjacent to The Arch Bar is the new Wellington Lounge, offering an all-day dining menu consisting of
well-priced, small sharing plates. And not to be missed is the stunning afternoon tea offering, featuring the hotel’s own perfectly regal Wellington Blend, created by Executive Chef Paul Bates in association with the highly reputed modern tea emporium, The Tea Palace. The Arch Bar, is located at InterContinental London Park Lane, One Hamilton Place, Park Lane, London, W1J 7QY
THEO RANDALL T
he award-winning Theo Randall at the InterContinental is one of London’s most celebrated Italian restaurants. Located at one of the most prestigious addresses in the capital, Number One Park Lane, the restaurant has gone from strength to strength over the past four years since opening. With acclaimed chef Theo Randall – author of the best-selling cookbook PASTA! - at the helm, the restaurant’s simple approach to Italian food has earned loyal followers and rave reviews from critics and food-lovers alike. 30
Prior to opening his self-named restaurant with the InterContinental London Park Lane, Theo Randall – a relaxed, friendly and softlyspoken character - was the head chef at the Michelin-starred River Café for ten years. Working alongside mentors Ruth Rogers and the late Rose Gray, he developed a clearly evident passion for beautiful, seasonal and unfussy food. October 2010 revealed Theo Randall as a top runner up for the London Lifestyle Awards’ ‘London Restaurant of The Year’, only eighteen months after he won Best Italian Restaurant of The Year, from the London Restaurant Awards. And in January 2010 Condé Nast Traveller named Theo Randall as the key contributing factor behind InterContinental London Park Lane being named as the Best Hotel in the UK for Food. Theo’s cuisine is always seasonal and perpetually brilliant. Current highlights on the
menu at Theo Randall at The InterContinental include a starter of Calamari in padella, which translates as pan-fried squid with fresh cannellini beans, chilli, anchovy, parsley chopped rocket served with fresh lemon. Capelletti di vitello, a signature dish of the chef of fresh pasta stuffed with slow cooked veal, pancetta and butter is guaranteed to leave you feeling euphoric! And Costata di agnello – roast rack of Somerset lamb with wood roasted artichokes, beetroots and salsa d’erbe – is also outstanding. Most definitely a creative genius, Theo can regularly be seen throughout the week in his restaurant cooking and of course, on top TV cooking shows such as BBC1’s Saturday Kitchen. For reservations email reservations@theorandall.com, log onto www.theorandall.com or telephone 020 7318 8747 № 1(01) 6-20 May 2011
RussianMind
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