Archi.ru:
- At first glance, the interior press has every opportunity to influence public opinion: it is read by the general public. Perhaps even architecture columnists in newspapers do not have such a large audience. How does criticism work in interior magazines?
Evgeniya Gershkovich:
- She's different there - glossy and positive. This is a kind of advertisement, therefore, by default, it is customary to present projects to the reader with a positive sign, which of course is unfair. Everyone, unfortunately, forgets that the interior is also architecture, only "internal". The genre itself has its own history, a definite (although many refuse it) chapter in the history of art, if you will.
I have been working in this industry for 17 years soon, I follow the development of the domestic interior, and, alas, today I observe a certain stagnation. In the 1990s, architects flooded into the field of interior design - young and not very young (due to academic education, having an idea of proportions, scale, rhythm, etc.), because many projects for the city were frozen. Then there was a certain enthusiasm, joy, bordering on permissiveness. The living environment acquired the most ridiculous shapes and shades, yellow walls - blue ceilings, stalactite lamps descending from above … The architects who went into the interior played an important role in the process of self-identification of our compatriot, the search for a way to demonstrate status and individuality. Partly relying on Western models, the architects formulated their own idea of what a living space should be like. However, as soon as the prospect of being included in city programs loomed, the architects rejected the interior work without regret, finally declaring it an easy genre, a low-profit business. As a result, this territory, in addition to professionals, went to people of various professions: often they are accountants, lawyers, musicologists and just wealthy ladies who decided that interior design is now their field for creativity. This sowed boundless freedom, the fruits of which we have today. They flooded the market, and not without our help, the concept of "decorator" has spread, which has recently been greatly devalued. I remember that before the revolution there was such a profession as a “room decorator”….
In my opinion, the current state of the genre requires a serious revision. However, the reputable press - newspapers and professional architectural magazines - consider it beneath their dignity, instead of a critical analysis of work with space, form, getting off with color with very general and "round" phrases like "again, these bourgeois have built golden toilets." There was nothing but sarcasm in Tatyana Tolstoy's memorable article about interior design in the 1998 Russian Telegraph newspaper.
In November 2012, in Mezzanine magazine, we came up with the “Zoom” rubric as a timid attempt at criticism and, again, not by the editorial staff. We publish an interesting, in our opinion, project, in 14-16 pages, and give comments to three independent critics from the professional environment - without the name of the author.
Why can't you tell them the name of the author of the project?
- Because the circle of people employed in the profession is too narrow, offenses are not excluded. Usually I invite an architect or decorator, trying not to be familiar with the project in advance. Sometimes I call a journalist from a related field: from Afisha, Big City, Harper's Bazaar, a person with an “eye” and taste. Maybe they are not real critics, but at least they have an independent view and are not constrained by the obligation to praise someone, to scold someone. Then, of course, bitter grievances begin among the decorators, who take everything very painfully. No one is ready for even such mild criticism. Impunity frightens: decorators are not interested in anyone's opinion, and they do not accept criticism. And analysis, among other things, would be useful for young people and beginners. However, it cannot be said that architects are ready for criticism: after all, they also have a customer who may not like such criticism. I am saddened by the lack of serious analysis in the description of the interiors: a neutral or laudatory text is complemented by an interview about how wonderful everything turned out, and that's all: the decorator and the client parted as friends before the next project.
What is the reason for the overall low level of interior projects?
- The problem is rooted in education: today, in principle, it is possible to become a decorator, a specialist in "room decor" quickly - in eight, what is there - in three months, while before academic training in the arts of interior, and with it - education of taste, eyes, ability to think - they devoted years. Now such educational institutions are turning into a kind of clubs, in which it is prestigious to be a member and pleasantly to spend time with like-minded people. In general, it does not matter with what knowledge a graduate left school, it illuminates him with an aura of involvement and gives him a pass to the market. They decorate first their own, home, and then other interiors, the style of which is similar to each other and to the style of work of colleagues, like sisters. Everything seems to look pretty cute, if the result would not reduce the quality level, its irresponsibility would not devalue the profession and the craft itself. Cold symmetrical arrangement of objects, not distinguished by taste, ingenuity and creative freedom, leaves no gap between the accommodation and the room of an expensive hotel. The technique of self-replication is turning into fashion, convincing the Russian client of this. Of course, the profession is not free, largely dependent on the wishes of the customer, but this is not an excuse.
In such educational institutions, they are taught by yesterday's graduates, which is bad, since there is no fresh blood flow. And the "out-of-class" agreement not to scold only harms the genre. If someone from this environment was criticized, then the whole crowd rises to defend the "offended". But why, if the decorator made mistakes, is it customary not to notice it? There are no perfect projects, and the constant hymns of praise prevent the development of the industry.
I urge the architectural community to pay attention to the interior genre, which, even in the absence of criticism, loses its good taste and sense of responsibility before our very eyes. People who undertake to teach this profession are more worried about filling the class and paying on time, than about responsibility. It is necessary to clearly think over the learning strategy, invite practitioners, change the program, and not worry only about the commercial component: after all, the teacher forms the profession, releasing every year another batch of students who will flood the interior design sphere with their creations.
How can the matter be improved?
In my, perhaps, naive, opinion, it is necessary to study interior decoration, already having a basic architectural or art education, knowledge of the history of architecture, the history of art, and general culture, too, is very important.
Where is the customer looking?
He also needs to be educated. Perhaps even criticism.
In addition, there is our local tradition of competition between magazines, which seems to be the case nowhere else. A good project appears on the market, and if one magazine prints it first, then the other five will no longer be published. There is no such thing in the West: a decent interior wanders from magazine to magazine, this, in principle, can be done by different photographers by ordering shooting for a new publication. We have burning jealousy and rivalry on a very narrow heel. It seems to me that a good project is worthy of publication everywhere, especially now, when there are very few decent interiors.
Are there really so few good works that you cannot influence the situation by publishing only high-quality projects?
- Yes, there are few good ones, and it is getting fewer and fewer. Customers also "educate" decorators, but there is a trend on the market: high quality - beautiful - expensive, but at the same time - in no way. There is no sign of creativity at all, but there is a standard approach, since the market offers a variety of color and texture variations. The result is a hotel. Experiments are extremely rare. And the architects are partly to blame for this, because they absolutely do not want to deal with decor. They design the space, but the “rags”, as they like to say, and the lamps are left to either the decorator or the client, which is even worse. Examples of when an architect takes on Gesamtkunstwerk - the entire project, up to the door handle, as Shekhtel once did - are extremely rare. But, fortunately, I know several houses where the author of the project thought about the landscape, and about the architecture of the building, and about window draperies, and even designed the fabric.
But, perhaps, this approach is very expensive and requires much more time?
- This is a different level of responsibility, and this is possible if there is mutual understanding with the customer or the ability to convince him. But here's an example - Totan Kuzembaev. We all know perfectly well how he designs and how he works with space. But more than once I was surprised to find out that in his houses there is furniture that is completely incompatible with the design solution, for example, in the Art Nouveau style. Obviously, Totan was not allowed to solve the design issues, and here the owner's taste manifested itself. But he still cherishes the hope that the tastes of the customer's son or grandson will be better. But this is also a question of responsibility: you are not building an unnamed box, under which your signature will not be. However, this is already a matter of struggle with the customer.
On the other hand, today young architects again come to the interior with marching luggage, not disdaining to take on the "rags". I closely follow their work.
Now a huge number of high-quality foreign interiors is published on the Internet, which, in theory, should have an ennobling effect on our decorators. Why did the decline you describe coincided with absolutely free access to information about global achievements?
- It's a mystery to me too. Russia certainly has good interiors and talented people. But I'm talking about the general stream, which, despite all Western publications and trips abroad, is full of the same works. Maybe Western interior designers are more relaxed people. And our interiors are all so "frowning", symmetrical, neat or, on the contrary, completely unbridled. As an art critic, I really want to integrate these phenomena into the system of art history, to describe how this genre develops - even if it is closed from the eyes of people, since it is a private dwelling.
You are mainly talking about Moscow. How is decorating art developing in other cities of Russia?
- In St. Petersburg, the interiors are more interesting. They are more independent. There is, of course, a lot of husk too, but sometimes absolutely amazing projects come across. Petersburgers still have their own recognizable style. Perhaps the reason is that there are a lot of apartments for rent, the city is a tourist, and there is a demand for short-term rent. Here, the budget may be lower, but there is more creative freedom. Petersburg decorators know how to work with inexpensive items and materials. In St. Petersburg, there are quite wealthy customers who are not shocked if a decorator pulls a sofa from Ikea with a good designer fabric. The St. Petersburg client has a kind of European carelessness. And in Moscow, many customers for some reason come to hysteria in the demand for even skirting boards.
However, with full knowledge of the matter, I can only talk about Moscow, because here I know the situation: I am offered five or six interiors every day for publication - and I have absolutely nothing to choose from. Out of despair, I choose the best of the two worst.
How can this situation be reversed?
- Of course, the interior is a closed genre: a private dwelling. But criticism of "internal" architecture is very important, although I don't understand how to achieve its appearance, how to get things off the ground. Perhaps it is necessary to create a platform for discussion, neutral territory, where the discussion would go "above the battle", without looking back at the advertiser. Why are interior writers afraid to criticize? Because if you write badly about a project, then its author will not send you any more work? But why, in this case, can you scold a building in the city? For some reason, they do not expect the architect to stop submitting projects for publication. In addition, it is not necessary to scold, you can also praise - you only need a serious, deep analysis! A superficial description will never affect either the authors of the projects or the customers. Modern works will never be included in textbooks, just as, say, the "airplane" apartment of Aleksey Kozyr, which, despite their competition, at one time bypassed all magazines, could get there. We need to discuss the topic more broadly, perhaps at least sometimes write about interiors in newspapers, taking the discussion to a new level. It is worth taking the interiors more seriously, not being limited to irony in relation to wealthy people who have allowed themselves a "similar" project.
