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Creative Compass Goes to Moscow 13. - 15.04.2010
Spring is finally here - the sun is shining, birds singing, the first flowers are starting to bloom - and the Creative Compass is visiting Moscow. Our mission is simple: visit as many creative clusters as technically possible in 24 hours while still remaining fresh and prepared to execute a seminar on creative industries the following day.
The Creative Compass team consisted of Anneli Ojala and Alexandra Soininen from the Project Office of the Institute for Russia and Eastern Europe, Katja Ruutu from Aalto University School of Economics (CEMAT), Professor Peter McGrory from Aalto University School of Art and Design, and Communications Manager Anni Syrjänen from the Cable Factory in Helsinki.
Visiting the Creative Clusters of Moscow
What better place to start our tour than at a late 19th century chocolate factory, the historic Red October. The factory that Muscovites often refer to as the producer of the best chocolate in Russia, moved its production lines from the centre of the city to the suburbs due to rising costs of land. The factory facilities are currently renovated into several art galleries, workshop spaces and cafes, but also into high luxury lofts.
Parallel to Red October is the Strelka Institute for Media, Architecture and Design. The Strelka, which is currently under construction, will start a postgraduate program for specialists in the fields of design, architecture and new media by the end of May. The English-language, multidisciplinary program is based on small, max 15-student, interactive classes that will lead to the Strelka Institute Diploma. The British partners of the program include Garrick Jones, Visiting Fellow in the London School of Economics and lecturer at the Royal College of Art. For Strelka Garrick is preparing a workshop on the points of intersection between design and business.
After having traditional Russian lunch, we toured Winzavod Centre for Contemporary Culture. The privately owned cluster is based on an old wine factory consisting of seven buildings with a total space of 20,000 square meters. One of the country's most prestigious contemporary galleries are located here, as well as many artists' studios, an advertising agency, an avant-garde clothing store, an art supply store, a bookstore and a stylish art-cafe. We visited Katya Bochavar's expo "Novanta" in the old wine cellar 10 feet under ground. The dark and damp setting consisted of eerie music tuned up with scattered TV screens and light installations displaying Federico Fellini's and Tonino Guerra's works. A fantastic experience!
A block away from Winzavod is the Design Centre Art Play. Previously operated as a silk factory, the 75,000 square meter property is currently being renovated to host several artist, architects and designers ateliers, as well as furniture suppliers and sellers - all under the same roof. The idea behind Art Play is to provide clients a convenient complex where they can find all the services they look for in one place. While most of the buildings are still under renovation, a large venue has already been opened for the purpose of exhibitions, concerts and seminars. In all its totality, Art Play is expected to open by the end of 2012.
To get to the next cluster we drove across the town to the other side where Flacon Design Centre is located. Founded in 2009 on a Soviet time perfume bottle factory, Flacon is one of the newest design centres in Moscow. Flacon rents its premises to companies, programs and individual experts and plans to expand its activities in the coming years to a large and diverse cluster with common marketing.
First an old chocolate, wine, silk and glass bottle factory and now an old bus station? You would think "contemporary" is the most inappropriate term to describe the theme of our trip. However, the whole idea behind the attraction of the creative clusters is the paradoxical play of old and new. And so it is also in the case of Garage Centre for Contemporary Culture, the former Bakhmetevsky Bus Garage designed in 1926. After full renovation, the centre has become one of the most important international art exhibitors in Moscow, having held expositions of the works of renowned contemporary artists including Mark Rothko, David Lynch and Christian Louboutin, and Antony Gormley.
More about the creative clusters in Moscow and St. Petersburg, consult Katja Ruutu's publication: New Cultural Art Centres in Moscow and St. Petersburg (PDF)
Believe it or not, the main purpose of our trip was not solely visit creative clusters, but to host an overview meeting of the creative industries and education in Finland and Russia in the framework of the Creative Compass project in cooperation with the Embassy of Finland and Cultural Policy Institute (Moscow). Topics of the meeting varied between Professor Peter McGrory's presentation on Aalto University's International Design Business Management program from the Finnish side to an overlook of design centre Project_Fabrika by Elena Tupyseva from Russia. The Institute for Russia and Eastern Europe would like to thank all speakers and participants for contributing to such a successful and informative event. A special thanks to our partners Mikhail Gnedovsky and Sofya Averchenkova from the Cultural Policy Institute, and Ritva Kattelus and Heikki Karjalainen from the Embassy of Finland. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated and we look forward to future collaboration with you. All seminar material can be found below.
After visiting six creative clusters, approximately 200,000 square meters of artistic space and organising a successful seminar, the Creative Compass team was happy to arrive in Helsinki with such a great experience richer. The trip reminded us of the important impact promoting cultural activities has on local communities and national identity. We are committed to supporting the activities of Moscow's creative clusters by cooperation between the individuals behind these centres and look forward to seeing their further development and evolution in the near future.
The Institute for Russia and Eastern Europe's mission is to enhance mutual understanding between European countries by promoting multilateral cultural co-operation between EU countries and Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. The Institute's Creative Compass project is funded by Finland's Ministry for Foreign Affairs and will run for 28 months during 2009-2011. The project seeks to identify parties in Finland and Russia's creative industries who are interested in co-operation and promotes mutual learning and the exchange of experiences by organizing seminars and practical workshops to discuss activities and developmental opportunities in the creative industries of both countries.
Seminar Pictures
Creative Industries and Education - Meeting in Moscow
Time: Thursday April 15, 2010
Programme:
10.00
10.30
10.35
I. Education for Creative Economy
10.45
11.20
11.30
11.40
11.50
II. Creative Clusters - Phenomena of New City Culture
12.15
12.40
12.50
13.00
13.10
13.30
13.45
Seminar material
Moscow School of Social and Economic Sciences (PDF)
Moscow creative clusters (PDF)
International University in Moscow (PDF)
Creative Clusters (PDF)
Cable Factory in Helsinki (PDF)
IDBM (PDF)
Participating organisations
The Moscow School of Social and Economic Sciences
Cultural Policy Institute
The Centre on the Problems of Informatization in the Sphere of Culture
International University in Moscow
Strelka Institute for Media, Architecture and Design
Winzavod Centre for Contemporary Culture
Design Centre Art Play
Flacon Design Centre
The Higher School of Economics, Moscow
Creative Industries Agency, Moscow
The National Contemporary Arts Centre
Embassy of Finland in Moscow
Lumiknows Design Strategy and Innovation Consultancy
Green City Business School
Aalto University School of Art and Design
Theory and Practice Agency, Moscow
Cable Factory, Helsinki
Youth Centre Project, Chelyabinsk
PROEKT_FABRIKA, Moscow
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