The idea of creating the “Green Chair” came from the architect, artist and one of the discoverers of Nikola-Lenivets Vasily Shchetin back in 2010, when he conceived and implemented the grandiose object “Solar Circle”. According to Shchetinin's plan, the Nikola-Lenivets protected areas must be thoroughly explored, and then, on the basis of the information received, a unique natural geoarchitectural park should be created on this territory. In this new project, the architect saw a continuation of his role in the development, development and, mainly, preservation of the natural wealth of Nikola-Lenivets.
The attention of the Green Chair participants was focused on the territory located between the villages of Nikola-Lenivets and Zvizzhi. In addition to the mesmerizing panorama, this place has a rich and ancient history. One of the project coordinators Dmitry Sterlikov said that approximately 7000 BC. here was the bed of the Ugra River, which left a natural geoglyph - a huge meander with a diameter of about 3 km. It can be clearly seen from a bird's eye view, and if you look closely, you can even read its outlines like the letters of the Greek alphabet - alpha and omega. So the Shtininites began to read the protected landscape like a mysterious book.
To begin with, they declared this space an "arch-silence zone." Which implies freedom from permanent art or sculptural objects and exhibitions, and all activity focuses exclusively on working with the landscape, on identifying its natural architectural form.
Specialists from different disciplines were involved in the fascinating process. In the house of Vasily Shchetinin under one roof gathered young geographers under the guidance of Moscow State University teachers Oksana Klimanova and Evgeny Kolbovsky, architects, designers, as well as students of VGIK and GITIS - about 40 people in total.
Already now, MSU students have prepared a serious research base, on the basis of which architects will have to work. Their goal is, without disrupting natural processes, to identify certain points of development, constants, which will gradually turn into park spaces accessible to humans.
One of these constants was the central point of the giant "Solar Circle", where on July 28 a round table with an image of a meander was placed on it.
This event was preceded by the presentation of the "Green Chair" project, which took place in the house of Vasily Shchetinin. To participate in it were invited an architect and professor of the Faculty of Architecture from Philadelphia Eric Oski, an expert on the creation of sustainable communities and the head of the eco-settlement "Ithaca" in the USA Steve Gaarder, architects from Israel Noah Biran and Roy Talmon and others. an impromptu exhibition, and the author of the project spoke in detail about the already implemented and only planned plans.
This year, several large-scale projects were carried out at once. The members of the department focused their attention on specific areas of the Lenivets Park.
Thus, the path cut by them from Versailles united the territory of Archstoyanie and the space of the Labyrinth, which were previously divided by an impenetrable forest.
Having broken through the tight forest thicket, the activists of the "Green Chair" set about arranging the "Acoustic Polyana", which became one of the central event sites of "Archstoyanie" this year. Here, in the lowland, even in clear weather, a light fog hangs like a smoky cloud, which creates a mysterious, almost fabulous atmosphere - like in an enchanted forest.
The stone labyrinths and the clouds filled with white balloons hovering above them are as mesmerizing as the natural surroundings. "Clouds" is one of the completed temporary objects of the "Green Chair". Immediately after the end of the festival, they were blown away as if by the wind, but during the main event the "clouds" were very popular. Children, adults and even animals crowded around. Someone tried to reach the cloud with his hand, someone shamelessly extracted balloons from their depths, and someone simply contemplated them in a foggy haze.
Having overcome the cloudy extravaganza of Acoustic Polyana, one could plunge into a completely different and seemingly untouched environment. Between a birch grove on one side and swampy fields on the other, the mysterious "Tract" is hidden. A person walking in the park would hardly have dared to look here before. However, due to the efforts of the "Green Chair" trails were mowed here and even a small cozy meadow was built, from where you can observe the picturesque surroundings.
Another place discovered in the depths of the park by Vasily Shchetinny was named "Amphitheater". It was conceived as an alternative to existing venues for public events, and in particular - as an alternative to the "Labyrinth". "Labyrinth", according to Vasily Shchetinin, has more secluded and contemplative than public character. The “Amphitheater” is an ideal festival venue with regular geometric shapes, surrounded by pine forest walls. Pine trees naturally limit this space, isolating events held here from noise at other Archstoyanie sites. Here, in the "Amphitheater", students of VGIK and GITIS can deploy an open-air theater in natural scenery.
The scale of the work done is easy to assess by comparing the photographs taken before and after the arrival of the Green Chair here.
And these are only interim results of the activities of the "Green Chair" for the current summer, because there is still a whole summer month ahead, dedicated to the entertaining "reading" of the Nikola-Lenivets landscape.
