RUSSIAN FILM PIONEERS PAGE 16-17
RussianMind №2 (02), 20 May -3 June 2011, www.RussianMind.com, £2.00
Different Russia Page 18-19 Chemistry of Creativity Page 20-21 The Free Spirits of Russian Literature Page 10 National Comparisons: USA, UK, Russia Page 14-15
UK
RM www.RussianMind.com
Contents
Acting Editor Olga Kudriavtseva olga@russianmind.com Head of Editorial Board Mark Hollingsworth mark@russianmind.com Managing Director Azamat Sultanov md@russianmind.com Project Director Alina Blinova alina@russianmind.com Art Director Yuri Nor ynor@russianmind.com Front Page Design Elizabeth Yurieva info@russianmind.com Special Project Department Daria Alyukova d.alyukova@russianmind.com
6-7 – The Russian Billionaires’ Club 8 – Russia’s Sad Copy-Cat Act 9 – Teamwork Motivation 10 The Free Spirits of Russian Literature
IT Director Oleksii Vyshnikov it@russianmind.com
11 - Contemporary Art and Design
Sub Editor Ricky Wyatt wyatt@russianmind.com
12-13 – The Wall
Distribution Olga Tsvetkova distribution@russianmind.com In print: Vadim Nikitin, Ecaterina Kilian, Anatoly Karlin, Ecaterina Petukhova, Ivan Kolpakov, Tatiana Irodova, Anton Phatianov, Sergey Dolya, Victor Borisov. 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: grankina@russianmind. com
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6-7
16-17
14-15 – National Comparisons: USA, UK, Russia 16-17 – Russian Cinema: Tackling the Pioneers
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Contents
18-19 – Different Russia 20-21 – Chemistry of Creativity, Chemistry of Russia Character
20-21
26-27
22 – How Can I Network Effectively? 24-25 – A Roman Holiday 26-27 – Concept Stores in Russia. Yes, We Can. 28-29 – Smart Ladies 30-31 – Viva Russian Mind!
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Londongrad
The Russian Billionaires’ Club In Mark HOLLINGSWORTH is the author of 'Londongrad: From Russia with Cash'. He has also written biographies of Mark Thatcher and Lord Bell and books about MI5 and the Saudi Royal Family. He writes for most national newspapers and for 'Tatler' magazine. And he has made 25 television documentaries.
2002 the Russian film Oligarkh was released. Its main character, Platon Makovsky (Platon is the Russian name for Plato), was a young, idealistic academic who abandoned his studies for the shady world of post-Sovietera business. Platon devised a series of questionable deals by which he outfoxed his opponents: the Russian secret service. First, he rapidly became the richest man in Russia with financial and political power equal to the state. Then he ended up as the government’s rival and sworn enemy. Set during the economic convulsions that followed the collapse of communism, Oligarkh was a graphic, if fictional, account of a small group of businessmen who acquired the nation’s wealth. But the film also presented the characters as visionaries who provided the lifeblood of a country paralyzed by fear of change. As the New Yorker noted: “Once a freedom-loving idealist, Platon used his genius to become a monster, unhesitatingly sacrificing his ideals and his closest friends. This is the tragedy of this super-talented individual who embodies all that is most creative in the new Russia and, at the same time, all which is worst for the country that he privatised for his own profit” Based on the novel Bolshaya Paika (The Lion’s Share) written by Yuli Dubov, who went on to work for Berezovsky, the film broke Russian box-office records and drew gasps from the audience at the scenes of obscene private opulence. It has been broadly compared to the early years of one of the country’s most notorious oligarchs: Boris Berezovsky.
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Played by Russian sex symbol Vladimir Mashkov, the leading character was portrayed sympathetically as a freedomloving patriot who proclaimed at one point that he would rather go to jail than leave Russia. Although there were scenes of armed standoffs, the plot mostly glossed over the methods by which such a small clique made such huge fortunes so quickly. Berezovsky accepted that the film was based – if somewhat loosely – on his own early life. He invited the director to his London home for a viewing of the film and told the BBC, ‘As a work of art I think it is primitive. But I appreciate the effort to understand people like me. It is the first attempt in recent Russian cinema to understand the motivations of those at the peak of power, who drive reforms and make changes rather than cope with them.’ As they started to beat a path to London, and as their reputations grew, №2(02) 20 May -3 June 2011
Londongrad so the new breed of super-rich Russians began to intrigue the British public: ‘We like to follow them because we are astonished at how people who not that long ago were queuing for bread are now able to outbid the rest of the world’s super-rich for Britain’s finest houses,’ one Mayfair property agent told us. In his early sixties, Berezovsky is old enough to remember the bread queues in his own country, but such a modest lifestyle did not extend into his adult years. The man once known as the ‘Grey Cardinal’ because of his dominating influence at the Kremlin was not shy when it came to spending his fortune. In 1995 he bought himself a palatial residence outside Moscow, complete with servants, and accumulated a fleet of sports cars. He acquired an interest in fine wine and smoked only the best cigars. His brazen lifestyle soon became the stuff of legend. Here was a man with a way of life that had once been the province only of the Russian aristocracy before the Revolution. With an estimated fortune of Ј1.5 billion at the time, he epitomized the term ‘Russian oligarch’. His power was such that by the autumn of 1996 he could boast that he and six other individuals controlled 50 per cent of the Russian economy.4 Berezovsky was exaggerating, but from the early 1990s Russia was quickly transformed from a highly centralized economy to one in which some thirty or so individuals owned and controlled the commanding heights: its vast natural resources and manufacturing. Russia moved at high speed from being a political dictatorship to a society not just heavily owned by a tiny, superwealthy elite, but one wielding, for a while, enormous political power. The word ‘oligarch’ was first used in Russia on 13 October 1992, when Khodorkovsky’s Bank Menatep
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announced plans to provide banking services for what it called ‘the financial and industrial oligarchy’. This was for clients with private means of at least $10 million. By the mid-1990s, the word was common parlance across Russia. The origins of the word lie in Classical Greek political philosophy. Both Plato’s Republic and Aristotle’s Politics describe rule by an elite rather than by the democratic will of the people. Historically, ‘oligarch’ was a word used to describe active opponents of Athenian democracy during the fifth century
bc, when Greece was ruled on several occasions by brutal oligarch regimes that butchered their democratic opponents. Like their ancient Greek counterparts, few of the modern Russian oligarchs became mega-rich by creating new wealth but rather by insider political intrigue and by exploiting the weakness of the rule of law. Driven by a lust for
money and power, they secured much of the country’s natural and historic wealth through the manipulation of the post-Soviet-era process of privatization. When Boris Yeltsin succeeded Mikhail Gorbachev as President in 1991, Russia had reached another precarious stage in its complex history. It had difficulty trading its vast resources and was short of food, while its banking system suffered from a severe lack of liquidity. Its former foe the United States – in Russia referred to as glavni vrag (the main enemy) – was watching events eagerly. Within weeks, advisers from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank teamed up with powerful Russian reformist economists close to the Kremlin to persuade Yeltsin to introduce an unbridled free-market economy involving the mass privatization of state assets. It was a dramatic process of ‘reverse Marxism’ implemented at speed. This was to become Russia’s second full-scale revolution – though this time from communism to capitalism – in three generations. ‘Russia was broke. There was grave doubt in late 1991 that they could feed their population in the coming year,’ explained James Collins, former US Ambassador to Russia. ‘The government had lost control over its currency because people were printing it in other republics. The policy of what became known as “shock therapy” was discussed internally [in the US government] and nobody stood up and said “no, don’t do that”. The whole system was falling apart and was best summed up by my predecessor Ambassador Robert Strauss who said, “It’s like two pissants on a big log in a middle of a river going downstream and arguing about who was steering”
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OPINION
Russia’s Sad Copy-Cat Act
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Vadim NIKITIN Plagiarism is not something Russians worry about. Hell, even Putin lifted his phD thesis, verbatim, out of a US textbook while his country has occupied the US’s piracy list for twice as many years as China.
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ot that there’s anything wrong with copying per se: it can make goods like movies and consumer articles affordable to average people, increase the global flow of ideas, and blow some righteous holes in an archaic, stifling and greedy copyright regime. But if you are going to rip something off, the golden rule is: copy a winner. Unfortunately, that’s what Russia, and particularly Medvedev, continues to ignore, with terrible consequences. Russia adopted a colour coded terrorist warning system. Just like in America! Except, the widely ridiculed Bush-era system had just this week been phased out by Obama for being ineffective. Or take the recent unveiling of the “Russian I-phone”, a
Smartphone equipped with GLONASS, Russia’s own Sat Nav system to rival the American GPS. It came a couple of decades too late, with a price too high (nearly $300) and an inferior interface. In fact, Medvedev’s presidency itself has been one self-conscious attempt to superficially ape a shallow idea of Western liberalism – at the precise moment that it started to feel least self-assured. As Mark Feygin writes in the Moscow Times, Medvedev has adopted Obama as his biggest role model. On the surface, a shrewd move. But, in the tried and tested Russian tradition, he did that three years too late, and in all the wrong ways. It was 2008, back when Medvedev only had eyes for Putin that was the time to embrace Obama, when the new US president had just become the most popular man on Earth. And if there was a time to reject him, it was in 2011, when Obama’s ratings hit an all time low and he lost the House to the Republicans: just the moment Medvedev chose to adopt him. But embarrassingly poor timing and a try-hard attempt at being ‘relevant’ with Western liberals is not the only thing wrong with
Medvedev’s adulation of post 2010 Obama. On top of it all, the Russian president seems to have insisted on copying the very traits that got Obama into his current rut: vacillation and a huge gap between rhetoric and delivery. As former British Ambassador to Russia Andrew Wood argues, “Medvedev has for some years said things that liberal-minded people in the West and in Russia too have welcomed. But little concrete action has followed”. Just like Obama, criticised for unfulfilled promises at home (like closing Guantanamo) and hypocritical hawkishness abroad (Pakistan, Libya), Medvedev has not been able to push through key, much touted reforms (the police force) but nevertheless managed to rattle sabres in the Caucasus and Japan (that belligerent Kurils trip). While it may no longer include broadcasting discontinued old US soap operas or wearing garish, ostentatious bling, Russia’s timeless tradition of appropriating Western things as soon as they have been discarded by the West itself unfortunately remains alive and well. Read more at www.russia.foreignpolicyblogs.com
Business Lunch
Teamwork Motivation Tatiana IRODOVA As a project manager you might be searching for the various ways to motivate your team members. Teams are the hardest to manage and motivate, because different people react differently to the same motivator. Reading through these nonmonetary motivation tips, you will be able to build team morale and make work easy and fun.
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Start with yourself. You are a leader and a role model. Are you motivated and positive all the time? What motivates you? Work on your confidence. Always remember that one of your tasks is to inspire people to work together towards a specific goal. Know your team. Who are these people? What are their expectations and professional goals? What motivates and drives them to success? If possible, select people you want to work with. Make sure members of the team are leaders, creators, initiators etc…get the right mixture. Set SMART goals – Specific, Measurable, Agreed-upon, Realistic and Time-based. Setting smart goals will eliminate uncertainty. Every team member should know what they are working towards, what their role is and what they can do to contribute.
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Inform your team of what challenges may arise and how these will be solved. Each member has to participate. Participation means being a part of the decision-making process, hence, a great stimulator for motivation. Applaud your people. It is a form of recognition. Give genuine thanks to people in front of the other team members, before, during and after work, during meetings, basically, whenever. Boost your people’s self-esteem. Make it a habit to give constructive feedback and show appreciation for a job well done. Invest in your people. There can never be enough training. It is an ongoing process. Regular training sessions can be conducted by skilled people in your organisation. Give to your team members all the missing skills. Organise lunch with your team. Let them know they are valued. Discussing progress, plans and goals is time well spent. There are various alternatives to lunches – paintballing, bowling, camping and others. You can employ professionals to organise such days for you and your team. Stand up for your staff at all times. Do not play team members against each other. You have to be trusted and professional. Always remember work ethics. People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care. Do not blame a specific team member for a failure. Acknowledge that failure is part of the process. If it is a team effort, everyone is to blame
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equally. As a leader you have to discuss together what went wrong and how it can be fixed. Do not control every single task your people do. Every member of the team has their own work style, pace and skills. Give them more control over what they do. Appreciate their uniqueness and let them grow. Believe in your people, because the majority want to succeed. Create worthy job titles. For you it will not cost anything. For your team members it will mean everything, as well as boost confidence and acknowledge importance. Have your staff come up with the job title they would not be embarrassed to share during networking events. Give your staff time off for reaching goals early or for any other hard work. People will be more willing to compete for longer lunch breaks, late arrivals or early departures than for cash rewards. Invite guest speakers to educate your team about stress management techniques. Your staff will know that you are aware of stress factors in the workplace and that you care about their well-being. Consider cost-efficient on-site seminars and workshops for your staff.
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Art
The Free Spirits of Russian Literature Xanthi SKOULARIKI Dalla Rossa Gallery in North London, takes a multimedia approach to the work of Russian writers of the 1920s and 1930s through the exhibition I beg you to hear me!
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iril Bozhinov and Francesca Ricci have combined reproductions of pocketsized portraits, comic strip panels and voice recordings, with the aim of ‘translating’ into a visual, spoken and written tableaux, the unique voices of the individual writers. The variety of written compositions – from the deeply lyrical symbolist poetry of Alexander Blok to the short, satirical stories of Mikhail Zoshchenko – is rendered through intense and contrasting colour schemes and collages of words, meanings and onomatopoetic sounds. The project has been developed over a number of years, words and visuals are a product of accumulation as Francesca Ricci states: “These faces have been living with us for many years, like some kind of distant relatives. Of most of them I knew nothing or very little, of some I had 10
Francesca Ricci: Andreii Bely, Anna Akhmatova
read pages, of others I was fed information, briefed on episodes of their lives, or outlined their personality – as one does flicking through the pages of an extended family album. I learnt their names and on the knowledge I picked up along the way – or lacked – I painted over their black and white silhouettes as to give them the bolder appearance and louder voice of an instinctive new narrative: the life story we give ourselves within the waves and knots of history, through the absorbing of our experiences, the hurricanes of love and loss, the bliss of friendship and art; all that excites us, all we endure.”
Kiril Bozhinov worked as music journalist for a number of Eastern European publications. He wrote and сo-directed Chichikov and the Big-Nosed Devil, a play based on Russians satirical short stories. His first collection of short stories Eclipses – Stories of Disappearances and Reappearances was published in 2008. Francesca Ricci lives and works in London. In 2005 she cofounded the independent art magazine Interlude, and is now co-editor of 20x20 magazine. 6-28 May www.dallarosagallery.com №2(02) 20 May -3 June 2011
Art
Contemporary Art and Design Anna-Katja Taguti, Star
Xanthi SKOULARIKI The Brick Lane Gallery presented for the first time in London, a series of works by the Russian artist AnnaKatja Taguti titled The Soviet/Coptic Project.
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atja-Anna Taguti was born in Riga and is daughter of Yakov Kozlov, a representative of the academic school of Russian painting. Her project –as explicitly given in the title of the series- is influenced by the Soviet era and her Jewish roots. The artist speaks of the project: “In their works, Copts
have been reproducing ancient Greek symbols and decorative elements which, in turn, had been actively borrowed from Ancient Egyptians. Being the first Christians, Copts endued these images with sacred meanings. Screens were used for secret worshipping, embroidered panels in clothes served as identity signs, symbols of the new creed, impermeable for the profane. My works are a fifth if not sixth life of Coptic fabrics. It is important for me to convey their immaterialness, close to disappearance: magnified half-erased fragments, printed in serigraphy on silk or paper, are immaterial in comparison to texturized, colored, embroidered Coptic fabrics.” Anna-Katja Taguti, Animals
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Anna-Katja Taguti, Lion-Avia
Using mixed media techniques, the works are supplemented with handmade embroidery and altogether this is a project that could be also a pattern for an unfinished needle work - or, conversely, a palimpsest with some pieces lost. There is a very organic feel to the project that embraces the marriage of
Soviet insignia into the text of Coptic fabrics. Equally with the Coptic stylistic influences, the Soviet Empire drew widely from the ancient Greek and Roman cultures, creating its own - already archaic - style. The result is a beautiful and infinite sequence of adaptations and reincarnation. www.thebricklanegallery.com 11
Culture
The Wall T
Ivan KOLPAKOV An architect once called the city of Perm a meaningless conglomeration of void urban spaces. Surely, any “permyak” (original name for a Perm citizen) could take offence, although you won’t find a better definition for Perm.
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he old town was built with an extreme logic: its streets are strictly parallel and perpendicular to Kama River, so it is stretched along the river. From the second half of the XX century Perm however started to grow – just like a carcinoma. Its growth was out of control, irregular and unpredictable. The grandiose esplanade appeared in the heart of the city – it is known as the hugest square in Europe. In fact, the esplanade is rather untidy and not groomed enough; it is a deserted plot, a part of emptiness. And a part of the Soviet emptiness, actually: bound by the white cube of a Drama Theatre built in the second half of the previous century – and defiantly an ugly parallelepiped of the former House of the Soviets. There is a sort of phobia – a big fear of falling into the sky. A man who has such a phobia would die on the esplanade from a heart attack within
seconds. At the same time it is the main advantage of the esplanade: a chance to watch the open skies standing right in the center of the city. The esplanade is also known as the place, adored by the locals: inhabitants of the outskirts usually only make it to this area on city and national holidays – to walk the wasteland and to eat shish kebab which is grilled in front of you, right on the glade. In the beginning of 2011 Evgeniy Aass, а famous Russian architect, presented a project for the Theatre square (as part of the esplanade) reconstruction. “The Wall” will appear on the square according to his project. Not “the Wall”, actually. And not even the fence. Just a kind of transparent long structure made of wood. Of course, “the Wall” is only a small part in the extensive esplanade development: it is supposed that the new public
gardens will be found here and that the granite tile will be replaced. The disgusting soviet fountain (that stands in the center of the square in front of the Theatre), polluted by bottles and garbage, in which drunken “permyaks” in spite of all these circumstances like to have a refreshing dip, will also be under reconstruction. A conservative section of Perm’s journalists and “public figures” found themselves in hysterics when information about “the Wall” first filtered through to the Net. Suddenly, it was discovered that the fountain which Aass wants to make more modern and pleasant – is the “favorite recreation spot of the townspeople”. And the “damned fence” is an encroachment on the sacred right of the “Permyak’s” and their leisure-time in the beloved city. The authors of the project are the monsters of
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Culture Photographer: Ivan Kozlov
The esplanade after the city festival
question. For example, Nailya Allahverdyeva, the head of the Public environmental department (Perm centre of design development) is daring to say: “Our goal is to make a tradition of drinking beer on the esplanade impossible. The organization of an active cultural space will become an attraction for creative people and will create unbearable conditions with people who want to spend their time idly”. It is an outrage, of course. Surely, it is an attempt at the famous Perm civilization, the civilization of emptiness and of the fountain. One of the local newspapers predicts: “permyaks” won’t accept the fence. They will destroy or burn it. Perm artist Anton Semakin mentioned this subject in his twitter blog best of all: “Permyaks” painted, peed, thrown up, deformed and broke 800-tonned cube made of cast iron and installed on the esplanade for townspeople entertainment”. “In all the criticism I hear about the project, mostly patriotic Perm citizens talk of themselves as fantastic vandals! – Evgeniy Aass says. – I didn’t hear any bad words from Perm citizens who will probably lay flowers, pour on №2(02) 20 May -3 June 2011
a bush or just do something good. All the criticism – from the point of view of vandals and hooligans! The wall will be burned, covered with ugly drawings and so on. But let’s think of Perm citizens well! I am a Moscow citizen and I want to think of Perm citizens as good and positive people. I am proceeding from this presumption. In other case I would project fireproof cupboards and safes for the city. But I do believe in Perm citizens!” For sure, Evgeniy Aass doesn’t imply how accurately his transparent “wall” will describe the condition of the Perm mind in these times of “cultural revolution”. This idea is nasty till obvious and obvious till stupidity. Perm, which got rid of the “closed city” status 20 years ago, is still burdened by freedom. That’s why all the changes taking place in the city which was released from the barbed wire are so hard to accept for the citizens. That’s why these changes are considered unpleasant and unwelcome. Along with that, it’s scary to think that barbed wire could come back again. There is no wall but it exists. There is a wall but it must be destroyed. An irony of fate.
Evgeniy Aass, famous Russian architect
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NATIONAL COMPARISONS: USA, UK, RUSSIA 14
Employment & Social Welfare R Anatoly KARLIN
Over at Mark Chapman’s indispensable blog, Giuseppe Flavio linked to a fascinating “Comparison USAGermany” by an academic who was deeply immersed in both cultures. This inspired me to do something similar. My credentials? Having lived for 6 years in Russia, 12 years in the UK, and 5 years in the US (in that order, although I was back and forward a lot); and being an active observer of social and political affairs since 2003, I feel that what I’ve got to say will be of interest to readers from all three countries.
eal wages for the majority of both American and British workers have stagnated since the 1970′s, while inequality has soared. The American Dream, with its promise of social mobility, has largely faded. In recent years, academic studies have shown that social mobility – as measured by your children’s chances of switching socioeconomic classes - is now lower in the US than in practically all developed countries except Britain. This is a very worrying development, since social mobility has traditionally been an antidote to America’s high levels of inequality; without it, it begins to resemble the socially stratified and politically unstable Latin American countries. That said, I believe the US remains by far the best deal for two kinds of people: the rich, and the entrepreneurial. Income taxes are low by UK (and European) standards, and property is far more secure than in Russia. Furthermore, as a rich,
St Basils Church, Moscow, Russia
technologically advanced country covering half a continent with more than 300 million souls, the US offers unparalleled opportunities for all kinds of leisure activities and hobbies: flying planes; sailing; skiing; rock climbing; surfing; horse riding; gourmet dining; white water rafting; etc. Unskilled workers have less rights and more insecurity than in most of Europe, but for the upper middle class America is truly an oyster. The US is an extremely attractive place for business development. The bureaucracy is minimal and registration of a Limited Liability Company (LLC) – the optimal structure for most S&M businesses, especially online-based ones – can be done over the Internet for about $200 (the best places for setting up an LLC are Nevada and Delaware, which are referred to as “onshore offshore” among some circles). The US consumer market is gargantuan, and for most categories of products, around five to ten times larger than
that of the UK or Russia. The weirdest stuff, like bounce shoes, or medieval catapult replicas, or kombucha tea, finds its niche in the US. Bureaucratic hurdles and a much smaller consumer market make the creation of small businesses more difficult in Russia. In fact, the country comes 123rd in the world in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business index, in comparison to the 4th position of the UK and the 5th position of the US. The best opportunities in Russia now tend to be in the state sector. In contrast to the impoverished 1990′s, state coffers are now flush with money and salaries for managers in state companies, academia, the bureaucracy, etc., are increasing fast. Though relative to developed countries, salaries remain low – about $700 per month, or $1000 in Moscow, is typical – their impact is multiplied by cheaper staples (e.g. potatoes, meat, etc. cost 1.5-2x less than in the US or the UK), very cheap utilities (gas, water, electricity) and cheap transport. Since the mid2000′s, Russia’s “brain drain” to the West (primarily Germany, the US, and Israel) has abated, while economic migrants have poured in at an accelerating rate. Russian consumers are now relatively well-off by global standards. The GDP per capita, taking into account international price differences, is estimated at $19,000 by the World Bank for 2009. This compares to about $36,000 in the UK and $46,000 in the USA. Obviously Russia still has a lot of catching up to do, but it is no longer a struggling, collapsed superpower where the poor struggle to even feed themselves, as in the 1990′s, but an upper-middle income country not that far from Portugal ($25,000), Korea ($27,000), or even Italy ($32,000). The material accouterments of development, such as cell phones and Internet access, are now widely in evidence. One consequence of high oil prices and economic growth has been a rise in prices relative to international levels. Back in the early 2000′s, it was possible to do cool stuff for a pittance, e.g. $25 for an hour of flying time. Now they are a little different №2(02) 20 May -3 June 2011
from prices in the US, you’re better off doing your “geoarbitrage” – exploiting differences in international prices to gain the most fun for the least money – in places like Argentina or China. Though state sector jobs have usually been comfortable in both the UK and the US, their prospects have diminished considerably due to their fiscal crises. Britain has decided to radically trim down the share of public workers in the labor force, but it’s unlikely that the private sector will be able to reabsorb most of them (thus, I expect many years of heightened unemployment, falling house prices, and depressed consumer activity). The budget cuts in the US are more symbolic, but some states are cutting down ferociously; thus, while federal employees are largely secure for now, the prospects of workers in local government are more uncertain. One thing that all three countries have in common is that few of their citizens save any of their money. In fact, given Anglo-Saxon habits of treating their houses as a piggy bank, net household debt is on the order of 100% of GDP and quite a lot of Americans and Brits are now underwater. This figure is much lower in Russia, but only because its private lending sector is far less developed than in the West; credit-based purchases were just beginning to take off in 2007-2008, until the economic crisis short-circuited them.
The Statue of Liberty, New York, USA
NATIONAL COMPARISONS: USA, UK, RUSSIA
The Houses of Parliament, London, United Kingdom
"H "Battleship Potemkin"
Step Forward
Russian Cinema:
Tackling the Pioneers
Ecaterina KILIAN
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In the 20s and the 30s the Western world was taken by storm with the ‘talkies’, or film’s with sound, meanwhile Russia was trying to figure out how to prove to themselves and the world that they had talent. 2011 will be a good year for Russian Cinema in the United Kingdom as BFI has four seasons of chronological programming not only showing the audience the best, but also explaining why it is the best and how it has influenced world cinematography.
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ay kicks of with the first season titled: ‘Kino: Russian Film Pioneers’, the rest will run through to December. Russian cinema did not get the same kick start as the rest of the world due to two major factors: historical and technological. Nevertheless, many have battled to try to push Russian master pieces to the Western world, and now, almost a century later, it’s a success. Sergei Eisenstein’s ‘Battleship Potemkin’, is Russia’s most renowned film, It was filmed in 1926 but was watched many decades later. He was the one who opened up the world’s eyes to Russia’s talents, and he gave the courage to others to stand up and show themselves. Eisenstein always said that he was inspired by Disney when creating his characters.
He was very well known and appreciated in the Western Film society, due to Ivor Montagu’s belief in Eisenstein’s movies and his persistence in showing them to the world. Russia had numerous directors making movies in the 20s. Unfortunately most of them came out and only found themselves decades later. Looking back to the 60s, the aftermath of the propaganda driven films of the 40s and 50s, they brought out the second wave of movies made in the 20s which could not find their niche 40 years before. The most famous example being Dziga Vertov’s ‘The Man with a Movie Camera’, which was the first movie in its genre. The film is exactly what the title states. Nowadays such a piece would be known as a documentary or №2(02) 20 May -3 June 2011
"Happy Guys"
Step Forward "The Man with a Movie Camera"
as reality TV. Vertov’s ‘Enthusiasm’ was one of Russia’s first cinematographic experiences with sound. A fascinating pair Grigori Kozintsev and Leonid Trauberg, who have made a staggering 12 films together. They are considered the front men of the cinematic movement, yet they only came out of the shadows in the 70s. ‘The New Babylon’ may be the best example, it first came out in 1929, the year it was made, but it became famous and was re-released in 1980’s. Also in the period from 1935 to 1945 two directors made ‘The Maxim Trilogy’, a movie about the revolutionary hero. The less experimental, propaganda infused film was banned in the Soviet Union, yet it got awarded a Stalin State Prize, nevertheless was made for the West and not that much appreciated at home. Leonid Trauberg has always been honest about Russian cinema, mentioning in his 1984 interview; ‘They are not good, soviet films, with sense of word, with invention, and this is why we like it’, thus pinpointing that it has soul.
Alexander Dovzhenko has always been considered one of the pillars of Soviet film along side Eisenstein. He only made seven films during his career, but they all shot to the top due to the intensity of the symbolism and the emotion which grasped people’s attention. His Ukrainian trilogy ‘Arsenal’, ‘Earth’ and ‘Ivan’ were his most acclaimed works in the West, yet disapproved by the motherland and considered "Earth"
a challenge to revolutionary ideas and was also accused of not portraying the correct realism. During the Joseph Stalin’s era censorship ruled every sort of media, but one man found a way of making impartial feel-good movies. Grigori Aleksandrov started off working very closely with Sergei Eisenstein co-directing and writing a few movies, also playing a part in Battleship Potemkin. At the beginning of the 1930s, whilst he was traveling, he was ordered to come back to the USSR by Stalin himself, so he did. This is when Aleksandrov flourished as an autonomous director. His signature movies were easy on the mind musicals, most of them starring his wife Lyubov Orlova. In 1933 the first ever Soviet musical ‘Jolly Fellows’ (also
translated as ‘Happy Guys’) came out and he would continue to make more such as ‘Volga Volga’ and ‘Circus’. Soviet cinema has a long history and audiences now have the chance to witness it over a period of six months at the BFI, South bank, where a wonderful range of films to all taste’s has been arranged. Discover Russian Cinema at BFI The Man with a Movie Camera – 26 May 20:45, 29 May 15:00 Enthusiasm – 22 May 20:45, 28 May 20:20 The New Babylon – 21 May 15:50, 25 May 20:45 Arsenal – 30 May 20:40 Earth – 23 May 20:45, 28 May 15:00 Happy Guys – 10 June 18:20, 16 June 20:40 For more information visit
www.bfi.org.uk
Photo Blog
Different Russia
Solovki
Russian Roads
Murmansk Region
Malie Koreli, Museum of Russian XIX-th century architecture
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Nakhodka
â„–2(02) 20 May -3 June 2011
Photo Blog Photographers: Kaliningrad Region
Karabash, Chelyabinsk region
Sergey Dolya www.sergeydolya.livejournal.com Victor Borisov www.victorprofessor.livejournal.com
Khanty-Mansiysk Baikal Lake
Kaluga
Caves in Arkhangelsk region
Vladivostok
19
Conversation
Chemistry of Creativity, Chemistry of Russian Character Do you have taboo topics in interviews, or perhaps least favourite questions?
Daria ALYUKOVA Zakhar Prilepin is a writer, publicist, political activist. Having completed his philology studies, he worked initially as a packer, a security guard and a journalist before joining a special military unit that took part in anti-terror deployments in Chechnya. In 2008 he won the Russian National Bestseller Award for his book "Sin". He is a laureate of numerous prizes and awards, and his books are required reading in 5 Russian universities. Prilepin could be a novel character himself. He currently lives in Nizhny Novgorod – a city that was known as Gorky between 1932-1980 after the writer Maxim Gorky who was born there. Ironically, thanks to one of the critics’ good graces Prilepin is sometimes referred to as “the new Gorky”.. 20
ZP: Not really, but I often have to answer one and the same question again and again. It’s quite boring, so I have to invent a new answer every time. I’m not fond of discussing my military service in Chechnya – for the sheer reason that I don’t want this image of me as a ‘war veteran’ mythologized. Actually, many writers seek to become in-demand for interviews, but get disappointed when they finally get popular with the press – at very least by the fact that their words get misinterpreted and misrepresented.
Joseph Addison once said in response to a lady, who complained of his having talked little in company, that he has but nine-pence in ready money, but can draw for a thousand pounds. Is it true that writers, although expected to be as eloquent in speech as they are in writing, sometimes turn out incommunicative? ZP: Absolutely so – some are merely incommunicative, some are even inarticulate. In some cases the personality exactly matches the media image, sometimes it’s not in line with public vision at all. Actually, TV presence is indicative: if a writer is often invited, he is also a good speaker – like Tatiana Tolstaya, Alexander Prokhanov, to name just a few.
What is the process when writing a book?
ZP: It has a complex chemical composition. You unwittingly collect impressions, thoughts, gestures. But involuntariness is a key element; otherwise the result is artificial, fake. Once an actor told me a story about coming to a restaurant and catching an expressive gesture of a waiter; the actor realized it was exactly what he was lacking for his part, and
the waiter “made him a gift of a hand”. In my case this does not work. Impressions and feelings get collected all by themselves, and at a certain point, totally unpredictably, they interfuse and transform into something new. This is the case when the outcome is much bigger that just the sum of its elements.
Do you engineer a plot or a main idea in advance?
ZP: Hmm, I cannot imagine myself thinking: “Today I will start a book about fishermen, and it will have a murder in the end”. Above all – a plot is unimportant. Emotions and subtle psychological movements – this is what carries a reader away.
How often do the critics’ renditions surprise you? Do they see ideas that you did not mean to put into your book?
ZP: Actually, it happens thickly. But reading this is quite intriguing. Writers and critics compliment each other, as a writer hardly ever thinks about context and allusions, except for personal ones. The more mathematics in the writing process – the worse the result. I started “The Pathologies” as a novel about love, then I decided to add a bit about war. Then the structure was often complimented, as love and war chapters alternated throughout the book, but designing a particular structure was never my purpose. So, even if you take a text to pieces and then recompose it, something essential steals away.
Do you think your books can be translated? Translation is, in fact, a deconstruction and further reconstruction of a text.
ZP: I would say yes, however, certain socio-existential phenomena cannot. There are cases when even a synonym would kill the meaning, let alone the translation. For instance, the story involved Russian soldiers riding through Grozny on a UAZ №2(02) 20 May -3 June 2011
these features exert most clearly: young men – yesterday’s boys, are fearless, resilient, high-spirited.
What do you think about national cultural brands? Those of the USSR are still very powerful in popular culture, while those of contemporary Russia still fail to match them in energy and integrity. What can be done to invigorate cultural identity?
(colloquially called Kozelok – “a goaty”), eating kilka. In French it turned into soldiers riding a jeep and eating sardines. Literally it means the same, but loses all the references. Dirty words lose all the energy as well when translated; “we set up trip wire and ***ed away” – in Polish it turned into “we put trip wire and left”, and the phrase sagged. However, I believe the energy of a text can win through despite a poor translation.
One of Sergey Dovlatov’s sketches rallies that the original texts by Kurt Vonnegut heavily lose out to the Russian translation. Speaking of Dovlatov and other emigrants, do you consider it possible to write about Russia if you are abroad? ZP: To me it is absurd, especially in the long term. Russian language “does not sing in captivity”. Mass emigration in the 20th century did an ill service to Russian literature. As for myself, I quickly get tired of a journey and start feeling homesick.
Do you have a personal definition of Russian Mind? Boris Akunin once told a story about Francis Greene – English №2(02) 20 May -3 June 2011
physicist, Graham Greene’s son, who has spent a long time in Russia and likes the people, and in reply to a similar question once said that being Russian means to be able and fond of discourse upon abstract matters – Big things like the meaning of life, soul, or the course of history.
ZP: This is quite witty. First thing that comes to mind is a saying that flatters Russian vanity: if you want an insuperable thing done, ask a Chinese; if you want an impossible thing done, ask a Russian. There is a grain of truth here, as Russians have a colossal ability for mobilization in emergencies – but in standard situations you can see tired Tim. Jokes aside, I find defiance of everyday comfort, of living conditions a defining characteristic; at the same time, petite bourgeoisie attitude is the other extreme. Obsession with things is even worse than being detached from everyday life. Another feature is bravado which also cuts both ways. It means brashness, scorching, devil-may-careness; however, it also means audacity, bold spirit, large heart. I’ve seen these people at war when
ZP: That’s quite true, for example, the songs of 1920-30s are incredibly powerful and passionate. To invent something new, a society needs certain latitude, fresh air. Otherwise the result is bloodless. A simulacrum. There’s one demonstrative fact: the Soviet era presented a separate genre of books and movies dedicated to proletarians – steelmakers, combine drivers. Nothing inspiring, or merely plausible, has been written about today’s heroes – mid-level managers. For some reason the praised contemporary values do not catalyze good texts. Maybe this is indicative of the necessity to rethink the promulgated values. I think that Russia desperately needs a national idea that is not stiff and phony. The risk is huge – history has seen plenty of empires that disappeared, dissolved. Also, despite the seemingly weak civil society, there is the possibility of public disturbances. As recent events in other countries show, crowds do not need to count dozens of millions in order to bring about changes, 2% of a population is more than enough. It’s like electrical wiring in your house: works for years, and then in one moment – bang! – the house burns.
What social phenomena would you consider alerting?
ZP: Involuntary social marginalization. And, again, this feeling of artificiality, of surreal life. As if there was a common unspoken agreement, a role play of building a quasicareer in a quasi-superpower. Russia is a country of phantasmagoria. “Sankya” that came out in 2006 is a novel with a group of political extremist’s in focus. It takes place in the ‘alternative reality’ of recent years. I thought the book was strongly tied to the time segment it depicts; surprisingly, it remains topical. Kirill Serebrennikov, a famous director, staged a show called “Hell-raisers” which was based on “Sankya”. The axis of the novel is the feelings of a person who is shut off from society to political fringe, and who struggles to learn the fundamental mechanisms of society. 21
Blog Letters to YOU:
“How Can I Network Effectively?” Dear You,
These days networking is a vital part of marketing process for developing business opportunities and contacts. For some people networking comes naturally, to others it may seem like a disaster – having to meet loads of new people, not knowing anyone in the room, having to talk about themselves or even having to find a corner to hide! In reality, networking is just a common sense – everything is much simpler than it seems. It’s just in our human nature to complicate things. Here are some tips for making the most out of networking events: - Choose carefully which networking events you want to attend. There is no point to waste your time by attending events which will not help you build relationships with the right contacts. - PREPARATION before the networking event is the most crucial part of your success. Make sure you know what event is about and what kind of people might attend. - Set a goal before you network – how many contact would you like to make (one, five or maybe twenty? – be realistic how many people you can possibly meet in a given time). - Prepare and practice your “elevator speech” – you have about 30-60 seconds to tell the other person who you are and what it is that you do. You will find that the more you practice the easier it gets to talk about yourself!! And…Always bring enough business cards with you. - Make notes on the back of each business card – it will help you to remember what you have talked about, what information you have promised to share with each other, and when and where you met this person. - Be a good listener. Become passionate and enthusiastic about other person’s world. Try to understand through active listening. 22
- Talk about things that you are passionate about and what motivates you. There is no point to network and try to sell something. Everybody just hates that. - Always remember about the body language – smiling, eye contact, a firm hand shake etc… and be polite at all times! - Be honest and genuine. There is no time to pretend. Just always know who you are now and where you want to be in the future. - Networking is all about quality over quantity. It’s not about how many business cards you give out or collect. It’s about how well you communicate, how relevant it is what you say, how memorable your story is and how you and your contact can benefit from your short chat.
- Always carry your business cards with you. You never know where you can meet a new contact and connect - be it in Starbucks or on the street. - Always follow up within the next day or two. People have to know that networking event was not just about you. Show a genuine interest in meeting new people. Be healthy, wealthy and happy …..& Remember: “You can close more business in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get people interested in you.” Always by your side, Tati Irodova www.lifeskillsemporium.com №2(02) 20 May -3 June 2011
Vatican City
A Roman Holiday I
have always loved Italy for several reasons; the food, the people, the sightseeing, and the weather. I have been to pretty much everywhere in the northern part, so one day me and my mother decided to go to Rome to explore a little more. The trip was only for three days, a long weekend if you will. Because we were arriving from two different countries our flights had a ten hour difference, so I was left to explore by myself Patheon
until her arrival. Those ten hours happened to be movie like due to a surprising chain of events. I arrived, checked into the hotel, I have to note that the hotels in Rome are exceptionally beautiful no matter where and how much, it had a massive window with a view on to the garden, so no noise from the big street could be heard. Big street is an exaggeration as Rome has only one large street, and that too depends on what you compare
it to. Nevertheless, as soon as I dropped off my bags and washed my hands I was on my way to explore the city of love. I took a quick stroll to the Spanish steps which lead straight into the Via Dei Condotti, the it-place for any shopaholic in the world, went to a Basquiat exhibition, then went around some small streets, stopped for lunch at a Pizzeria, sat in a couple of small churches, as Italy is an extremely religious country there are many hidden in the streets of Rome. Upon exiting from the incessant labyrinth of Roman streets I stepped onto the Via del Corso, a very long street that leads from Piazza del Popolo (people’s place) all the way down to Piazza de Venezia, where stands tall a building with only one balcony on one of the facades, no windows, from that balcony Benito Mussolini discoursed and the entire population of Rome filled the place to listen and to be able to catch a glimpse of
Virtuous Pasta
the leader. Nonchalantly walking all the way down to the end then taking the Via dei Foru Imperiali down to the Coliseum I sat down on a rock to rest and to look at the heaps of tourists taking photos under every angle in an infinite amount of positions, the hundreds of Romans reticulating in between cars on their Scooters, all the life that is happening next to one of the wonders of the world. A young man came up to me to ask for the time and we started talking, he was an architecture student and liked to go to the Coliseum at lunch to breathe in the architectural air. We decided to go to the Circo Massimo, the old hippodrome that is not just a green, for some coffee, so we jumped on his scooter and I had my Roman Holidays moment. When we sat down he took my â„–2(02) 20 May -3 June 2011
Traveller’s Diary All roads lead to Rome, and so did mine. Rome, like the rest of the world capitals, is not Italy, but it is frighteningly close. I had the chance to experience a movie like Rome, granted it is not very hard due to the general mood of the Romans. I still do consider that everything that happened was because I threw a coin into the Trevi Fountain and made my usual wish, which came true. The best advice I can give for visiting Italy and especially Rome, is to walk into every little street and open door you see, there are surprises around every corner, and discoveries waiting to be made only by you. The Coliseum
Trevi Fountain
map and started a lecture about all the beauties of Rome, where to go and what to do. When we finished our coffee he went to class and I went to the airport to meet my mother. After we arrived at the hotel with my mother it was late, so we just went for dinner at Piazza Navona, an enchanting space, the place is not majestically big but the two fountains in the middle and the building surrounding it gives me an air of security and magic. Giving advice on where to eat in Rome is hard, very hard, everything is just too good.
Ecaterina KILIAN
Rome, like the rest of Italy and most Mediterranean countries do not consider food as a part of the daily routine, it’s a culture. It’s a concept lost in many countries, which is too bad. Watching an Italian eat is like going to a museum, every bite counts, the time that is taken to enjoy what you are eating is the equivalent of the time we spend messaging on our phones in the UK. Italian dishes are not complicated, all the ingredients complement each other to create fireworks of taste, the main secret is having real ingredients, tomatoes that taste like tomatoes, aubergines that taste like aubergines, and so on. When we woke up the next day we decided to go to Vatican City. It is quite a strange concept knowing that you will
be walking into a country, that’s smaller than some golf courses, which is situated in the heart of the capital of Italy. Vatican City is small but mighty, it is the most famous small country in the world, because it’s home to the Pope, the Sistine Chapel, St Peter’s Basilica, and is the central space for Dan Brown’s bestseller; ‘Angels and Demons’. For such a small space Vatican City did take up most of the day, between tagging along with some excursion group around the wall of the City, and then standing for hours in the Sistine Chapel and listening to the best lecture I’ve ever heard, by my own mother, about who painted what, when, and why. As a Dan Brown fan I did look for a few spots about which he was writing. I did not see the Pope, which I considered
quite disappointing, but I did take a picture on the ‘border’ line between Vatican City and Italy, saying; ‘look I’m skipping from country to country.’ The next day we walked to the Trevi Fountain, which is a chef d’oeuvre that tells many stories, real, surreal, and unreal, had lunch and jumped onto a tourist bus around Roma. The atmosphere is such, that you will not notice the awkwardness of the mix of the old and new in the architectural world, nor the human world. Italy seems to be at peace with itself and things just seem to work, or may be I just had my holiday goggles on? It was January and the weather was perfect, it wasn’t cold, it wasn’t hot. Bacci.
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Fashion Insider
Concept Stores in Russia Yes, We Can.
Ekaterina PETUKHOVA Shopping in Russia has always meant something more than merely looking for clothes. Nice hairstyle, trendy outfit and of course make-up are the main purchases while out shopping. Perhaps that is the reason why Russia at the moment is swamped by a wave of concept stores.
D
efinitely we are not talking about this trend in terms of a large scale, as more than a half of Russians still buy clothes from open-air markets. Although sometimes it comes to its absurdity as stores mainly stock cheaper merchandise of better quality not even mentioning the level of the so called civilization. Maybe markets are also samples of lifestyle consumption, just nostalgic ones. Anyway we are covering 26
the stores which do not have a prominent market share but rein the market when it comes to its mood and the level of fashion industry development. It’s worth mentioning that department stores were quite a tradition in the pre-Soviet Russia as well as in the times of the USSR when working in the department store was something equal to finding yourself among powerful pagan gods. In the new turbulent Post-Soviet era carrying and managing so many merchandisers at the same time seemed crazy. Till now the department stores in Russia were mainly luxury destinations with high mark-ups covering all the headaches of management. However first just a few but now a whole bunch of stores offer new, cute and hyped brands in a well-designed interior intended to compete with those strong players.
Mood Swings Store
Some of them are leaving for more profitable business developing real estate as Crocus did. Those left find themselves in a tougher situation when they have to fight for brands and customers with each and now also struggle with those young but smart concept spaces. “Smart” because they do pretty much the same stuff as departments do. They are not trying to surprise you or make you tremble. In a modern and pretentious designed space you see the same contemporary brands you have in real concept stores – Colette, DSM, Corso Como or in well-known departments abroad. By the way, Sarah from Colette once said something that absolutely
reflects the concept store’s attitude “we do not do any budgets; we just cross our fingers and order”. Managing a concept store is in fact knowing when and for whom to have your fingers crossed. You must teach, act and show new stuff in a specific environment. Globally, concept means devotion and exploration. In Russia it means being the first to know what’s on in other concept stores abroad – shabby Japanese items or rectangular sequins matter. Following your concept peers it's so easy to forget that it's not a heavy design or the most trendy brand-mix that makes your store prominent. The most valuable is still the idea behind.
UK Style Store
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Expert Comments Maurizio Aschero, Maas Markets, Managing Partner
What is specific about Russian fashion market? The fast recovery after the Communist era. In a few years the market has been recreated, the chromosomes of luxury didn't disappear, they were just put asleep by the soviet authorities. After a physiologically chaotic beginning (the 90's) now the market is mature, many retailers are teaching many European colleagues how to be successful, beautiful stores arose, and great business has been made. The 2009 crisis left its mark, but still, in Europe, Russia rules.
Mood Swings Store
8 Stores to Visit in Moscow GUM
One of the oldest department stores in Moscow is not only a shopping destination for a wide range of products from Jil Sander, Paul Smith, Louis Vuitton collections up to local souvenirs but also the place to enjoy.
TSUM
Mood Swings
A two-storeyed shop that looks more like a psychedelic dream in Alice’s Wonderland than a real apartment. A big cake you find inside can not be eaten but you can still have some fun trying on Tsumori Chisato, Undercover and Marimekko.
A well-known luxury destination in the Gothic building in the center of Moscow is impressing with its European service but still a bit eclectic and sometimes has a surprising buying choice.
UK Style
Tsevtnoy
3,14
The most hyped department store that finally brought a bunch of the most wanted contemporary brands chosen by Caroline Greer, a fashion director of English origin, ex-Liberty and Lane Crawford.
KM20
A white concept store based in a kitschy environment in Kuznetsky Most present several Russian designers together with collections of Acne, Givenchy and Mark Fast. If you come on a special day you can play scrabble together with other guests and staff in a café that makes a part of the store. №2(02) 20 May -3 June 2011
The store that got Russians acquainted with British style and designers long before existence of any concept stores still keeps on bringing new waves of fashion every season. The most pretentious menswear store in the whole Russia keeps all kinds of prominent Japanese brands which are expensive but still the store is of great interest for those who would like to see the most avant-garde brands in a cathedral atmosphere.
Beryozka
Fancy shoes and accessories in an interior with an intricate “beryozka” shape. A re-thinking of how the common symbols of Russia could play with you while you are standing in your new pair of Alaïa.
Why there is a lack of department stores in Russia? The investments are very high, if you want to make a decent department store. It requires investment in construction, materials, up-to-the-standard management, goods. Modernity costs a lot. The returns are long-term, not always guaranteed, and few investors want to wait for 10 years. Still in Russia and CIS the rule is as follows: money today, profit tomorrow. What is specific about Russian department stores? Could they exist anywhere else? The dynamics of shopping is quite the same worldwide, and the Russian department stores follow the same rules. A logical plan a decent brand mix, and great management. The service makes the difference: while cold and impersonal in Europe, in Russia you still often find those welcoming, intriguing smiles that make you wish to buy even the useless. The wish to strive and succeed is important. While in other places to work in a department store is "just" a job, in Russia it is a "great" job. In terms of the fashion industry what should russia do (government, designers, and retailers) in order to be closer to the international market? The government should wake up and give CHANCES AND SUPPORT to the industry. Lower taxes. Favor the production of fabric, and forget about the low-standard soviet-quality but helping by updating the machinery. Manufactures not only produce dresses, but jobs too, which means wealth. And don't misinterprete me: I don't speak only of important designers. You rightly mentioned the fashion industry. Fashion in terms of ready to wear from the local market. If the designers manufactures can sell in Russia, not only jobs are created but the foreign debt decreases. So less valuable currency leaves the safes of the banks. Why to buy Chinese junk, when you have your own production? Might not be the best in the world, but it is proudly made in Russia and not made in Whoknowswhere. The fashion designers who want to aspire to international markets should stop being a conception. Thousands of designers from around the world want to show how artistic they are. I hope that soon Russian’s can show wearable items for everyday life, not just the out-in-space looks that derive from an inner psychotic feeling. Important retailers should learn that sometimes it is better to sell local cool designers in terms of exposure and presence in their outlets. I know that the answer of the retailers is: if the designer is not known abroad, our client will not buy him. This is a lame excuse. The retailers, the important ones, are trend-setters. Why in UK do they sell English designers, in France, French, in Italy, Italians and in Russia, everything but Russians??? Wake up, Russia. You are trendy too!! 27
Street Chic
Smart Ladies What is Your Association with Russia?
Sonya, 34 years, communications manager, dress from Boss, Jumper H&M.
Medvedev
Sarah Wilson, 29 years, client services director in advertising, dress from Next
28
Kirstie Swain, 27 years, skirt Primark, top Gap, bag from charity shop, shoes Topshop, glasses Primark.
Victoria Wellor, 35 years, marketing director, Bottega Veneta bag, BCBG Max Azria Coat.
Sophie, 23 years, student, Reperto shoes, Gerard Darel bag, Gucci belt, United Colors of Benetton skirt, Zara trousers.
Eva Olsson, analyst, Armani jacket, Louis Vuitton bag, Zeco shoes, Tara Jarmon dress.
Abramovich
Putin
Russian vodka
Gorbachev
â„–2(02) 20 May -3 June 2011
Photographer: Anton Phatianov
www.onanton.co.uk
Galina Kuzmenko, Associate manager, 33 years, suit from Hobbs, Karen Miillen shoes, Juicy Couture bag.
Medvedev
Philippa Robinson, social worker, 27 years, M&S jacket, Primark trousers, Matalan top.
Putin
â„–2(02) 20 May -3 June 2011
Catalina Wallis, 38 years, chemical engineer, dress H&M, jacket M&S, shoes Geox, bag Chanel.
Ilaria Chiacchella, jeans H&M, bag Sophie, jacket handmade
Abramovich
Sandra Pardo, 34 years, food engineer, Coat Zara, shoes Clarks, trousers and bag from Prada.
Putin
Cheryl Edridge, 44 years, teacher, Dolce & Gabbana suite, Versace bag.
Gorbachev
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Event Diary
Viva Russian Mind! International Publishing Group Limited (IPGL) had a pleasure of welcoming their guests at the Launch of RussianMind Magazine on 12th of May at Intercontinental Hotel. The event attracted guests from different industries: luxury and lifestyle, travel, finance, real estate, education, hotels and many more. Russian Mind is a new product on the British press market. It provides facts and opinions regarding Russia-related events and social trends. Discover Russia with us!
Al M
G Russia Mind Team (Literary Editor Karina Enfenjyan, Acting Editor Olga Kudriavtseva, Project Director Alina Blinova, Managing Director Azamat Sultanov, Distribution Manager Olga Tsvetkova, Special Project Department Daria Alyukova, Design&Layout Vitalij Gulajev).
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â„–2(02) 20 May -3 June 2011
Event Diary Photographers: Alla Sanders, Anton Phatianov
Mr Vsevolod Kopiev
Guests
Allan Marx
Guests
Andreas Simek (Deutche Bank), Marina Prokopieva (Designer)
Victor Buchman and Polina Zhuravleva (Gazprom)
Russian Souvenir and Elman Huseynov (VV magazine)
Guests
Gary Hersham (Beauchamp Estate)
Stephanie Elena Gorbounova (Chatila Jewellery) and guest
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