The Amazing Towers of Tatlin and Bawher

Constructionist Towers of Tatlin and Bawher

One of the ironies of Soviet time in Russia was the creativity in the art community. As long as the message supported the party view creativity could be expressed.

St. Petersburg was a flourishing center for the Avant garde before the 1918 revolution. many artists stayed on and even found support from the government when their message fit their goals, or be adjusted to do so.

The first great movement in Soviet Russian art was Constructivism, an artistic and architectural movement that originated in Russia from 1919 onward which rejected the idea of "art for art's sake" in favor of art as a practice directed towards social purposes. Constructivism as an active force lasted until around 1934, having a great deal of effect on developments in the art in Germany and elsewhere, before being replaced by Socialist Realism. Its motifs have recurred in art movements since.

Artists Kazimir Malevich, Alexander Rodchenko, Liubov Popova, Alexander Vesnin, Varvara Stepanova became the early leaders of the movement.

Enter Vladimir Tatlin and his proposal for the Monument to the Third International in 1919 which combined a machine aesthetic with dynamic components celebrating technology such as searchlights and projection screens. The Tatlin Tower, a grandiose monument, never to be built.

The Tatlin Tower - A video representation


http://www.youtube.com/v/lwuPCDhpcfY

Tatlin's work was immediately hailed by artists in Germany as a revolution in art: a 1920 photo shows George Grosz and John Heartfield holding a placard saying 'Art is Dead – Long Live Tatlin's Machine Art', while the designs for the tower were published in Bruno Taut's magazine Fruhlicht.

Tatlin's tower started a period of exchange of ideas between Moscow and Berlin, something reinforced by El Lissitzky and Ilya Ehrenburg's Soviet-German magazine Veshch-Gegenstand-Objet which spread the idea of 'Construction art', as did the Constructivist exhibits at the 1922 Russische Ausstellung in Berlin, organised by Lissitzky.

A 'Constructivist international' was formed, which met with Dadaists and De Stijl artists in Germany in 1922. Participants in this short-lived international included Lissitzky, Hans Richter, and Laszlo Moholy-Nagy.

However the idea of "art for teh sake of Art" was wrong to the Russian Constructivists: which wanted direct participation in industry and an end to easel painting.

Tatlin was one of the first to answer this and attempt to transfer his talents to industrial production, with his designs for an economical stove, for workers' overalls and for furniture. The Utopian element in Constructivism was maintained by his 'letatlin', a flying machine which he worked on until the 1930s.

Constructionist art is both idealistic and impractical. A period of intense creativity and clash of ideals and aesthetics. Thought Tatlin's Tower was never built, it spawned countless debates and inspired and offended.

This film inpsired from a Vladimir Mayakovsky Film is one interesting results of these times.



http://www.youtube.com/v/vo1qGR5DDw8

In 2005, Theodore Ushev made a short ani8mate film that revisits the themses of teh Constructionists set to the musical composition "Time, Forward!" by Russian composer Georgy Sviridov.

Drawing on the tower's design, the film seems to build toward a utopian goal, until the grandiose, futuristic forms abruptly tumble. In Tower Bawher, Ushev celebrates constructivist art while also critiquing the use of art in the service of ideology.



http://www.youtube.com/v/zap6AlCQsQk

The film makes fresh the creative ideas of the Constructionists, both their allure and foolishness.

More Films by Theodore ushev:
http://www.nfb.ca/explore-by/director/Theodore-Ushev/

Cheburashka Bento - Have your Cheby and eat it too!

One of the newest characters to appear in Japanese animation is the Russian cartoon classic "Cheburashka."
The popularity of Espensky's creation ca be seen by his inclusion in popular home art forms such as Bento Kyaraben, the lunch box prepared artistically with Japanese cartoon characters made of food.

Bento (弁当) is a single-portion takeout or home-packed meal common in Japanese cuisine. A traditional bento consists of rice, fish or meat, and one or more pickled or cooked vegetables, usually in a box-shaped container.

Although bento are readily available in many places throughout Japan, including convenience stores, bento shops (弁当屋), train stations, and department stores, it is still common for Japanese homemakers to spend time and energy for their spouse, child, or themselves producing a carefully prepared lunch box.

Bento can be very elaborately arranged in a style called kyaraben or "character bento". Kyaraben is typically decorated to look like popular Japanese cartoon characters (anime), characters from comic books (manga), or video game characters. Contests are often held where bento arrangers compete for the most aesthetically pleasing arrangements.

Miko "LuckySundae" is a very fine Bento artist who has the pleasure of eating her creations.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cuteobento/sets/72157602921501238/

She has a book coming out and does this professionally.

http://cuteobento.blog43.fc2.com/

The World's Smalllest Cheburashka and Gena!

This Cheburasha and Gena by Vladimir Aniskin are amazing.

Take a poppy seed from a muffin, cut it in half, now place two figures on it!

the World's Smallest Crocodile Gena and Cheburachka

How does he do it?

All my works are hand-made without any micro manipulators. Aniskin works with the help of a microscope. My microscope is MBS-9, a binocular microscope (that is, you look with both eyes), with linear magnification up to 100 power. Aniskin made two little self-made machine units - a lathe and a sharpening unit. Each of them can fit in the palm of a hand.

Aniskin invents and makes tools on of his own. While working he holds his creation in his fingers. Even one's heartbeat disturbs such minute work, so particularly delicate work has to be done between heartbeats.

How to make a miniature Easter Egg!

What are Crocodile Gena and Cheburashka made of?

Aniskin says, "These works are very complicated since they are three-dimensional, volumetric, and it is very, very hard to make a 3D object. These figurines were not made of something and then painted. No. They are entirely made of painting pigment which was processed in a way that it becomes sturdy enough to "hold" small plastic objects."

Crocodile Gena and Cheburashka

are placed on a cut poppy seed.

The height of Cheburashka is 0.6 mm, the height of Gena is 1.4 mm.


http://aniskin.ru/en/galery.html

101 ways to have a great day in Russia

Super Ideas for a Great Day in Russia 

From start to finish, 101 ways!

1. Get enough sleep the night before for your awesome day!
2. Clean your room the night before so that you wake up to a clean home to enjoy!
3. Have a refreshing shower or a nice warm bubble bath.
4. Pick your favorite outfit or one that make you look super good!
5. Eat a healthy breakfast. Blini!
6. Go for an early morning walk.
7. Read the newspaper.
8. Have a cup of tea or coffee.
9. Have pirogi or muffins with jam and cream.
10. Let someone else drive. Hitch a ride for little money!
11. Spend your day with friends or your family or your loved ones.
12. Go to the beach.  finland Gulf and feel your spirit on the wind!
13. Go shopping and spoil yourself.  Sennaya Ploschad is great for that!
14. Get a haircut. If you are a woman, get highlights too.
15. Take your phone with you in case you need it. Call a friend!
16. or find peace,  leave your phone in the car while you walk on the beach.
17. Put your toes into the lake or gulf!
18. Wear suncreen with a good SPF.
19. Be around people that make you feel good about yourself.
20. Say a prayer, meditate or have a moment of silence.. . . .
21. Do something that you have been meaning to do for a long time.
22. Spend some time on your favorite website. (sennaya.com)
23. Look good wherever you go. That will help you to feel good.
24. Smile!
25. Tell a joke to make other people laugh.
26. Do something for someone who needs help..
27. Eat your favorite food.
28. Watch your favorite TV show.
29. Do some gardening. Dacha!
30. Spend some time with  kids.
31. Wear a cool hat.
32. If it is winter, go for a walk in your new coat.
33. If you don't have a new coat, buy one!
34. Go onto your favorite social networks and ping a lot of people.
35. Read a book. http://www.ipacific.com/samoa/stevenson/
36. Paint a picture.
37. Don't think about things that make you stressed or angry.
38. Express your feelings in art or poetry, or by talking with an understanding person.
39. Spend some time with your pet. Animals love attention from their owners.
40. Jump in puddles if it is raining.
41. Go to a park with a group of friends. Krestovsky Ostrov!
42. Have a picnic. Go berry or mushroom hunting!
43. Sing a song. 
44. Cook something tasty.  Shashliki?
45. Pick a flower in your garden or bring one home.
46. Read a joke book.
47. Write inspirations in your diary.
48. Go for a walk or to the gym.
49. Relax in your home slippers.
50. Avoid arguments and be nice to other people.
51. Go on a boat.   White Nights on the Neva!
52. Page through a magazine.  Snob?
53. Have more tea or coffee.  With chocolate.
54. Wear a wacky outfit.
55. Gossip (but not too much).
56. Laugh
57. Bake with your mom or favorite friend.
58. Go to your favorite restaurant.
59. Drink sparkling water.
60. Have a power nap. Especially after some power food!
61. Buy someone a gift.
62. Go to the zoo park. 
63. Go dancing. At home is fine, just do it!
64. Brush your teeth and floss!
65. Go to a game reserve.
66. Get a letter or send a letter.
67. Play with stickers.
68. Make a social media page.
69. Play Pac Man Online.
70. Watch the news. Or maybe don't watch the news!
71. Make new goals.
72. Use a nice cream or beauty product. Perfume! Cologne!
73. Look at something shiny
74. Go star gazing. Make a wish to the brightest star!
75. Watch the clouds.
76. Go fishing. eat fish!
77. Go for a hike.
78. Go roller blading. at
79. Make a toast for health and good friends!
80. Facepaint your face. Get a temporary tattoo.
81. Kiss your sweetheart.
82. Fill the refridgerator.
83. Walk to Palace Square!
84. Text  SMS or tweet your friends
85. Make a snowman. Or snow woman. Give 'em a hug!
86. Swim, Polar Bear dip in winter?
87. Play a sport.
88. Sit in the sun. At Peter and Paul fortress!
89. Eat a pie on a bench.
90. Give yourself a makeover
91. Get a cool DVD.
92. Roast marshmallows on a stove or candle.
93. Tell your friend a secret.
94. Have tea in a high rise restaurant. Skybar?
95. Learn a new word
96. Do a crossword puzzle.
97. Wear something crazy.
98. Paint your nails. eat your snails, look at whales. Make a poem!
99. Buy some Swiss chocolates.
100. Wash your hair
101. Enjoy Life! Give yourself a break! Be yourself and happy!

Health, Happiness and Peace!

And to all a Great Day!

David and Maria
St.Petersburg, Russia
http://www.sennaya.com/forum/