A direct hit

The presentation of “Apraksin Blues” issue 23 in St. Petersburg took place on Tuesday, May 21, 2013. The gathering’s format was traditional, as a meeting of authors and friends, but combined — for the first time — with participation in the Youth Forum of Contemporary Art, at the House of Youth, Novoizmailovsky Avenue, Building 48.
As a result, the presentation and its discussions proved naturally open to the themes and space of contemporary art throughout the large-scale exhibits and intense activities of the forum at the House of Youth.
Author Piotr Tarasov spoke on the preservation of Russian language. Irina Mikhailova recounted the process of writing her article “Sower and Seed,” dedicated to the great director Nagisa Osima.
Alexander Lvov spoke about his journey to the Apraksin Blues Campus in California, and Elena Starovoitova, on the verge of traveling there herself, shared thoughts about her preparation and expectations for the stay.
Vladimir Ulyanov (Lvov) spoke about his book dedicated to B.V. Zon, the well-known theatrical director. Elena Bashkevich, author of an article on Lawrence of Arabia in issue 23, spoke about her writing and presented her own poetry, as did Irina Mikhailova. Tamara Tomikhai read examples of Chinese verse in Russian translation.
The gathering closed with a concert by the Moscow Ensemble of Contemporary Music, part of the forum’s richly diverse program.
Text and photos by Natalia Gladoush