Director Margy Kinmonth writes:
When researching my Russian films I delved into the vast collection of Russian theatre memorabilia, at the State Theatre Museum in St Petersburg, including Checkhov’s original costumes and photos.
I saw the play Uncle Vanya recently and here’s my piece for Russian Art + Culture, published on 18 March 2020:
UNCLE VANYA: a tragicomical tale of unrequited love, ageing and disappointment
My evening at the Russian Ballet Icons Gala Russian Ballet Icons Gala at the London Coliseum sparked many dazzling memories for me. Experiencing those amazing dancers perform nearly a dozen different pieces from traditional classical masterpieces to contemporary repertoire, transported me to magic moments of some of the ballet films I have directed, especially the Mariinsky Theatre film, celebrating it’s 225th anniversary in Saint Petersburg as the pinnacle.
I filmed ballet over a period of several years, working closely with Maestro Valery Gergiev, witnessing the teaching process of “handing down” and capturing the very best performances on film. Observational filming took place at the Vaganova Ballet Academy in St Petersburg, home of the Imperial Russian classical ballet. […]
Read full article by Margy Kinmonth: RUSSIAN BALLET ICONS: “THE OTHER WORLD” published in Russian Art + Culture on 27 February 2020.
I visited the new Gulag History Museum in Moscow. Entering the small modest red brick building, tucked away in a side street in the North of Moscow, little prepares you for what lies within…
You enter a dark expanse. At first glance it feels just like an art gallery – a vast warehouse space with what seem like large paintings hanging in limbo, each one dramatically lit. On closer inspection these turn out to be doors – different colours, textures, battered by use, plastered with locks, bolts, caged peepholes and scrawled with numbers. Preserved and now transported thousands of miles to this location for exhibition, these gateways are what remain of Russia’s Gulag prison system. […]
Read full article by Margy Kinmonth: THINKING ABOUT ARTISTS IN GULAG HISTORY published in Russian Art + Culture on 14 February 2020.
