Alexander Fedotov President of Moscow Design Week
When discussing the topic of design in Russia, the name Alexander Fedotov is surely one to remember. As president of the , Mr. Fedotov oversees a leading Russian agency in the communication and marketing of design.
ARTCOM is a new media platform with a variety of resources to innovate its interaction with the public. Its involvement is not limited to simply advertising, but it also expands on its promotion points with a publishing house and event agency.
Since 2010, ARTCOM has been on the Organizing Committee for . At this year’s edition, Design42Day has had the opportunity to meet Russia’s ambassador of design, and ask him a couple of questions:
1. In your opinion, what are the strengths and weaknesses faced by the infrastructure of the design industry in Russia?
The first strength is surely represented by the Rodchenko Moscow School of Photography and Multimedia, named after the great Alexander Rodchenko, artist, sculptor, graphic designer and photographer. It guarantees excellent training and it’s a great school for product and graphic design.
The second strength is in regards to Russian character and tradition. The youth grows in a rich environment full of history linked to the arts, and are used to a certain discipline, which is what we have to focus on in order to successfully build the future of design in Russia. Thinking of the weaknesses instead, the main one is the lack of production in Russia. There are few industrialists that can help the youngsters produce their projects. Russia has been at a standstill for more than 70 years and we started opening up to Europe and the world only 20 years ago. There surely is a gap to be filled and we are working very hard for this.
2. What are the short and long term objectives you have set?In the short term we should augment our visibility with the public, showing them that there are more categories of design that meet the eye. So not only architecture and interior design, but also fashion, industrial and so on. It is necessary to focus on all of the applications of design if one wants to represent the system completely. Many different initiatives will be undertaken to tell the vision, like it has already been done in the past (for example, the restoration of spaces without money), with the objective of widening projects in both quantity and quality.
Aiming in this direction, next year we will gather the Biennale and Moscow Design Week. We’ll also start pushing harder in the fashion industry.
3. Moscow will soon have a primary role on the world stage of design. How are you moving in regards to the educational system, not only to form Russian designers, but also to attract foreigners?
Unfortunately, Moscow doesn’t have many strong schools in the design industry, except for the Rodchenko Moscow School and the Strelka Institute, which has twenty people now. There are many schools for physics and architecture, but very few for design. Today, we are negotiating with the Politecnico of Milan to develop an initiative in Moscow which will cover the next ten years.
4. What kind of support does the design industry get from the government?
None. All the initiatives are currently created and promoted by Art Trading Group. The Russian government puts forward the city, Moscow, but that’s it. Not even the Ministry of Culture helps us out. I have to say that I get more support from the Dutch and Spanish governments on their markets, rather than here in Moscow. The main sources of financing are private investors or the sponsors we gather.
5. What countries would you like to collaborate with for Moscow Design Week?
With everyone! It’s very interesting for us to collaborate with traditions different from ours, it’s a way to confront each other and grow. In this sense, we have no limits. Next year I’d like to involve the Campana brothers from Brazil. My objective is to build long-term relationships with countries that are perceived as good producers of design, and Italy is clearly one of them.
