However that may be we realized as the result:
- first in our country large scale LIGHT CONCERTS in
1962-1970,
("Prometei" by Scriabin, our own visual
interpretations of
musical pieces by Rimski-Korsakov, Musorgski,
Stravinski,
Yarullin, Bulez and al.);
- first abstract LIGHT MUSICAL FILMS ("Prometei", 1965;
"Eternal
movement", 1969; "Little triptych", 1975; "Space sonata",
1981
- set on music by Scriabin, Vareze, Sviridov), number
of them
being combined with electronic music.
- the first in USSR PLAIN AIR PERFORMANCE "Son et Lumiere" , 1970
(this is amazing theatre featuring dynamic stereo sound
- the
one without actors);
- first performances of "SPATIAL MUSIC" and STEREO RADIOTHEATER
with free sound movement around the demonstration hall (1974).
The possibility was practically checked of new media-
dynamic
light, and electronics - introducing
in other spheres of
artistical activity: in ARCHITECTURE ("Mellow chime" installation
in Kazan Kremlin ,1967, being the
realization of Russian
metaphor (In Russia adjective "crimson" is used for designating
both of color and of this kind of chime); dynamical
lightning
set, influenced by weather state, installed in
Kazan circus,
1968; series of light dynamical stained glasses - in "Tatarstan"
hotel, 1968; in planetarium, 1970; in our university
museum,
1982); in DESIGN (lot of versions of our automatic psychedelic
light musical installations "Idel", "Yalkyn", "Color", "Electronic
artist", "Kaleidofon", "Disco"). All this art forms relate to the
KI- NETIC ART, LUMIDYNAMICS, in accordance
with the settled
terminology. Some of our ideas was realized in adjoining spheres
of "FUNCTIONAL LIGHT-MUSIC", teilorism, engineering
and space
psychology (light musical indicators of "human being - machine"
system state, creating of controlled audio-visual environment
in
relaxation rooms, in intensive training classrooms).
It was in 1979 that "Prometheus"
design office got the
possibility to demonstrate all the variety of his experiments
in
its light music hall associated with Kazan Youth Center, this hall
being visited annually by 4-5 thousand visitors. The
hall was
also the place where annual All-Union "Prometheus readings" were
held. The hall had been destroyed by "new Russians",
reviving
capitalism, in 1991. Now it is reconstructed
in one of our
university buildings. The most significant forum of the type
was
the All-Union festival "Light and Music" with 500 participants.
It was dedicated to 25 anniversary of our studio (1987).
Light concert program "Time, ahead!"
(music by Sviridov),
"Dark flame" (music by Scrabin), "Bolero" (music
by M. Ravel)
created to the "Festival of light" had been preserved as
legacy
of the "light festival" and are constantly demonstrated
in the
hall. The premiere of "Snow-Maiden" opera by N. A. Rimski-Korsakov
with elements of ligtmusical decoration was
performed within
festival days this play then being performed with
success by
Kazan Opera and Ballet theatre several
years after the
festival. The electronic devices memory stores also the
special
"spatial sound" program ( including such pieces as
"Electronic
symphony" by S. Belimov, "Flowing of instants" by L. Blinov)
and
stereo radiotheater pieces ( the most interesting being "
Birth
of music" and dialogue between "live" Hamlet and "invisible"
ghost
of his father). Results of long-term experiments " Children draw
music" ( so called "MUSICAL GRAPHICS") are demonstrated from time
to time in Kazan.
SLIDE-MUSICAL programs are constantly
demonstrated in the
hall and other places. The compositions feature union of
music
with picturesque images achieved by smooth changing of
slides.
The most significant compositions are - "Romance"
(music by
G. Sviridov), "Clouds" (music C. Debussy), "Ave. Maria"
(music by
F. Shubert), "Embrace one another , millions of people!" (music by
L. van Beethoven), "Sadness" (music by
R. Pauls), "Space
dandelion", "Pink Floyd", " Music of
Tatar ornament". The
potentials of the art form were used more widely in the
special
large scale concert programs "MUSIC,
POETRY, PAINTING" we
performed jointly with organist R. Abdullin in the assembly
hall
of Kazan Conservatory: "Ave Maria in world art", "Faustus" (music
by P. Eben), "Garden of pleasures" (O. Messian - I. Bosch), "Paints
of
ancient Russia" (Music by R. Schedrin, O. Yanchenko),
"World as
great symphony" (music by M.- K. Chyurlenis), "From kurai to organ"
(music by N. Giganov, Sh. Sharifullin,
S. Gubaidullina). Light
concert performance of such genre "Prometei" (Scriabin + Kandinsky)
has been created in 1996.
The possibility to use new equipment
allowed us to switch
over from organizationally burdensome cinematographic experiments
to abstract , LIGHTMUSICAL VIDEO FILMS.
So, we made the
video version of our film "Space sonata"
in which rhythmic
composition featuring actor was encrusted electronically. Several
new video films ,"Temple", "Ballad for Brendt", set on music
of
Polish composers were shot in 1989, with intended stylization
of
images with techniques by such artists as V. Kandinsky,
Kh. Miro,
B. Nikolson, S. Dali. Then three new films were shot :
"Dance of
the vertical lines", "Dance of the white vertical line", "Russian
terminator" set on music by "electronic" composer A. Rodionov
who
lives in Moscow. And finally we shot the film "Frog
symphony"
based on the vanguard computer piece with the same name by Dutch
composer H. de Groot. The idea to make film was proposed by
the
composer itself.
We keep making "battle
reconnaissance" in order to
assimilate new art forms of scientific
and technological
revolution epoch. The results of the
reconnaissance were
demonstrated most completely during the concert "Multimedia" held
in "Scriabin's Days " (April 1990, assembly
hall of Kazan
Conservatory). HAPPENINGS, LASERIUM, INSTRUMENTAL
THEATRE and
CONCEPTUAL ART, the last one in its most appreciable form,
were
demonstrated there side by side with
slide compositions,
video films. Our experiments with VIDEO SCULPTURAL
INSTALLATIONS
opened to us new field of artistical
search. The following
installations are now available :"Live and non-live", "Electronic
boy", "Electronic court", "Video Ave Maria", "Protracted
blown
kiss through the electronic ray tube", " TV set playing
piano",
"Don't renounce beggar's bag and jail", "Electronical grimaces in
the electronic field", "Opart about video art". The TV set is
not
a mere retranslator of images in these installations
but an
"actor" being part of theatric conception. New video installations
created recently are compositions "Go ahead to the
victory of
capitalism!" and "Dog barks caravan keeps
moving" in which
computer, slides and laser are also used.
Our most recent large scale experiment
- "Magic garden",
festive MULTIMEDIA SHOW on the plain air was performed
during
Sabantui (Tatar holiday of plough) in June of 1991. Polyphonic
singing of exotic birds was reproduced in
multichannel mode
through speakers mounted on the trees in the public garden
this
singing being synchronized with light effects. LASER
COMPUTER
GRAPHICS images were demonstrated above the garden onto the wall
of Kazan University multi-storey building. These techniques
were
also used for large scale concerts dedicated to 60 anniversary of
Kazan State Technical University and World Tatar Congress (Kazan,
1992). They were also demonstrated to the participants
of the
International conference " Young cities" held under the aegis
of
UNESCO ( Naberezhnye Chelny, 1993), during celebrations of 50
th
Victory Day (1995). After our first experience with
technical
equipping of Fine Arts Museum, we
proceeded in 1992 with
audio-visual theatralizing of exposition of new museum devoted
to
composer S. Saidashev being fulfilled in tight co-operation
with
our Kazan artists....
Now we begin mastering actively
possibilities of COMPUTER
GRAPHICS , COMPUTER ANIMATION, and COMPUTER MULTIMEDIA.
Each of the art forms is analysed
in the separate book and
variety of articles written for encyclopaedia and
national and
international magazines by members of team (the total number
is
30 books and more 500 articles). These
books include also
description of results of our scientific researches being
held
firstly on essence of synaesthesia (color hearing), and also
on
art synthesis theory. Being now transformed into Institute
for
experimental aesthetics "Prometei" we fulfil , in
accordance
with scientific projects of Academy of Sciences of
Tatarstan,
investigation on the possible correlations between national melos
and national ornament; checking of hypothetical analogy
between
mode gravity - Earth gravity
proposed by B. Yavorsky;
computer-aided simulation of pentatonics and so on.
We held as
"Prometheus" studio 12 All-Union
and
All-Russia conferences "Light and Music" in Kazan and also
took
part in many symposia and festivals held in USSR
(Russia). In
last years we got the possibility of demonstrating
our works
directly on the international scale. We took part
in "Gagrin
readings" in Hungary (Budapest, 1989), in International
"Ars
Electornica" festival in Austria (Linz, 1989, 1991), in
"Video
and Music" festival in Poland (Vroclav, 1989), in
SI- SEA in
Holland (Groeningen, 1990), in festival of
experimental art
"Impakt" in Holland (Utrecht, 1991), in International "Images
of
future" exhibition in Canada (Montreal, 1991), in
Festival of
Light in Czechoslovakia (Prague, 1991), in International festival
of video art in Switzerland (Lokarno, 1991), in Academy of
Light
in Holland (Hague, 1993), in International conference
on the
poly aesthetical education in Austria (Salzburg,
1993), in
International video festival in Germany (Dessau, 1993,1995)
and
also in International conference on the light-music history
in
France (Clermont-Ferrand, 1994).
Collaborates of SKB (Institute) "Prometey" take part in work
of
international journals "Leonardo"
and "Languages of
design". Results of their work are presented on WWW sites of
the
journals. One more resource on our creative work is
CD-ROM disk
issued by International Communication Center (ICC)
founded by
Japan National Telegraph and Telephone Company.
| Published on Russian Avantgarde Art Site |