Leaving Petropavlovsk
From the Moscow
airport to the Moscow
Art Center.
First Meeting with
Marina Loshak, the Director of the Moscow Art Center.
Framing the artwork
at the Moscow
Art Center.
(Click on any of the above images to see a higher resolution version)
Biscuit and Maureen
(Image from June 28th, 1999)
With 3 days left before our flight by Aeroflot to Moscow, the weather closed in at Kambalnoe Lake. We had enjoyed 5 consecutive days of sunny weather which was a record for this summer. On the morning of the 6th, we awoke to dense fog and rain. Tatiana Gordienko had sent us an E-mail the night before that she would be down for us with the helicopter at noon. Feeling a sense of wasted effort, we packed the camp for the winter, preparing for our departure. At noon, the weather was very bad. The cabin was dark and cold as we had put up the metal covering for the windows and taken out our stove. Every year, every item has to be removed from the cabin to prevent theft of our goods. At 5:00PM, we had almost given up on the helicopter's arrival and I was depressed as the bad weather looked like it was settling in.
At 5:30PM, we heard a helicopter overhead and a small window through the fog allowed it to descend to our landing site by the lake. In a great hurry pilots and others on the flight who came to help, carried our entire load of gear to the helicopter. The fog had closed in again with very low visibility. I saw the pilot was very concerned. Charlie was certain there was a hole in the fog across the lake and prepared his plane for flying to Petropavlovsk. Suddenly, I noticed the sun slightly visible through the fog overhead. The pilot said we would fly up towards this light. He and his crew told us the weather was good everywhere else in Kamchatka and if we could successfully lift up over this local fog, we could fly north to Petropavlovsk.
We all held our breath as the helicopter rose up through the fog in the direction of the sunlight. We all cheered when we emerged on top of the cloud layer and could see the Kambalnoe volcano's peak. As we headed north the weather quickly improved but it was clear the system was going to close in. We were lucky the pilot waited to be sure to pick us up in that small window of opportunity. Half way to Petropavlovsk, the pilot asked if I would permit us to set down to pick mushrooms. Of course I agreed. I have always loved the priorities set by Kamchatka people. The entire crew was spread over the tundra in seconds, collecting mushrooms. I ate blueberries that were in abundance. Charlie had flown out shortly after our departure and landed in Petropavlovsk before us!
The first impression of Petropavlovsk was that of noise. After two months in the wilderness with only sounds of nature, the sounds of cars and people talking was a jolt. My first emotion was one of loss. Now I had to enter a busy world once more and peace and quiet would soon only be a memory. However, I was pleased with my summer's production of artwork and was excited at the idea of my exhibition in Moscow scheduled to open 6 days later. I was also looking forward to a hot bath and horribly disappointed to hear the hot water was not yet turned on in the city. I asked Tatiana to call Jennya's house, where we stay, to heat as much hot water for Charlie and I in their electric kettle. This was not what I had dreamed of, but better than the "sponge baths" from a small basin of water used over the past two months. Happily, two days later, the hot water was turned on in the city. September 9th was a day of celebrating the 260th Birthday of Petropavlovsk.
Our transition to a faster pace happened at record speed. The new local TV station of Kamchatka, Prichal TV Company requested a morning interview of Charlie and I about our research project. We felt honored to be interviewed by Pavil Panov on September 9th which is such an important day for Petropavlovsk. We, of course, had some good words about the city and our love for their country and people.
Later, I packed my art and all the frames into 3 wooden crates which would go on the Aeroflot flight with us to Moscow on the 10th. The digital photography section of the exhibition was in a plastic sewer pipe I had prepared in Canada and then placed in a ski bag. Tatiana and I stood in the airport of Petropavlovsk before boarding relieved that everything was packed and on schedule. Charlie, Tatiana and I boarded Aeroflot happy to be on our way. Nine hours later we landed in Moscow. The time change is such that we arrived 2 hours later of the same morning of our departure. Our friend, Jennya (we live with her family when in Petropavlovsk) was in Moscow and had arranged a driver and van for our use while in Moscow.
Marina Loshak, Director of the Moscow Art Center, requested we come there immediately after our arrival to have a meeting and discuss the exhibition. I was happy that all the crates had arrived on our flight with us and left them at the gallery. Terribly jet lagged, I struggled through exhibition details. Nina Petrova, whom I had hired as exhibition co-ordinator, at the Canadian Embassy's suggestion, had done a splendid job. Additionally, she had found us a beautiful apartment in the central area of Moscow not far from the art center. With framing scheduled at the center for the next day we left for our apartment with a necessary stop to buy some food. Nina took us to a very famous inside market in a very old palace. In spite of fatigue, we were overwhelmed by this introduction to Moscow.
By 5:00PM, I was asleep and did not awaken for 12 hours which was a very good thing. Nina Petrova and Marina Loshak had been very busy arranging media events. Elena Gaisina and Allison Grant at the Canadian Embassy had been equally active. Today it is the 13th of September and the day to open the exhibition. Charlie and I have been scheduled for a TV interview at 3:00PM at the Art Center with the press conference scheduled for 4:00PM. The official opening is at 6:30PM. With the help of our friend from Kamchatka, Olga Yefimova, and the staff of the center, the exhibition was installed on time late last night. Over the next two days more media events have been scheduled. Tomorrow, the Toronto Globe and Mail correspondent will interview us. One of the largest National TV Stations of Russia has planned a special morning program on the art exhibition and our project.
Yes, I feel nervous. As usual, the speeches slightly terrify me but I have improved over the years in my ability to hide this fact. Last night Elena Gaisina from the Embassy, informed me over dinner, that I was the first Canadian artist to exhibit in Moscow. I feel very honored by Embassy involvement and support. I have installed 20 digital photographs, new drawings and paintings. The themes of the Calgary exhibition have been repeated. The audio component of the bears communicating with one another is situated beautifully with "IN SITU" located at the ending of the exhibition. All signage is in Russian.
-Maureen