BSTU helped to see the "Soul of Russia" in Serbia

The International Photo Exhibition "Soul of Russia" has opened in the Russian Center for Science and Culture "Russian House" in Belgrade. The organization of the project, which was conceived not only as an artistic but also as an educational one, was undertaken by the Institute of Serbian Language and Communications, operating on the basis of Shukhov Belgorod State Technological University. The idea belongs to the ANO "Territory of Culture and Tradition" (Novorossiysk), which turned to BSTU specialists for consultancy and logistics support.

The concept of the exhibition and the theme of the works

The exhibition presents works from the collection of Vadim Razumov (Moscow), which he managed to make while visiting the cities presented. The photographs show old buildings, nature, flowers, people... All this will allow the Serbian public to learn about old Russian cities, which they know less, that have preserved authentic landscapes and architecture.

The director of the Institute of Serbian Language and Communications Victoria Ryapukhina said that the project "Soul of Russia" was able to unite an international Russian-Serbian team from different cities.

"For us, as representatives of a university with a strong architectural school, the idea of ​​presenting 31 ancient cities of modern Russia in Serbia with their cathedral complexes, temples, houses with lace frames, personifying the talented and very diligent work of our masters, was very close to us. Initially, we helped to form the concept of the project, determine the target group, and also translated the texts for the explication and the exhibition catalogue. But then we got involved and took on the organization and moderation: first of all, we helped to find a sponsor for printing photographs and catalogues in Serbia - we can afford it, having a huge resource of groundwork, a partner network and a credit of trust, created over twenty years of constant activity in the field of Russian-Serbian cooperation," said Victoria Ryapukhina.

Journey through Serbian cities

The photo exhibition "Soul of Russia" is mobile, and its launch was given in September.

The organizational partners were long-time friends of the Institute of Serbian Language and Communications: the Union of Russian-Serbian Public Dialogue "KOS" under the leadership of Katarina Petkovic (Aleksandrovac) and the Serbian-Russian Cooperation Center "Zenit" under the leadership of Aleksa Gajic (Kragujevac).

Owing to the colleagues, the project visited the cities of Rača, Aleksandrovac and, most importantly, the city of Gračanica in the territory of the de facto occupied Serbian region of Kosovo and Metohija. In Niš, a twin city of Belgorod, Victoria Ryapukhina was also present at the opening ceremony.

"The choice of Serbian cities included in the exhibition route was determined by the desire to show it not only in large cities, but also in small towns from the south to the north of the country. However, it was especially joyful to present the exhibition in Niš, where everyone knows and loves our university. It was also easiest to organize the exhibition in Niš: we easily got the best venue at our disposal - the State Gallery of the Cultural Center of the city of Niš, and there was practically no end to those who wanted to help and assist with the matter. The venue of the opening ceremony was overcrowded, and due to the huge interest, the exhibition itself stayed in the city twice as long as originally planned," shared Victoria Ryapukhina.

The next “stop” was the capital city Belgrade and the exhibition hall of the Russian House, which has not only cultural and historical, but also socio-political significance, which imposed additional responsibility on the organizers.

"On the opening day, the country was still under blockade, and it was raining, but we had a full house of people again. The thing is that after establishing the tradition of holding our festival-forum "Days of Belgorod in Belgrade", our university became even more recognizable, and we also very wisely chose a reviewer - a well-known and respected Serbian professor of architecture, Dr. Ljubiša Folić, who kindly agreed to speak at the opening ceremony," said Victoria Ryapukhina.

In the coming months, the photo exhibition "Soul of Russia" will continue its journey and arrive in the north of the country, in Vojvodina, where it will be seen by residents of the cities of Bačka Palanka and Novi Sad. Then, depending on the situation, the project will either return to the south of Serbia - to Vranje and Kuršumlija, or move to the Republic of Srpska (Bosnia and Herzegovina), where it is awaited in Banja Luka and Trebinje.

On a voluntary basis

We would like to emphasize that, being the result of public diplomacy and personal initiatives, the project is being implemented on a non-commercial and non-grant basis, without a budget, exclusively on a voluntary basis.

The head of the ANO "Territory of Culture and Tradition" Ekaterina Ponomarenko noted that ancient cities that have not been forgotten and continue to amaze with their scale, inspire the devotees of Russian culture and traditions all over the world.

"Each city is deeply symbolic and spiritual, because in each of them you can touch the majestic past and present. Looking closely at each photograph, we will hear its story. This project is a kind of attempt to touch the infinitely beautiful, unique and very soulful Russian culture, an attempt to try to understand it through familiarity with the history of Russian small ancient cities.

The symbolic meaning and stories that these photographs "tell" us give us an opportunity to look at the authenticity of culture and how important it is to be proud of your country, respect your traditions and carefully pass them on from generation to generation. This project is a huge source of inspiration for its viewers, because the more beauty we see, the more beauty there is in us," said Ekaterina Ponomarenko.

The Institute of Serbian Language and Communications would like to express special gratitude to the Serbian graduates of the Belgorod Institute of Arts and Culture for their selfless assistance in organizing and implementing the musical design of events related to the “Soul of Russia” project.

 The organization of the project, which was conceived not only as an artistic but also as an educational one, was undertaken by the Institute of Serbian Language and Communications, operating on the basis of Shukhov Belgorod State Technological University. The idea belongs to the ANO "Territory of Culture and Tradition" (Novorossiysk), which turned to BSTU specialists for consultancy and logistics support.

The concept of the exhibition and the theme of the works

The exhibition presents works from the collection of Vadim Razumov (Moscow), which he managed to make while visiting the cities presented. The photographs show old buildings, nature, flowers, people... All this will allow the Serbian public to learn about old Russian cities, which they know less, that have preserved authentic landscapes and architecture.

The director of the Institute of Serbian Language and Communications Victoria Ryapukhina said that the project "Soul of Russia" was able to unite an international Russian-Serbian team from different cities.

"For us, as representatives of a university with a strong architectural school, the idea of ​​presenting 31 ancient cities of modern Russia in Serbia with their cathedral complexes, temples, houses with lace frames, personifying the talented and very diligent work of our masters, was very close to us. Initially, we helped to form the concept of the project, determine the target group, and also translated the texts for the explication and the exhibition catalogue. But then we got involved and took on the organization and moderation: first of all, we helped to find a sponsor for printing photographs and catalogues in Serbia - we can afford it, having a huge resource of groundwork, a partner network and a credit of trust, created over twenty years of constant activity in the field of Russian-Serbian cooperation," said Victoria Ryapukhina.

Journey through Serbian cities

The photo exhibition "Soul of Russia" is mobile, and its launch was given in September.

The organizational partners were long-time friends of the Institute of Serbian Language and Communications: the Union of Russian-Serbian Public Dialogue "KOS" under the leadership of Katarina Petkovic (Aleksandrovac) and the Serbian-Russian Cooperation Center "Zenit" under the leadership of Aleksa Gajic (Kragujevac).

Owing to the colleagues, the project visited the cities of Rača, Aleksandrovac and, most importantly, the city of Gračanica in the territory of the de facto occupied Serbian region of Kosovo and Metohija. In Niš, a twin city of Belgorod, Victoria Ryapukhina was also present at the opening ceremony.

"The choice of Serbian cities included in the exhibition route was determined by the desire to show it not only in large cities, but also in small towns from the south to the north of the country. However, it was especially joyful to present the exhibition in Niš, where everyone knows and loves our university. It was also easiest to organize the exhibition in Niš: we easily got the best venue at our disposal - the State Gallery of the Cultural Center of the city of Niš, and there was practically no end to those who wanted to help and assist with the matter. The venue of the opening ceremony was overcrowded, and due to the huge interest, the exhibition itself stayed in the city twice as long as originally planned," shared Victoria Ryapukhina.

The next “stop” was the capital city Belgrade and the exhibition hall of the Russian House, which has not only cultural and historical, but also socio-political significance, which imposed additional responsibility on the organizers.

"On the opening day, the country was still under blockade, and it was raining, but we had a full house of people again. The thing is that after establishing the tradition of holding our festival-forum "Days of Belgorod in Belgrade", our university became even more recognizable, and we also very wisely chose a reviewer - a well-known and respected Serbian professor of architecture, Dr. Ljubiša Folić, who kindly agreed to speak at the opening ceremony," said Victoria Ryapukhina.

In the coming months, the photo exhibition "Soul of Russia" will continue its journey and arrive in the north of the country, in Vojvodina, where it will be seen by residents of the cities of Bačka Palanka and Novi Sad. Then, depending on the situation, the project will either return to the south of Serbia - to Vranje and Kuršumlija, or move to the Republic of Srpska (Bosnia and Herzegovina), where it is awaited in Banja Luka and Trebinje.

On a voluntary basis

We would like to emphasize that, being the result of public diplomacy and personal initiatives, the project is being implemented on a non-commercial and non-grant basis, without a budget, exclusively on a voluntary basis.

The head of the ANO "Territory of Culture and Tradition" Ekaterina Ponomarenko noted that ancient cities that have not been forgotten and continue to amaze with their scale, inspire the devotees of Russian culture and traditions all over the world.

"Each city is deeply symbolic and spiritual, because in each of them you can touch the majestic past and present. Looking closely at each photograph, we will hear its story. This project is a kind of attempt to touch the infinitely beautiful, unique and very soulful Russian culture, an attempt to try to understand it through familiarity with the history of Russian small ancient cities.

The symbolic meaning and stories that these photographs "tell" us give us an opportunity to look at the authenticity of culture and how important it is to be proud of your country, respect your traditions and carefully pass them on from generation to generation. This project is a huge source of inspiration for its viewers, because the more beauty we see, the more beauty there is in us," said Ekaterina Ponomarenko.

The Institute of Serbian Language and Communications would like to express special gratitude to the Serbian graduates of the Belgorod Institute of Arts and Culture for their selfless assistance in organizing and implementing the musical design of events related to the “Soul of Russia” project.