"Historical insight": visitors' reviews of the "Sporting Russia" lecture

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Guests of the National Centre RUSSIA shared their impressions of the "Sporting Russia" lecture, which took place on March 21 as part of the educational program of the "The Birth of Scale" exposition. This event is part of a series dedicated to architecture.

The lecture was delivered by art historian and researcher of 20th-century architecture Mark Akopyan. The event was moderated by architectural historian and art historian Yelizaveta Likhacheva.

A visitor to the National Centre RUSSIA, Dmitry Banayev, noted that he made an important discovery for himself at this lecture and promised to attend similar events in the future.

"I am incredibly grateful to the organizers for the opportunity to listen to such an interesting lecture. I have always believed that content is the most important thing. But I was amazed to discover that an idea defines content, and content defines form. One of the proofs of this is the construction of sports facilities not only in Russia but worldwide. What a flight of thought, what depth, boldness, and harmony in the buildings themselves, in the idea, and in its realization. I thank Yelizaveta Stanislavovna for such a historical journey from ancient times to the present day," said Dmitry Banayev. 

Lecture attendee Viktor Loginov emphasized that he learned a lot about the evolution of sports stadiums over time and their unifying function.

"Stadiums have started to globalize and unite settlements — I didn't know that. I would love for future lectures to focus on how sports and sports facilities will develop in the future, for example, what an esports stadium might look like. From this lecture, I clearly saw that Russia has made a significant contribution to international sports from an architectural perspective," shared Viktor Loginov.

Representatives of the younger generation were particularly impressed by the lively dialogue, in which the two experts expressed different perspectives. 

"As a budding art historian and a 10th-grade student, I found it very interesting to listen to the lecture and learn about the chronological development of sports complexes. I was fascinated by the discussion, where it was possible to hear the differing viewpoints of Mark Akopyan and Yelizaveta Likhacheva. It was a great opportunity to compare the opinions of an art historian and a specialist in sports facilities. I believe this will help me in my future professional career," noted Alexandra Bragina.

The next lecture, "Expositional Russia," within the educational program of the architectural exposition "The Birth of Scale," will take place on April 4. Participation is free, but registration is required on the website of the National Centre RUSSIA russia.ru.

The exposition "The Birth of Scale" at the National Centre RUSSIA showcases completed architectural projects as well as ideas that remained only as concepts. It features unique building models, drawings, and layouts preserved in museums and private collections.

Partners of the exposition "The Birth of Scale" include DOM.RF, the Ministry of Construction of Russia, Gazprom, the State Research Museum of Architecture named after A. V. Shchusev, the Russian State Archive of Literature and Art, the Yakov Chernikhov Architectural Charity Foundation, and the HSE School of Design.