Translated material
Crowdfunding is useful and harmful
1.
An exhibition dedicated to the fate of refugees and migrants from Africa, B & W ( Black & White ) is prepared by the joint efforts of the Fotodoc and Memorial Documentary Photo Center. The author of the idea is photographer Alexander Sorin . It is immediately clear that once in the project a human rights organization is involved in the project, it is not avoided acutely social topics. They promise that “photos and video interviews with Africans who came to Russia to ask for refuge, study or work, with victims of nationalists attacks, with those who have found their family here and connects their future with Russia or dreams of giving up to another country as soon as possible. <...> The history of African refugees is a symbol of forced migration and migrant problems in a foreign country. They are the most noticeable, most distinguishing, as a rule, - who escaped from the war, violence, hunger and diseases, they fit the most difficultly all in a new life, they are carriers of a completely different culture and traditions. They are often more difficult than all. They stand out like black on white. "
The theme of migration is one of the most painful in the world, and Russia is no exception. Usually what is happening in this area becomes visible when excesses like pogrom in Biryulev occur, the creation of a concentration camp for migrants or discussing a possible visa regime with the countries of Central Asia. However, this is not all. Do we know a lot besides bright, but absolutely monotonous stories from the media? Unfortunately, the artistic and documentary understanding of what is happening is still a relatively rare phenomenon. Therefore, this initiative deserves support.
© Alexander Sorin2.
Gleb Smirnov is an extravagant person. If not legends, then at least entertaining jokes are told about him. The historian of art and the philosopher lives in Venice. He is also known and represents himself as “the author of“ Samizdat ”manuscript books” - you can learn more about them here .
The new book prepared by him is “Palladio. Seven architectural travels ” - dedicated to the architect Andrea Palladio (1508-1580). Smirnov explains the necessity of this book quite simply and convincingly: “In Russia, not a single book of domestic production has been published about Palladio, while, for example, about Gaudi - abundance. But there are much more monuments of architecture built in the Palladian style in Russia than monuments of the Art Nouveau style. ”
3.
There could be some other crowdfunding campaign, but an article about the “reconstruction”, that is, the destruction of the “House of Gird” on Sadovo-Spasskaya Street, having historical and architectural value, turned out to be more important. However, this did not bother the destroyers. What is it, it is incomprehensible. In any case, you should find out about this.
An entertaining moment in the article is the final contrast of the situation with the House of the Gird and the winding state initiative “Folk Restoration”. The latter is supported by the Ministry of Culture and is called the "national socio-patriotic and educational project." This is also crowdfunding - the organizers of the project, as it were, say: our state is poor, so let's collect money to restore the museums of Tchaikovsky and Glinka, for example. Under the slogan “We come from Russia”, the state economically leaves the sphere of restoration and protection of monuments. In all other parameters, it left there for a long time, judging by the story with the House of Girda and many others . Medinsky is satisfied.
