Wow! Krasnoyarsk abounds with tulips! It makes sense when one thinks of it's geographic proximity to Turkey- Russia and Turkey both lie on the Black Sea. Tulips originate from the mountains of Turkey.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Paper Thin White Tulips
Wow! Krasnoyarsk abounds with tulips! It makes sense when one thinks of it's geographic proximity to Turkey- Russia and Turkey both lie on the Black Sea. Tulips originate from the mountains of Turkey.
Sunday was a BIG day!
We met with Nataliya Malaschyuk, Minister of Culture for the City of Krasnoyarsk.
We discussed all the possiblities for cultural exchange and there are many.
Ms. Malaschyuk is extremely passionate and energetic in her commitment for the arts, and Krasnoyarsk is fortunate to have such an advocate.
Then off to the Museum Center for a tour of this vast space.
Currently on exhibition is Goya & Dali- Dali responding to All of the
Goya "Caprichos" series. I had never seen them before. Mostly it
reinforced for me how "out there" Goya IS.
The Museum center also houses a commercial gallery featuring some of Krasnoyarsk's most successful and contemporary artists. There were many photo ops this day.
Finally we eat. Kendal, at lunch on the river, taking pictures
of people eating- just two -chicken hearts! They're the little brown
things lower left in picture.
Then off for a drive up the scenic Yenisei River. It was beautiful and romantic
beyond this funky photoshop can depict. So green, I thought of fables and
fairytales.
Hence the little cottage in the forest.
We never did learn precisely the custom behind tying bits of cloth, even a sock on the branches of this tree (near the massive damn)- essentially it means GOOD LUCK!
Monday, June 8, 2009
Hello Madam Cultural Minister
On our first and last non-workshop day we had a meeting with the Minister of Culture. Since we got here we were told about this meeting. We were informed that although the Minister would like to meet us, she was very busy and the meeting might last between 10 to 15 minutes. That was understandable since she was in charge of all the City Day activities. She started the meeting by telling us how her interests lie in the collaboration with culture, business, government and other cities and countries worldwide while using the talent and resources that Krasnoyarsk has to offer. I liked what I was hearing and immediately liked her. Long-story-short this very informative exchange lasted an hour and ended with invitations to a ballet and other performances as well as the promise that we will find a way to work together. I guess I didn't have to eat that luck ticket after all.
Getting Lucky
A thirty-minute bus ride led us to the site I like to call the long park. This time I got a lucky ticket (when the sum of the first 3 numbers equals the sum of the last 3) but I didn't eat it (you're supposed to eat the ticket to complete the luck cycle).
We discussed logistics and reviewed proposals before taking more pictures of each other then rode the bus back.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
The Transformation Continues
It was a beautiful day in Krasnoyarsk. The sun was bright and not many clouds occupies the skies. Today's plan was to complete the base layer of the building and visit the park site and assign project locations. The building looks great with the newspaper wallpaper. The windows will serve as spaces for more elaborate collages of flowers and vegetation which references the surrounding gardens. These gardens are filled with flower of various colors, newly planted vegetables and wild marijuana plants.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Lion & the shovel, City of Krasnoyarsk Crest
I like the official crest of Krasnoyarsk, a regal rampant lion holding a shovel. Not a sword, not a mace, but a shovel. It is proletariat just by nature. I wish we had one in NYC. Do we have one? Maybe a Rat with Daisy, a Dog with a Spoon? Any ideas?
This sign reads June 12, announcing City Day, the largest public festival in the city. Our public art projects will be unveiled on this very Day!
This sign reads June 12, announcing City Day, the largest public festival in the city. Our public art projects will be unveiled on this very Day!
The Coverup Begins
Today started with Slava telling us that we did not have permission to do anything to the building, but we decided to go to the site anyway because the young artists were meeting us there. We can always look at the site in greater detail and discuss how we would/could/should approach this project. By the time we got there, permission had been granted. We were caught off guard and a bit unprepared but things quickly fell into place and everyone was excited and wanted to wallpaper the building.
With the last of the wheatpaste gone, we decided to stop and continue the workshop over tea and snacks in one of the classrooms. When everyone was asked what they thought of the project so far they were all pleasantly surprised at how good it looked. From a not-so-far distance, the base coat of newspaper took on an interesting pattern- it will only get better.
Lights, Camera, Action
Being interviewed by a popular news magazine about public art and out projects in Krasnoyarsk.
Great Way to End the Day
After a long day which ended sometime after 9, Ira and Slava invited Luisa and I to their place for dinner. We took a quick bus ride, checked to see if we got a lucky ticket, went to the supermarket to buy some food and headed to their apartment. It was such a great atmosphere. We sat in this large Siberian rooftop apartment discussing the plural of rhinoceros (rhinoceri? rhinoceroses?), eating Russian bread, red caviar, drinking wine and roasted chicken which was cooked exquisitely in the fireplace. It was the perfect way to end the day (or start the day - we got back to the hotel at about 2am).
What Do You Mean Trash Can Be Beautiful?
The First Master Class
Our quest to create a series of public art projects throughout Krasnoyarsk would take place through workshops. Each workshop is tailored to the needs and information necessary to move to the next step. The first workshop was a get-to-know-you, get-to-know-me with a bit of what makes public art, public art. This workshop started with a discussion about site-specificity, an important component of public art. I used some of the images I showed the previous day to illustrate how projects can relate to a site in a number of different ways. Once we were comfortable with the concept, we discussed that various ways we can approach sites and discussed homework.
The Homework
1. With the new found knowledge about site-specificity, each artist was to return the next day with some ideas for artworks. They can elect to work on either site or both. The ideas did have to be completely formulated but a basic concept had to be established.
2. Everyone had to bring paper, which will be used as the base for the broken down shack building in the courtyard of the teachers college.
The Uproar
The next day, prompt and enthusiastic, the young artists all did their homework and brought in discarded paper of various sizes, shapes and uses as they were instructed. We'd begin the day by discussing how we can use the paper as the starting point or base for creating a work of art out of an undesirable building.
Then it sank in.
Olia, one of the more enthusiastic of the bunch, and an English speaker at that, did not understand why we couldn't cover the shed with a more permanent and more desirable material like paint. Newspaper and used paper was not good enough and it will not last long enough. Why not make it permanent and with more traditional materials. Others piped in including Vladimir, an artists in his 40s, one of the older participants and expressed a similar opinion. In a flash, everyone was speaking at the same time, each voice raised higher than the other, trying to be heard. One's first instinct would be to give in and paint the shed instead of collage but I wasn't going to have it. The point of theses workshops was to to do something new and learn something new in the process. After an impassioned speech about ugly art created out of beautiful material and vis versa, I asked that they trust that Luisa and I knew what we were doing. They agreed, I shared some cookies, thanked them for being so passionate, and we continued.
The Beautiful & Historic Krasnoyarsk City Center
the very beautiful orthodox church towers
a "gentleman" handymans dream
this building is so interesting designed in the
classical style complete with pediment and pilasters but in wood!
sweet!
an antique apothecary
there are too many buildings to post and an entire style of highly ornate wooden architecture applied to houses that will be posted soon. stay tuned!
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