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Darya Pylnova: Hello. Today in Michael Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev’s
Press Centre’s studio I welcome Ekaterina Beljavskaja – an artist,
and Vadim Chachin - a journalist.
Ekaterina Beljavskaja: Hello.
Darya Pylnova: They are people well-known in art-circle
as well as in fashion-industry as tireless …
Ekaterina Beljavskaja: Fighters with reality.
Darya Pylnova: Fighters with reality, yes, and people,
who have thought up the last action with mittens
and “Mishka (bear) in the North” chocolate bars
to support Michael Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev. Is it true?
Ekaterina Beljavskaja: Yes, that’s true, we have done it.
Darya Pylnova: How did all this begin, how did you think
of being involved more or less permanently,
and how did you join the “We Draw a Court” competition?
Ekaterina Beljavskaja: I was sitting in the office,
there was a summer day and I had nothing to do
except drawing my attention away from my private life’s problems
and switching it over something else quickly;
and I received an ordinary e-mail saying the competition was announced.
I’ve joint this competition and that’s all.
And there I’ve seen people in an aquarium;
I do not like animals being caged in and people in aquariums very much.
That is not their natural habitat.
Darya Pylnova: Where it was, your “sitting in the office”?
What were you involved in?
Ekaterina Beljavskaja: I was shooting children's program.
Darya Pylnova: Do you mean on TV?
Ekaterina Beljavskaja: Yes.
Darya Pylnova: As an author?
Ekaterina Beljavskaja: Yes. I am an art-director
and an author of this educational children’s program.
When one is involved in historical studies,
already on the ninetieth program an understanding comes
that people should not sit in aquariums;
and this understanding becomes acuter with every program.
As a study of Russian history as well as the world’s one
leads us to the perception that if one sees something is wrong
he will have either to declare it or to burn with shame later.
Darya Pylnova: Well, it means about one thousand mittens
and “Mishka (Bear – tr.) in the north” chocolate bars
with Michael Borisovich Khodorkovsky's image on them.
Will you, please, tell us about them in detail,
and show something if it is possible.
Ekaterina Beljavskaja: Yes. Here we have some beautiful bags,
there are so pretty mittens inside them,
and you can see Michael Borisovich's signature here,
such a gorgeous one.
Vadim Chachin: By the way, Michael Borisovich
has not coped with a sewer trade;
and that is a principal grudge against him.
We’ve just decided to play this fact up and to help him a little bit…
Ekaterina Beljavskaja: And as he is working in packing room
everything has been also packed.
Some people succeed in this profession somewhere
near the place Michael Borisovich has failed sewed these mittens;
and all we needed to do was to place an order for necessary quantity.
Vadim Chachin: As a matter of fact the mittens are exactly those,
sewed in colonies only.
Ekaterina Beljavskaja: There is a chocolate with a taste of politics,
bitter chocolate, and the bitterest chocolate.
Here it is - our “Mishka in the north”.
Everybody told us: “that is terrible-terrible- terrible!”
We thought it over and made a calendar “Fear 2010”.
Everything is like in an adults’ world,
even the “ukladchitsa (packer – tr.)’s” nameplate is here.
Darya Pylnova: What is the sense of this calendar? What is in it?
Ekaterina Beljavskaja: Its sense is in making a fight with fears easier to people.
For example in February one is planning to visit some…
well… state institution…
Everybody is afraid of the last for some reason …
As for us, we do love everything,
we do not understand, what people are afraid of.
Darya Pylnova: Have you by chance arrived from Goa?
Ekaterina Beljavskaja: I have come home from Bali.
Darya Pylnova: I see. I just have a feeling of you sitting
on the ocean beach and meditating a great love.
Ekaterina Beljavskaja: Yes, actually I was there.
You do understand. Once I went there;
and I also loved everybody.
Darya Pylnova: As Aleshenka Karamazov said,
it is easy to love everybody;
it is very difficult to love one's neighbour.
Ekaterina Beljavskaja: To love everyone.
There are big complications with it.
The problem is that in case of Aleshenka Karamazov
things were easier than they are with us.
Darya Pylnova: So, tell us. How can one get over fears?
Ekaterina Beljavskaja: Look here. For instance, you open calendar for February and read:
“Nothing is terrible except fear itself. - Francis Bacon”
and realize it; then, for example,
if you move in sophisticated society
and are trying to explain something in simple words
they do not understand you.
You should refer to a well-known brand, shouldn’t you?
So you do what? Whoops!
“Those who live in fear, perish with fear”. - Leonardo da Vinci.
Everything becomes easier.
Darya Pylnova: I address my question to both of you.
How do you see Yukos case and people sitting in an aquarium,
in Khamovnichesky court room?
Vadim Chachin: When Katya has started going to court to draw,
she began to tell me both about an aquarium,
and about the judge, and about everything
that was going on there in general.
Darya Pylnova: And has it awoken your interest?
Ekaterina Beljavskaja: No, it has enraged him.
Vadim Chachin: At the beginning…
Well, I didn’t understand what in fact was going on there,
what she liked there actually.
Then I’ve realized this trial is interesting enough.
Darya Pylnova: What do you think about all main participants of this trial?
Ekaterina Beljavskaja: Here I am… not feeling a pity.
I know everyone will shout at me now and again
but I would say once more:
I do not take pity on Michael Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev.
They are very handsome, very courageous, very strong people,
they look superb. I cannot feel sorry for them.
Though it is a pity they are there.
Vadim Chachin: Their missed opportunities - it is a pity
Ekaterina Beljavskaja: Yes, it is a pity; they do not use them
according to their intended purpose, if I may say so.
Darya Pylnova: Do you mean that it is a pity for you
something went wrong with them, such successful people?
Ekaterina Beljavskaja: Yes. And I personally take pity on public prosecutors
because I’ve been taught to pity such people since my childhood.
My daddy is a journalist, my mum - a patent attorney.
I’ve been trained to work hard, and to pity such people.
Such people should be pitied.
Darya Pylnova: What can you say about the feelings in your milieu, among your friends?
Vadim Chachin: They know all details from me only.
Darya Pylnova: Only from you?
Does it mean they didn’t know anything for years?
Ekaterina Beljavskaja: As for me I did not know about this trial either!
I too had no idea the trial was going on till I have received an e-mail.
Yes, that is a fact.
We tell the friends the names – Khodorkovsky, Lebedev,
and they answered: “Wow! So you went to Chita, didn’t you?”
We said: “No, we didn’t. They are in Moscow now”.
“Is it true? Do you mean it is possible simply to come in and to have a look?” –
“It is possible to come in and to have a look”.
Vadim Chachin: I don’t know their attitude;
because, I shall repeat it once again, nobody knows.
There are some persons, a few dozens of people
whom I have told; naturally they were interested
because I am involved and that basically means
I have found something interesting for myself.
All the others – they do not want to know about it,
Ekaterina Beljavskaja: Do you think we watch TV?
We do not watch TV. We have only one channel – «2х2»
that’s all. Even if there is a TV set.
Darya Pylnova: Well it is clear they on this channel will not tell us about it.
Ekaterina Beljavskaja: No, they won’t for a while. But they will soon.
Darya Pylnova: Let’s now come back to that action
you are closely involved in now,
the one with chocolate bars and with mittens.
How did the idea come in your heads;
and how did you choose the addressees of the gifts;
and what was your aim?
Vadim Chachin: About an idea…
We wished to draw a certain quantity of people's attention to the trial.
We have chosen them exclusively in terms of either we like them or not.
Our choice had nothing to do with their attitude to this trial…
Ekaterina Beljavskaja: We thought about trendsetters - about people
whose opinion would call our, Vadim’s and my attention in the first place.
Darya Pylnova: How many people have already received your gifts?
Ekaterina Beljavskaja: Probably six hundred have received them already.
Darya Pylnova: More than half a thousand?
Ekaterina Beljavskaja: Dispatch is still going on, because it is a huge dispatch.
Darya Pylnova: Do you send the gifts in Moscow only?
Ekaterina Beljavskaja: Yes, only in Moscow.
We’ve already sent them to a certain quantity of journalists;
I mean the publishing houses.
Darya Pylnova: You mean the newspapers, don’t you?
Which ones? "Vedomosty”? Can you name them?
Vadim Chachin: You could say that was “Moscow times”, "Esquire” magazine too;
that’s what considering “Independent’ publishing house.
I have even chosen some exclusively according to their names;
whether I like ones or not.
Ekaterina Beljavskaja: And it was working and has worked.
Darya Pylnova: What exactly do you mean by “it has worked”?
Ekaterina Beljavskaja: They call us back.