October 12, 2010
Day four of the “Style.Uz” Art Week, a project devised by Gulnara Karimova, may be characterized as a modern version of an ancient-Greece play (in terms of form) because it contained a Prolog, which smoothly developed into an Introduction of Heroes, which was, in turn, followed by Action. The metamorphosis in the way the Art Week is annually presented and staged should provide no room for being surprised. After all, culture and arts represent a permanently moving and developing process which experiments with forms and ways of posing questions and seeking answers.
What is the prologue of our play? Very simple: the past of culture and arts with archeologists and collectors as the guardians. It is these guardians who came together today at the international conference “Preservation of Historical and Cultural Heritage: Theory, Practice and Collecting” organized by Uzbekistan`s MEROS Association of Antiques. The event was attended by archeologists, historians, philosophers, ethnographers and arts professionals from Uzbekistan, Spain, Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, France, Japan, Egypt, USA and Germany. The participants` speeches were filled with interesting information as they are practitioners with a wealth of experience in excavations who have studied hundreds of items found under centuries of dust and grime and keep in their collections art objects reflecting our past.
The practical presentation of the conference was an archeological exhibition “Kanka: the Past and the Present”, which showcased the results of the archeological excavations at Kanka ancient city carried out with comprehensive support from MEROS Association and the Fund Forum. The exhibition is a “photo reportage” based on the research into Kanka. It contains images of the city`s citadel, fragments of ancient structures, the area before the excavations were launched, and many more. Looking at the photos is certain to give the viewers an impression that they are wandering along an ancient city, while the ceramic containers, jugs, stamps, coins, cauldrons and the fragments of ceramic items in showcases add to the effect.
The Art Week press conference with the organizers, guests and participants of the Week may certainly be dubbed Introduction of Heroes. The panel was ready to take questions from 200-odd local and international journalists.
Professor Gulnara Karimova, the Chairperson of the Fund Forum`s Board of Trustees and author of the cultural project, not just answered journalists` questions but led the conference despite the moderator who was in the panel. As the author and organizer of the project, she had a lot to say, and with great enthusiasm. Providing detailed information on each of the Art Week events, she alternated with the members of the panel – co-organizers, guests and participants. Among them were the president of “Les Editions Jalou” publishing house Marie-Jose Jalou (France); UK Ambassador to Uzbekistan Rupert Joy; head of the British Council in Uzbekistan Steve McNulty; the president and founder of de Grisogono jewellery label Fawaz Gruosi (Switzerland); fashion designers Tsumori Chisato (Japan), Igor Chapurin (Russia), Domenico Vacca (Italy), Alexei Kanishka (Uzbekistan), a representative of Balmain fashion house (France); Uzbek artist Zaur Mansurov (Uzbekistan); the rector of Tashkent Institute of Textile and Light Industry Halida Kamilova; the artistic director of the Youth Theater of Uzbekistan Nabi Abdurakhmanov; choreographer Sergei Zlotnikov; academician of the Uzbekistan Academy of Arts Professor Akbar Khakimov; and the vice-president of the China Fashion Association Professor Yanfen Liu. Naturally, the questions asked by the journalists concerned the Art Week, Uzbek national culture, the Fund Forum`s and its partners` national and international projects as well as the panel members` professional activities.
Famous Russian fashion designer Igor Chapurin demonstrated his stunning collection, composed of three parts. The first featured mainly black dresses as well as a few fascinating wine-red pieces adorned with glittering waistbands with a golden tinge. The second part of the show was dominated by yellow colors. As unexpected as it was to see a combination of evening style with yellow, a color that is out-of-character of cocktail receptions, these dresses looked fascinating, leaving no room for dissonance. In the final part of his collection, the Russian designer seemed to have given preference to golden and silvery colors while accentuating unbelievably broad sleeves that resembled wings.
France`s Balmain fashion label presented a collection which combined contemporary trends in fashion with designs that were favorites among divas such as Marlene Dietrich, Katharine Hepburn, Brigitte Bardot, and Sophia Loren.
The first part of the show consisted of clothes made of sparkling, golden fabric: mini-dresses, tunics and pantsuits were both glamorous and sophisticated. These designs are oriented towards women who lead an active lifestyle. The second part of the Balmain show presented the most famous dresses since 1945. Watching this part of the collection, accompanied by beautiful music from the late 50`s, viewers found themselves in Paris. The classic black dresses, large hats, long fur boa scarves, and tail and gloves were like a trip back in time.
Related links
Art Week Style.uz - 2009 culture, art, fashion and charity