after my defeat at the ashan on saturday, i was determined to have a good day out. had tried to organize a brunch, but everyone bailed. so i decided i was on my own. i went out to see the Church of Christ the Savior. HUGE orthodox church in the center of town. raized to the ground by stalin, but rebuilt in the 90's by the mayor of moscow at the time. it's gorgeous - the mother ship of the orthodox churches. also where, because of that, i think, pussy riot performed and subsequently were jailed because of their performance in that church. i could see why. it's an intense place, very special to muscovites. a symbol of the freedom of religion again after the soviet period. but also, a HUGE symbol of the tight-knit relations between putin/government and the church, and the strong patriarchal society of russia. two things that are worth protesting i think. anyway, so i visited that church and was stunned by it's beauty, and it's power. and then i walked across a pedestrian bridge to an island in the river where the old Red October chocolate factory still stands. tho it no longer produces chocolate. now it is home to all the latest and chic-est design firms and galleries. also some digital and film production companies. and the lumiere brothers photography center. so i buried myself in art (once i could actually find the way inside the bloody thing - stores are sometimes not well-marked...you just gotta yank on some doors sometimes!). here are some pics from my day of redemption:
cool-looking building near Christ the Savior Church
Christ the Savior Church. It's an incredibly beautiful building. And the inside is even more stunning.
Across the river from the church there is a gaudy sculpture of Peter the Great by Zurab Tseretelli, a Georgian sculptor. He made an impressive, and in many ways, quite beautiful totem sculpture using the georgian alphabet in another part of town, but everyone hates this one.
funky yet useless former b-ball backboard inside the red october complex.
photo of airplanes in star formation from soviet-era photo journalist jacob rumkin.
parachute parade photo by rumkin.
wierd art. from an installation by a german "extreme artist." i thought this was funny cuz it was an advertisement for sting and jennifer beal in the rocky horror picture show! in german!
on the steps up to the "digital october" center they have key dates in the history of computer technology development.
more wierd art from the same german art installation.
fun doorway in the red october complex (we didn't try to open this one)
locks on the pedestrian bridge. the story goes that newlyweds place them there as a symbol of their commitment to one another.
tired doggy at red october.
the red october complex. pretty cool place - will be rockin' in the summertime!
so i felt a bit better on sunday. just want it to warm up soon!!! hopefully in may.
No comments:
Post a Comment