Archi.ru:
Your bureau was founded in 1999 after a serious economic crisis in the country. Why then did you decide on this? How difficult was the formation of the company?
Karen Saprichyan:
I decided to open my own bureau during the period of the most active activity. At this time, I made mosaics for the design of underground passages on Pushkinskaya Square. These works were timed to coincide with the celebration of the eight hundred and fiftieth anniversary of Moscow. Then I met Alexander Asadov, with whom we immediately began to work together on the project of the Central Election Commission of Russia. For its central hall, I created Florentine mosaics in granite combined with polished brass. Despite the crisis, it was a very interesting time.
How did the workshop develop in the future? What points would you mark as important?
There were also important moments before the founding of the bureau. I graduated from the Stroganov School. But already my very first works were closely related to architecture. One of the most significant events was participation in the reconstruction project of Gorky Street - now Tverskaya. It was 1987. The Mosproekt workshop under the leadership of Viktor Gostev was responsible for shaping the external appearance of the street, and I, together with Mosinzh, dealt with the solution of all underground spaces. The reconstruction was supposed to affect Pushkinskaya, Tverskaya and Manezhnaya squares. The latter received special attention: it was supposed to create numerous pedestrian zones, restaurants, museum spaces and shops - in a much smaller number than it is now. The project was supported, successfully passed the council and public hearings. But unexpectedly for everyone, Viktor Gostev passed away. The project was handed over to other architects and implemented in a completely different form.
The next serious stage was a large project dedicated to the 400th anniversary of Surgut. Then there was a whole layer of work related to Khanty-Mansiysk. And then the most important event was participation in the Olympic construction site.
You have designed a lot for Western Siberia and Khanty-Mansiysk. How valuable was this experience?
The experience was tremendous. At that time, I could not have implemented anything like this in any other city in our country. Later, many motives and techniques worked out in Khanty-Mansiysk were transferred to the Olympic facilities. But the main thing that this job gave me is good partners, designers and manufacturers, with whom I still work. It is very important for me not only to design, but also to implement the object with high quality, because most often the architecture suffers from poor-quality construction.
What projects have become your favorite, or, perhaps, significant?
First of all, it is a memorial sign to the discoverers of Ugra in the form of a high three-sided pyramid and an area of Slavic writing in Khanty-Mansiysk. The pyramid was truly a unique structure for its time. Situated on a high mountain, on the edge of a steep free-flowing cliff, it demanded tremendous efforts to implement. Then I was fortunate enough to meet Nodar Kancheli, thanks in large part to whom the project was implemented. Later, together with him, we built five more complex objects in Khanty-Mansiysk, which other designers did not even want to take on. The shape of the pyramid is also very symbolic. Each of the three faces tells about the stages of the development of the region: first by the indigenous population, then by the Cossacks, and finally by the oil workers who came to Siberia. It seems absolutely sculptural, especially coupled with special dynamic lighting, but the pyramid is also functional: in the central part there is an interactive museum, on the second floor there is a restaurant, and at its top there is a large observation deck from where the whole city is visible. The tower has more than once served as a space for various international meetings, and even EU summits.
For the Slavic Writing Square, I developed a comprehensive space solution: there, on a site with a height difference of up to 24 meters, a cascade fountain with illumination and elements of sculpture appeared. At the very top, there is a monument to Cyril and Methodius, made by me and my team of sculptors, and as we ascend to the temple, tablets with Bible commandments inscribed on them are fixed on each site. Construction work was also carried out by my company.
Of the objects designed in modern and high-tech style, I would like to mention the Sports Glory Square, where unusual architectural techniques are combined with special functionality. The project was implemented in 2002. Then the decision to hang a real flaming torch over the heads of visitors seemed very daring.
But, perhaps, the most interesting project for me is a multifunctional recreational complex on the embankment of the Moskva River. This was our joint project with Alexander Asadov for the Mirax company. We proposed to throw a colorful pedestrian bridge across the river with a hotel on the upper floors, which grows out of a large landscaped recreational area along the embankment. Moreover, at the request of the customer, already at the concept stage, we, together with the Institute of TsNIIPSK named after N. P. Melnikov developed all the nodes, proving that it is quite possible to build such a bridge, but, unfortunately, it was never realized.
I cannot but recall the project proposal for the reconstruction of the Pushkin Museum in Moscow, where we proposed to recreate the lost buildings. Or the project of a stadium in Nizhny Novgorod, which responds to the neighborhood with a nearby temple and at the same time gives rise to associations with the fairs that this city has always been famous for. All these are interesting, but unrealized ideas. As for the buildings, here, of course, it is worth dwelling on the Sochi projects.
Tell us more about a unified concept for the Olympic Sochi. How was it created?
The main direction of this concept was the development of roads on the territory from the Sochi tunnel to the Adler airport and further to Krasnaya Polyana. At the same time, the project provided for the design not only of transport interchanges and tunnel portals, but also of the surrounding buildings and the roadside of the highway. For example, the roofs of all houses located along the roads were replaced with approximately the same ones, solved in the same color, which gave the surroundings the character of a cozy southern city. Also, new fences and stops for public transport were installed, and the territory was landscaped and landscaped.
I managed to implement
Olympic rings. In fact, these are not even rings, but volumetric, sculptural compositions made on a metal frame and sewn with folded aluminum panels without uneven edges and joints. Inside the rings there are beautiful openwork designs that echo the design of the tunnels. Initially, the rings were supposed to serve as a kind of giant arches through which the loops of the roads would pass. However, later, due to the proximity to the airport runways, the rings had to be greatly reduced in size - from 22 to 16 meters - and their location changed. As a result, only one yellow ring called "Asia" remained an arch - the entrance to the airport's vip zone. The rest became just decorative elements.
I proposed to design the entrance portals to the tunnels with the help of a complex snow-white structure, similar to cobwebs or frost. There are no analogues to such structures of irregular structure in the world, and for the implementation of this project, not only a very good designer was needed, but real skill was needed here. We found a practical solution, but not everything was possible to bring to life. The concept, adopted at the highest level, was ultimately severely curtailed, leaving only fragments. Unfortunately, in our country, you always need to be ready for this: as soon as it comes to implementation, especially of such large-scale projects as the Sochi ones, the original idea changes almost beyond recognition.
How did the unusual idea of decorating tunnels with such complex structures come about?
The idea arose long before the Olympic construction, while I was working on a project in Sochi with Avtodor. Then I proposed a similar solution, but the customer refused to implement it. Only two years later, it became possible to return to the previously thought up solution and use it in the Olympic concept. It was possible to implement a complex plan only thanks to cooperation with Russian Railways, but the project, alas, did not go further.
You have repeatedly mentioned in our conversation that many of your projects were carried out in co-authorship with Alexander Asadov. How and why did this creative union come about? Do you continue to work together today?
I have already said that I met Asadov a long time ago while working on the project of the Central Election Commission of Russia. We immediately found a common language, and further cooperation developed by itself. Over the years of our friendship, we have done about fifty joint projects. We continue to work together today. For example, we are working on projects for the Spartak stadium, a residential building on the 2nd Samarskaya street of the hotel called Lily of the Valley.
How are the roles distributed within your union? Who is in charge of the concept? Who is behind the implementation?
Always different. Someone comes up with a concept, the other complements it. We are internally very similar, we think in large forms, we have a close attitude to the perception of space. And besides, we know how to yield to each other, and this is probably the most important thing.
What's on the agenda in the workshop today?
The most serious work is now related to the completion of the design of the building of the Clinical Diagnostic Center (MEDSI) on Malaya Gruzinskaya Street. Our main task was to solve decorative elements of the building facades, made according to my sketches. I must say that the object, practically realized today, in its original version looked completely different. It was a house designed in the spirit of constructivism - very simple, balanced, solid. However, the customer did not support such a decision, so another option had to be made.
The project of the Spartak stadium is taking up no less effort. The stadium is interesting for its versatility. In addition to its sports function, it can be used as a versatile concert hall for shows of varying degrees of complexity, up to the performances of the Circus du Soleil.
Do you have an architectural preference or a favorite style?
Unfortunately, modern Russian architecture for the most part follows fashion, replicates techniques. Therefore, I personally have a very complex attitude to modern architecture. Once I said that architecture will become sculptural, plastic will come first, and only then will function. And so it happened. Think of the work of Frank Gehry or Zaha Hadid. Recently, this trend has begun to decline. Nobody knows for sure what will be in fashion tomorrow. But this only applies to large architecture. And in everyday life, everything is much more prosaic. We are very limited in our freedom. You don't have to choose: if there is an opportunity to implement something, you take it. And you can create freely, probably, only on paper. It's hard for me to define my style, it all depends on the situation and on the specific order. Each object has its own approach and the style can vary from classic to high-tech.
It is known that in addition to your architectural practice, you are also a very famous artist …
I worked a lot as a graphic artist and as a painter. Participated in exhibitions. The works were successfully sold. Most of the graphic works were done without a sketch. For example, the painting "Unable to Fly", presented at the 1996 Art Manege. She became a kind of symbol of that time: there are wings, but you cannot fly. Then there was a fascination with sculpture. It all started in the same Khanty-Mansiysk, where the first Pieta in Russia was created for the Victory Park. In addition to her, many of my sculptural works appeared there, up to the author's cast-iron fence. Then, together with Nikolai Lyubimov, we made the figures of Cyril and Methodius. Andrey Kovalchuk had an experience of creating a large sculptural composition "Ugra".
After graduating from the Stroganov School, you actively participated in Russian and international exhibitions and competitions. What was the main achievement of those years?
The main award and achievement is the fact that over 150 of my graphic works have been bought by leading galleries in America, Japan and Europe. Although today I would gladly return them, because now I can no longer draw the way I drew then. In the late 1980s, there were a lot of foreigners in Moscow who were interested in our art. There have been many exhibitions in both Europe and America. But gradually I moved away from this, devoting myself entirely to architecture. Today all my works are created exclusively for architectural projects - mosaics, sculptures, and bas-reliefs.
In the meantime, having become primarily an architect, you do not leave the fine arts. Difficult to combine?
In Soviet times, everything was divided into sections: monumentalists, graphic artists, architects. In my opinion, an artist is a very broad concept that unites such professions as an architect, sculptor, muralist, graphic artist and many others. For example, seven of my mosaics were installed on Pushkin Square two months ago. At the same time, three buildings are being built in the capital according to my projects. These are completely different areas of activity. But it seems to me that I manage to combine all these aspects, not to mention the fact that I independently implement my projects.
Probably the most striking example of such a gesamkunstvert in your portfolio is the Khanty-Mansi pyramid?
Yes, there is an obvious combination of architectural and artistic means. The Kaluga Sculptural Factory, under my leadership, completed more than three hundred meters of bas-reliefs for it, the construction was supervised by the Academy of Arts. The plastic language of the Sochi portals and tunnels is more modern, I think it is associated with my early paintings, especially the form that is born from the interweaving of structures.
The same can be said about the renovation of a substation in Sochi: there, for the first time in Russia, I managed to apply perforated facades. Now they have become very popular with architects. There is also a downside: both in painting and in graphics I have a lot of architecture.
Presentation with Karen Saprichyan's projects:
