Russian digital culture is warming up

Russia is ripe for creative exchange with the UK, says Abhay Adhikari, after working with 22 of its cultural entrepreneurs Getting Russia in on the digital cultural conversation. St Basil's Cathedral in Moscow.
 
Think Britain's going through a cold patch right now? It's got nothing on Russia in December. But when it comes to digital development in culture, both countries are warming up – and fast.

Digital engagement specialist Abhay Adhikari has just returned from running two days of strategic communication workshops with a group of 22 young creative entrepreneurs, as part of the Cultural Leadership programme run by British Council Russia. The participants included independent startups as well as communications and marketing professionals from various public and private sector institutions in Moscow and St Petersburg.

"Russia is buzzing with the energy of its many creative entrepreneurs working in theatre, film, performing arts and heritage," says Abhay. "They are using digital and social media to solve problems that are very similar to those faced in Britain at the moment. The differences in culture and availability of resources means that unique approaches are being developed in both countries to address key concerns such as revitalising physical arts venues and digitising cultural artefacts."

This creates interesting possibilities for skills and knowledge exchange, he adds. And with the widespread use of social networking by practitioners at both ends, there are no barriers to getting the conversation started. Here are some more observations from his trip.

Starting from scratch 
The current generation of Russians tasked with the activity of making culture and heritage more accessible by using digital technology have the unique privilege of starting from scratch. So the stereotypes from the Soviet era are no longer relevant. And in this moment of building something new, some elegant ideas are being developed and put into action.

Voxxter is one such example. It has created a product for visitors who don't speak Russian to navigate the city. It is a paper map of the metro with all the stops listed in English, and it comes with a free SIM card. This simple solution combines print with mobile technology to enable foreign visitors to use the Metro, which uses Cyrillic script in its signage. This product also gives cultural institutions across Moscow an opportunity to increase tourist footfall.

Symbolically, Voxxter is quite important as it represents the aspirations of many to open up their city to outside influence and create new thinking. While the product itself is ingenious in its simplicity, there is plenty of room for growth. This is where British expertise in creating as well as using geo-social services can play a significant role.

Using technology to talk about tradition
There isn't a lack of cutting edge technology in Russia. And some of it is being used to re-imagine physical spaces that hold a very significant place in the country's cultural history. For example, the international foundation Stage Technologies in St Petersburg used 3D video mapping projection to celebrate the 180th anniversary of the Alexandrinsky Theatre constructed by Italian architect Carlo Rossi. This seven minute performance included a brief history of the venue and showcased some important performances it hosted.

One of the most significant aspects of the project was the negotiation of key relationships that made the event a success. For example, the company persuaded the local authority to switch off the street lights and stop traffic in a city centre location so that the presentation could have maximum impact. The gumption required to pull this off should inspire artists from both sides to create managed disruption to engage wider communities.

A clear case for exchange 
The UK constantly innovates when it comes to the marriage of culture and digital. This is through the work of both the major players as well as independent practitioners who are pushing boundaries as well as embracing new ways of working driven by social technology. Take Kickstarter as an example. This crowdsourcing platform has only recently been launched in the UK, but it has already raised $3.3m in pledges for more than 400 projects.

There is a very clear call for such skills and expertise in Russia. And with the burgeoning culture sector, there are many different ways to enter into collaboration. For example, museums are looking for international partners to develop content for young people. And other sector specialists are keen to up skill by working alongside their UK counterparts to manage and launch new digital projects.

As Kickstarter has shown, the digital ecosystem for arts and culture in the UK is thriving and conducive to collaboration and support. It is just a case of extending the reach of this ecosystem to create room for practitioners from Russia to join the conversation.