Searching for Traces

The year 2017 marked the 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution. The revolutionary upheavals had long-lasting socio-economic and cultural repercussions that were felt far beyond the borders of Russia and influenced the rest of the 20th century. In search of traces of the Russian Revolution, the Russian Cultural Festival in Freiburg highlighted this significant event and reflected on the historical and especially current relations between Germany and Russia. Over twenty academic and artistic organisations in the city were set to engage in cooperation for the event in an exemplary manner. In collaboration with international partners, e.g. the State GULAG Museum in Moscow, the human rights organisation “Memorial” and the State Russian Library Rudomino, the organisations hosted exhibitions, plays, research projects, film series, a conference, and a lecture series which illustrated the explosive force the Revolution had on the arts and its influence on western European cultures and society to this day.
The 2017 Russian Cultural Festival in Freiburg was a project by the newly established Tsvetaeva Centre for Russian Culture at the University of Freiburg. The project impressively demonstrated how an entire city can work together to embrace a mutual theme.

Project director: Elisabeth Cheauré
Artistic director: Margarita Augustin

Participating institutions from Freiburg: Zwetajewa-Zentrum für russische Kultur at the University of Freiburg und Freiburg Office of Cultural Affairs in cooepration with the University of Freiburg, Theater Freiburg, Hochschule für Musik, Kommunales Kino, Literaturbüro, Ensemble Recherche, Ensemble SurPlus, E-Werk, Kunstverein, Theater im Marienbad, Galerie für Gegenwartskunst im E-Werk, Stadtbibliothek and others

Participants from the fields of art and science: Sergej Lebedew (RU), Amir Reza Koohestani (IR), Juri Andruchowytsch (UA), Chto Delat (RU), Mari Bastashevski (RU), Arseny Zhilyaev (RU), Igor Ponosov (RU), Maria Thorgevsky (CH), Stephan Weilands, Irina Scherbakowa (RU), Peter Weibel, Dietmar Neutatz, Ekaterina Dmitrieva (RU), Nikolaus Katzer (RU), Larisa Polubojarinova (RU), Dirk Kemper (RU), Igor Schajtanov (RU), Aleksej Zherebin (RU) and others