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Artyom Loskutov: Person of history -- who is it?
There should now appear picture of Airport "Tolmachevo".
From the side, which I am pleased to observe it.
It is from this.
I was born in Novosibirsk, and lived here all my life.
And sometimes I think that most of those sitting here
have roughly the same story.
But there is probably an even smaller part.
Or may be the same.
These are the people who came to Novosibirsk
from other cities. Of those that are around.
Around Novosibirsk few large cities.
And people, some of you, are going to Novosibirsk
in search of opportunities for education, work or culture.
And about the same reasons
people leave from Novosibirsk --
in search of education, work or culture.
And when you come from this side to the "Tolmachevo"
it's always nice to leave Novosibirsk
in search of something more interesting.
And it seems like in Novosibirsk almost nothing happens.
Many of my friends from Novokuznetsk reproach me of course:
"You're too picky".
But...
when you look at what's happens in the world,
it seems that we are somewhere on the sidelines.
Absolutely nothing here.
It's something that we have in Novosibirsk.
(Laughter)
And that, in which you really want to take part,
grab, catch on some story,
it's somewhere very far away.
And often even already happened.
And it's absolutely impossible to get there.
It's impossible to come to "Tolmachevo"
and fly away into the past.
This photo was taken in Paris in 1968.
It says that under the pavement there is a beach.
And in 1968, took place all sorts of interesting
events in the world that have changed the world.
Young people were too disappointed
in this burgher, philistine world.
The fact that later called social revolution
or another sorts of different words.
All this was happening then, and it seemed:
"Well, that's the Paris, where so many people.
So they really got together, stirred up something, do something?"
And you want to get there,
but you live in Novosibirsk.
And it's absolutely not clear what to do.
How to be there
and to feel at least something similar?
Unclear.
The next picture is Moscow.
It's already 1998.
These guys are celebrating the 30th anniversary
of the Paris events in May.
It's such a barricade, as it was in Paris.
But it's made from cardboard boxes, imitational.
They have one of the slogans that I can read:
"No money and no need to".
And other people -- just French students
who were in Moscow on the occasion,
or Moscow artists called them.
You look at this and think:
"Well, 1998.
I could possibly be there, even though I was only twelve.
But anyway -- how?
It has already passed, there is no chance".
And anyway, it's Moscow.
There's about 200 or 300 people at the event.
And where to find them in Novosibirsk?
You think about it and get upset.
And you think:
"Maybe here just no such people,
which could be called the subjects of history?"
For some reason.
Ie those people who would create something,
what I would like to participate.
Something that will change the world.
That creates a sense of belonging to the history
that happens with all mankind,
with all of our large organism in which we all live.
And you think:
"Why is this happening?"
It isn't clear.
The next picture is the Novosibirsk group.
Well, the Siberian-Urals.
It is called the "Blue Noses".
It is well known in the world.
One of the most famous contemporary Russian artists.
Slava Mizin stands in the middle.
And why is he here?
Because I want to quote one of his aphorism.
He likes to criticize everything and he says that:
"Novosibirsk is a city of half pregnant".
What does this mean?
This means that everyone has a lot of ideas.
But there is a feeling that all the time
something is missing.
Not enough money, any sponsor
or a magic wand, the situation, people.
You have an idea,
but there is no three hundred artists
who will deal with you the same folly.
You sit, think and upset.
10 years ago I was 16.
I graduated from the school in which all the time saying:
"You need to learn a little bit more now.
That which you don't like, don't understand.
But then, you go to the university,
and you will learn only those subjects,
that you will choose by yourself,
what would you like." That...
(Applause)
There is a feeling, that in 10 years nothing has changed, right?
In the institute you realize:
"Oh ***! What is this?" --
You think --
"Four physics at semester!
Various!
I didn't understand one at school, and here are four of them!
And why? And what I would do with it?"
Somehow I entered this specialization.
There is enough of my knowledge to study for free,
at first...
(Laughter)
And somehow you pass exams and think:
"Damn, another 3 or 4 years will not be better!
It will only get worse!"
And you realize that 10 years you have been cheated,
at least at school, telling that everything will be different.
And at the institute even more.
Unclear situation.
And you graduate.
And why do these 15 years of madness?
What are they for and what to do next?
I did not see how I go with this world
that deceived me so far.
How do I communicate with it at all?
How to be?
What is the place to occupy in it?
And there was a feeling, as with many has,
probably in a transitional age,
when such illusions crumble,
and you realize that everything
is not as much as you told in fairy tales.
And there was one event
during the first year at university,
that touched me and my classmates.
Now probably would not touched, don't know.
After the acts of terrorism in America,
the U.S. has decided to take revenge for them to Iraq
for some reason.
Probably, because there was oil.
Now such version spread.
And decided to overthrow Saddam Hussein, to attack.
And we saw the posters at the university
in which is written that there will be meeting
against the war in Iraq.
And I thought: "That's it seems that I like.
I don't like the war and should go to the meeting".
We went there with friends and saw the guys.
Nice guys, probably, not bad.
At that time they were called "nazbols".
(Laughter)
Nothing funny actually. Nice guys.
They offered us: "Lets now we will shout outcry --
Today we with poster, and tomorrow with a gun."
We looked at them and thought:
"This is crazy. What kind of gun?".
This is the same as the movie was:
"I'm the most charming and attractive".
Such autotraining.
As a self--hypnosis. With these guns...
Some sort of nonsense.
Two years later, in fact, some of them were found
with some type of ammunition or explosives.
Two jailed, and the rest fled.
But, in general, it all seemed as sad and deceitful
as the rest of the world around.
We continued to search,
continue to go to these political rallies.
On November 7, I remember,
near the NSTU, where we study,
demonstration took place near "GUM".
And my main impression --
on the steps stood a politician,
such communist, and shouts:
"Away!", then: "Give us!"
And the people who stand out in the crowd,
they really don't always hear what he was shouting.
And you realize that some people
shouting "Away!", and other "Give us!".
And such confusion comes,
the feeling of total absurdity.
What's going on?
The world is rolling into madness,
and those people who are trying to slow down,
to offer an alternative,
they all roughly the the same as in the whole world.
And we thought that if we participate,
what can we say from ourselves?
And came to the conclusion,
that it can only be a personal emotions.
Emotions such stunning,
from what we see around us.
And we thought that here comes May 1.
And so it happened that around us,
my friends,
there were some people
who were living with the same feeling.
This idea, which we began to discuss,
what we will go on May 1st,
and will not pretend to be the opposition
or someone else,
and will express our heartfelt emotions
about what we think.
The next picture is May 1, 2004.
It written here:
"Tanya, don't cry!"
This appeal, as it were equivalent
to any "Give!" or "Away!".
It's directed into the void.
It's not trying to communicate with no one.
There's still on the left, just below, such a long:
"ыы-ыть!" ("yy-yyyyt!")
This is also a feeling of confusion --
you want to say something,
but do not really want to.
Because you don't want to communicate
to the people who listen.
Simply in emptiness.
These two signs in the middle,
which the police immediately confiscated.
They probably have solved this riddle.
(Laughter)
(Literally written: "KED-UP", "FUC")
It's also, probably a very capacious
characterization of our senses,
which brought us out into the street.
We had some rags, sticks,
portraits printed on the printer.
There Salvador Dali.
And there's behind just
the red and white tape,
which enclose some places.
Such slogan.
The police began to arrest us
for some reason.
Five people were detained
and forced to write an explanatory note to the police.
There was written:
"I, "Name",
confirm that my slogan "Slogan"
and "Monstration" didn't call for the
overthrow of the constitutional order".
After that feeling of emptiness and absurdity,
It became that of which our action was formed.
Our small, not clear action,
but then it turned in the history.
We decided to play with this formulation.
We have nothing to be repelled,
so we tried to start from the facts that attracted by us.
Here's the police attracted us
to this "constitutional order."
The next year we did such a thing.
Purely for the sake of the game.
(Written: "The slogan calling for the overthrow of the constitutional order")
In order to in this explanatory note
was such wording:
"Our "Slogan calling for the overthrow of the constitutional order"
does not call for the overthrow of the constitutional order".
I haven't other pictures,
because it was confiscated in wrapped form.
We were not allowed to reveal it.
This is my friend's workshop,
of Kostya Skotnikov.
He stood with Mizin
in the photo "NATO WELLCOME".
He was with an axe.
He is professor of architectural academia,
teaching for almost 30 years.
And if there is his students,
they will confirm that he is very much loved in there.
He's a good guy.
What else do we have in Novosibirsk but emptiness --
is the press.
And of course we relied on press
because this action we considered artistic,
quite sincerely.
We call ourselves artists.
Even convinced few people.
And ourselves, as well.
A bit later.
Well, there is no exhibition spaces
through which the artist can get advance.
But there is a press.
we were trying to throw it all to the press,
saying that we've got
all sorts of things like that.
Of course all this is shown in the newspapers,
on the Internet.
And people wrote:
"Oh, great! We will come next year!
We'll come, we'll write slogans".
Even though we do not plan to repeat.
But inevitably by inertia it all developed,
based on a story like this.
It would seem, why should that slogan?
Thank to police.
Next picture.
There was a story in 2009.
(Written: "This year, Novosibirsk city administration took away the "Monstration" territory
and put up the baton there. The only appropriate response --
to took away the territory occupied by the City Hall and arrange monstrodance there.")
Last year we demonstrated with rally of communists,
because didn't know how to register anything
or to declare.
They were kicked out from the center.
We decided to react to it symmetrical.
Because we really wanted to take a place in history.
And we thought that here is Municipality,
which do not like us.
This is a good sign.
Because we also don't really like
city administration.
We were simply told that the place
where we usually go,
pass the baton.
Ok, we have an idea.
We say that municipality taken our place
and in response we'll take place at City Hall.
Symmetric decent answer.
Full scale.
We painted such a "picture".
Put them in a small gallery.
There were seven pieces.
It's all called Plan.
There were such plans as in the history book --
which sides to approach the city hall,
what time, and how we will bewitch it,
beat the drums, pick it up off the ground
to be able to occupy the territory.
It's all exactly at 12:00 clanging chimes occur.
Within an hour, we will...
Monstrodance... I don't know where it appeared.
We promised that in any case
we shouldn't destroy something,
no broken glasses.
Solely by the power of magic,
the power of drums and mantras.
Those people who were responsible for law and order
isn't very understood this joke.
And there is such a story.
I was in a cage,
a little.
Not for long, thank god and the people
who have taken me out from there.
But thanks to this bad story that happened.
This is for the question:
"That we still have in our emptiness?"
There is repressive machine in our emptiness.
And last year, it is strong enough.
It is unpleasant, but it is.
And probably it can be repelled of it.
Thanks to this story about the "Monstration",
which, frankly, not very interested many people.
Well, somewhere in Novosibirsk,
where news doesn't happen, in principle.
Well what can happen in Novosibirsk?
Once a year, will show the weather forecast
about Novosibirsk and there is all curiosity.
Or foxes bred.
Or something.
And the fact that man arrested for such slogans,
withal by Department for Combating Extremism.
It certainly entertained everyone.
And thanks to this little media "blow"
for the next year people decided to repeat our action
in 15 cities.
Next slide. Last one.
(Written: "If everybody will walk like that, it's kind of anarchy will come")
In a bad meaning, of course, anarchy.
But on the other hand,
we have invested a good one.
Self-organized society.
That is completely out of emptiness,
of sticks and improvised material.
We built a history here, that exists outside of Novosibirsk
and even outside Russia.
Because this thing is repeated in several cities in Ukraine.
It becomes clear, that at some point
we just stopped being a little bit "pregnant".
We didn't have anything
besides the will to live in a history,
to have some involvement to the world
in which we live.
Who is the subject of history?
I think that every person has the potential to be one.
It is enough to stop being half "pregnant".
Ideas really are at all. Everybody full of ideas.
And nothing, practically, need to implement them.
It is only necessary to make a small step,
and in the words of my friend,
with whom we did the first monstration --
he liked to say calming me:
"Artyom, we are not building a rocket".
And really, we don't build a rocket
and could do something poorly.
We do not have money for something --
we can do without them.
"No money and no need to" --
as say the guys on the barricade in Moscow.
And another important point --
when I say that I like to look at "Tolmachevo"
on the other side, when leaving,
because I always want to leave Novosibirsk,
not at all, at least for a while.
Now I have, and still have a few hundreds,
maybe thousands, of people;
the day when you don't want to leave Novosibirsk.
First of May of each year we do this action.
This year, it was the tenth.
And some of my friends, it's hard to believe,
they come from Moscow especially for this action.
What is the sense?
From Moscow,
for the money how much is a ticket to Novosibirsk,
you can fly anywhere at all.
Can be up to New York.
15,000 rubles worth the same as in Novosibirsk fly there and back,
that in New York or Europe.
And that's good.
This is good,
because if someone else would create such an event,
for which the Novosibirsk don't want to leave,
we all here will be much nicer
and more fun.
Who is the subject of history?
Well, actually, you --
the subject of history.
Every person is the subject of history.
Keep this in mind
to do something with this idea today,
well, or tomorrow. Thank you.