NEWS

Champagne Drinkers

Missed our Zoom in on Perth and Pskov blether with Polina Medvedeva about her ‘road movie’ The Champagne Drinkers (2015, 53 min)? Grab your chance until Sunday, 20 June 2021 to watch this artist’s feature film exclusively available as part of our event. Just enter the password: ZoomInOnPskov by clicking on the WATCH button. Let us know if you also think that the film is reminiscent of Nobel Prize winner Svetlana Alexeivich’s book Second-Hand Time (Fitzcarraldo, 2016). Both give voice to those whose stories are lost in the official narratives of nation-states. The film uses the taxi, rather than the kitchen, as a storytelling vehicle charting the decline and survival of Soviet culture.

WATCH

ZOOM IN ON PERTH AND PSKOV

Join us for the fourth of our Friends of Pskov monthly gatherings over Zoom curated by Iliyana Nedkova and aimed at constructing a bridge built on the foundations of contemporary art, over the rivers flowing through the twin cities of Perth, Pskov and Tartu. Our contributors on 15 June 2021 at 16:00 BST include Su Grierson, Perth-based contemporary artist and curator and Polina Medvedeva, Pskov-born and Amsterdam-based contemporary artist and filmmaker. Register now and gain exclusive free access to Polina Medvedeva’s artist’s feature film The Champagne Drinkers: Russia’s Informal Economy from the Back Seat of a Taxi (2015, 53 min) streaming on demand for a limited period before and after our fourth ZOOM IN ON gathering.

REGISTRER HERE

AL FRESCO CREATIVITY

How do we celebrate ‘al fresco creativity’? Could Cateran Ecomuseum be home of Perthshire Plein Air? What could we learn from Pskov Plein Air? Just tune in the newly released recording of our second of six Friends of Pskov monthly gatherings held on 15 April 2021 for a blether about al fresco creativity with artists from the twin cities of Perth, Pskov and Tartu.

WATCH

ZOOM IN ON FREEDOM

What is freedom? Join us on 18 May 2021, 18:00 BST for a blether about freedom and socially-engaged art practice with our special guests Ken Alexander, Kaya Fraser and Mare Tralla. This is the third of our Friends of Pskov monthly gatherings over Zoom aimed at constructing a bridge built on the foundations of contemporary art, over the rivers flowing through the twin cities of Perth, Pskov and Tartu.

ZOOM IN ON PLEIN AIR CREATIVITY

Join us for our second of six monthly gatherings on 15 April 2021 for a blether about twin cities, artist residencies, portable easels, plein airs, birch trees and the great outdoors. Meet artists Andrew Hunter, Mare Tralla, Babs Pease, Oleg Tsvetkov, Hugo Saunders and Dave Hunt. Learn about the history and future of artists residencies al fresco with Iliyana Nedkova, Moira Gavin, Sally Bonnar, Meg Luckins and Caron Ironside.

WATCH OUR FIRST ZOOM IN ON EVENT

Missed our inaugural event zooming in on Pushkin and Soutar, hosted by Jim Mackintosh and friends? It was held on 15 March 2021 marking the 30th anniversary of the twinning of Perth and Pskov? Watch our Zoom recording now edited and released on our Friends of Pskov YouTube channel.

WATCH

ZOOM IN ON PUSHKIN & SOUTAR

BYOB and join us for the first of our Friends of Pskov monthly gatherings over Zoom aimed at constructing a bridge built on the foundations of contemporary art, over the rivers flowing through the twin cities of Perth, Pskov and Tartu. Make 15 March 2021 an evening of spoken word, live music and poetry in Russian, English and Scots with Jim Mackintosh and friends!

OUR STORY SO FAR

As we approach our 30th anniversary in 2021 we look back at our print publication People to People. 25 Years of Friendship between Perth and Pskov. We are pleased to make it available as a free downloadable booklet for the first time now.

DOWNLOAD HERE

BURNS NIGHT IN

Join us for a Burns Night In with our Honorary Twin City Ambassador and Perth’s own performance poet Jim Mackintosh, aka the newly appointed Federation of Writers (Scotland) Makar! Just email dandj@harleycs.plus.com to get the Zoom details. Oh, BYOB, too!

JOIN IN

ADVENT IN PANDEMIC

How can we celebrate Advent in this COVID-19 stricken year 2020? How do we spread festive cheer from our city of Perth to Pskov and Tartu – our twin cities in Russia and Estonia? Just follow our founding member Sally Bonnar as she takes over our Instagram – yet, again – after reporting on Perth in full spring bloom under our first lockdown.

RUSSIA DAY 2020

How do Friends of Pskov celebrate 12 June 2020 – National Russia Day amidst a global COVID-19 pandemic? Over social media? Yes. Over a video conferencing platform? Yes. By joining the official inauguration of the new Russia – UK Twin Cities Foundation? Yes, indeed.

CELEBRATE

TWIN CITIES THROUGH THE YEARS

In this two-part travelogue, exclusively written for the Friends of Pskov website, Daniil Schultz – a long-term friend of Perth and a resident of Pskov – takes us through Scotland in the early 1990s before welcoming us to his native Pskov during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown of Spring 2020.

LOCKDOWN PERTH IN BLOOM

Perth under lockdown in full spring bloom? Just follow our founding Friends of Pskov member Sally Bonnar on her daily walks over at our Instagram. Was it just a year ago when Babs Pease – our artist-in-residence at Pskov Plein Air did our first Instagram Takeover! Intrigued?

CINEMATIC MYSTERY

Did you follow our recommendation for a Russian culture fix under the Scottish lockdown by attending the UK premiere of Daria Elkonina’s Autumn? Read our Friends of Pskov’s own Iliyana Nedkova’s review Signs and Sounds of Cinematic Mystery.

DARIA ELKONINA'S AUTUMN

The latest in our Friends of Pskov RECOMMENDS (even under the pandemic lockdown) is the UK premiere of the short film Autumn by the Russian filmmaker Daria Elkonina as part of Alchemy Live – the tenth edition of Alchemy Film and Moving Image Festival. Curated in Hawick, Scotland’s film town, the festival livestreams to the comfort of homes the world over. For free.

WATCH

friendsofpskov.co.uk

How do we celebrate the arrival of yet another new website into the world wide web? With Kiev chocolates, exhibition tours and video postcards at the Annual General Meeting of the Friends of Pskov.

BOOKMARK IT

FALLEN FRUIT

Did you know that Bulgaria was so loyal to its Big Brother USSR that it used to be considered the 16th Soviet Republic. Celebrate the 30th anniversary of the collapse of Soviet communism in Bulgaria with the Bulgarian/Scottish visual artist and theatre maker Katherina Radeva at Threshold artspace, Perth Theatre.

CELEBRATE

PERTH PIANO SUNDAY

‘Queen Victoria at the piano’ is only one of the titles of Viktoria Postnikova. Learn about the memorable encouter of the Friends of Pskov on and off stage at Perth Concert Hall with this talented musician.

WORLD HERITAGE

17 unique buildings in Pskov were the latest cultural gems to join UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites in 2019.

WHEN BABS MET MEG

Upon her return to Perth, Barbara Pease aka Babs met at Threshold artspace for a chat with Meg Luckins – one of our founding members. Watch a brief 3-part interview and learn about the sense of adventure and liberation Babs felt during her artist’s residency in Pskov and Izborsk. See some of her stunning watercolours, too!

WATCH

INSTAGRAM TAKEOVER

Our brand new Instagram account is now live! Barbara Pease – the recipient of the artist-in-residence travel bursary 2019 from the Friends of Pskov – will be taking over with news and stories from her experience of the 11th International Plein Air in Pskov and Izborsk from 18 until 29 June 2019. Remember to follow us and share widely!

MOSCOW ART THEATRE

Catch this legendary drama company at Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2019 – some 30 years since they were last seen in Scotland!

ON THIS DAY 30 YEARS AGO

Did you know that the momentous Memorandum leading to the twinning of Perth and Pskov was signed on 4 December 1990? This is exactly 30 years ago. Find out how Friends of Pskov from near and far have marked this day while still in the grip of the COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions.

WELCOME HOME

Having followed Barbara Pease Instagram Takeover, Sally Bonnar – one of our founding members – is reminiscing about the great time spent in Pskov and Izborsk. Together with our friends at Horsecross Arts, we are also looking forward to Bab’s solo exhibition at Threshold artspace inspired by her artist’s residency at Pskov Plein Air.

LISTEN

TRAVEL BURSARY AWARDED

Following our open call, Barbara Pease was one of the Perthshire artists selected to receive the Friends of Pskov travel bursary for the 2019 Pskov Plein Air. Working in partnership with Horsecross Arts, the Friends of Pskov is looking forward to welcoming Babs back to Perth’s Threshold artspace for a solo exhibition inspired by Pskov Plein Air.

NATIONAL DAY OF RUSSIA

Our new website was‘inaugurated’ on 12 June 2019 – the National Day of Russia! Iliyana Nedkova and Alexander Miller marked the occasion by attending the Reception at Merchants House hosted by the Consul General of the Russian Federation, the Deputy Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament and one of the Arctic Convoy veterans.

HELEN MCCRORIE

Find out more about Helen McCrorie – one of the Perthshire artists shortlisted for our Pskov Plein Air Bursary in 2019.

COSSACHOCK

Looking for an authentic and reasonably priced Russian cuisine In Glasgow? Pop into the bright and airy Cafe Cossachock

PSKOV PLEIN AIR

Did you know that the prestigious open-air artists’ residency in Pskov and Izborsk has been welcoming Perthshire artists since 2003. Find out who were the recipients of our Friends of Pskov artist-in-residence travel bursaries over the years and what is in store for the special Hansa Days 2019 edition of this residency curated by Oleg Tsvetkov.

TWINS: PERTH AND PSKOV

ROSES AND ARROWS

MAKE A GUEST APPEARANCE HERE

BECOME A TWIN CITY AMBASSADOR