Council for promoting Russian style presents visual environment projects ranging from Olympic uniforms to Cyrillic lettering
A meeting of the Board of the National Centre RUSSIA Council for the Development and Promotion of a New Russian Style in Public Spaces was held at the National Centre RUSSIA on 24 June. The meeting was chaired by Adviser to the President of Russia Yelena Yampolskaya. Its central theme was the development of visual culture through educational projects, public spaces and new approaches to environmental design.
The Chair of the Council, Yelena Yampolskaya, noted that work on creating a new Russian style was moving towards its first practical results. According to her, particular attention is currently being paid to projects that support the Russian language, education and the creation of a modern nationally oriented environment.
"On 2 June, at a meeting of the Council for the Implementation of State Policy in Support of the Russian Language and the Languages of the Peoples of Russia, we were able to tell the President about the work of the Council and the projects being implemented jointly with the National Centre RUSSIA. Many of these initiatives are now entering the practical implementation stage. They include projects based on Cyrillic lettering, work on standardised textbooks and initiatives for children. It is important that these solutions do not remain merely ideas but become part of the everyday environment and are understandable to everyone," Yelena Yampolskaya noted.
The Director General of the National Centre RUSSIA, Natalia Virtuozova, also delivered welcoming remarks. In her address, she discussed support for projects promoting the Russian language and spoke about the development of this work, including at the Centre’s branches.
"I would like to thank Yelena Yampolskaya for supporting projects aimed at promoting the Russian language. This work is continuing and developing, including through the preparation of new textbooks. It is also very important to us that the concepts for National Centre RUSSIA branches in eight more regions of the country have already been approved: the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, the Republic of Karelia, the Khabarovsk Territory, and the Kaliningrad, Kirov, Nizhny Novgorod and Yaroslavl Regions. We expect these spaces to become centres of attraction for joint projects and initiatives related to promoting the Russian language, culture and our traditional values," Natalia Virtuozova said.
The first part of the meeting focused on projects for schoolchildren and students. Alisa Lobanova, founder of the Neva brand, presented the concept of a standardised uniform for participants in international academic and scientific Olympiads.
"Russia has proved its intellectual leadership. Now is the time to reinforce it visually so that every victory looks worthy and is remembered around the world," Alisa Lobanova noted.
The discussion of the visual environment continued with a project aimed at the youngest audience. Vladislav Preobrazhensky, Executive Director of the Moscow Investors Club Foundation and Head of the Council’s Environmental Design and Architecture Working Group, spoke about a new-generation playground designed in the style of the Dymkovo toy.
"An introduction to cultural legacy and national values begins in childhood. That is why the first project promoting national identity was a new-generation playground. The space, designed in the style of the Dymkovo toy, is almost complete and will open this autumn in one of Yekaterinburg’s residential complexes," Vladislav Preobrazhensky noted.
The participants then moved from work with physical spaces to the ways in which new visual landmarks could appear in the urban environment. Andrei Melentyev, Head of the Directorate for the Oversight of State Visual Communications at the National Centre RUSSIA and Secretary of the Council, presented the "Catalogue of Cyrillic-Based Art Objects" and "Points of Civic Identity" projects.
"We are launching two projects to install art objects based on Cyrillic lettering and the national flag in public spaces. We have compiled two catalogues featuring visual solutions by Russian designers and Council members. We plan to send the catalogues to the regions, businesses and developers with proposals to implement these solutions. We intend to make this form of cooperation a regular practice," Andrei Melentyev said.
Another area of work involved creating a system of colour solutions to establish a recognisable visual image of the country. Anna Smirnova, Director General of Kraski Fridlender, presented the "National Palette of Russia" project.
"The 'National Palette of Russia' project is a tool for strengthening the country’s visual sovereignty. We are creating a unified, scientifically grounded colour system based on Russia’s cultural and natural diversity. Its use in urban spaces, industrial design and branding will help form a recognisable visual image of the country," Anna Smirnova emphasised.
Following the presentations, the participants continued the discussion in an open-microphone format. The focus was on the next stages of implementing the initiatives presented and on formats for cooperation between the Council, the expert community, educational organisations and the regions.
Summing up the meeting, the Chair of the Council, Yelena Yampolskaya, noted that the projects presented were moving into a stage of systematic refinement and practical implementation.
"By the next meeting, we expect to see new results in several areas at once, including the development of uniforms for participants in international Olympiads and projects for public spaces. It is important for us to maintain an open professional discussion and work together to find solutions that will function in real-world environments and meet people’s needs," Yelena Yampolskaya noted.
The National Centre RUSSIA Council for the Development and Promotion of a New Russian Style in Public Spaces was established to develop and promote a new Russian style in public spaces. Its work brings together representatives of the state, the professional community, business and the expert community to create a modern visual environment based on cultural legacy, traditional values and society’s current needs.
Event photobank
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