Do you continue running your project which you presented at Culture Online award? How does it evolve?
The project continues its history, but on other platforms. After closing my blog on the banned social media, I posted it on other social media. Group on VK: artclub.konovalova has become the main platform, there is a news and communication channel with a chat in Telegram —club_konovalova and artclub.konovalova, as well as a group in OK and Yandex.Zen, where I duplicate the materials previously published in the banned social media. My website arthistorian.ru still provides the base for the project with the most current information, analytical articles and interviews. Of course, first of all, the format of the materials has changed. This is due to the specifics of the other social media. But this has not affected the development areas: I still write about art, history, culture and family values.
Do you have any new projects in the pipeline and would you like to talk about them on our Culture Online portal?
Now my trial run of the book club is coming to an end. For two years I have been testing and implementing this project in different formats. The outcome is a format that completely suits me and the participants. Starting in 2023, I plan to launch it on a large scale. We will be reading books in various genres on various topics that relate to culture and history in one way or another, and we will hold reading marathons on books and art.
What would you recommend to novices in creating cultural projects in an online format? What should one know, what is not to be afraid of in the startup period? What platforms are better to start with?
In the first place I would say, Hold on, friend! There are no rules or universal approaches. You will have to test everything and study by trial and error. I would advise you to prepare by solving all psychological problems associated with publicity, communication in social networks and perception of criticism. Otherwise, just try and find your social medium (or media) and your format. Perhaps in today’s reality it is worth considering Rutube and VK. Some people prefer making videos, but I love to write texts. One person would create a themed public, another a personal blog. The main thing is to love what you want to do.
In your opinion, which areas of culture in digital format are the most relevant today?
There is an actively developing format of online clubs with monthly themed training in different formats: videos, lectures, posts, quizzes, and meetings. Online courses are also gaining momentum, although this area already seems quite full. Virtual museums are an interesting novelty: more and more often I see online galleries and even local history projects. Some of them go offline at a later stage. This is an interesting process.
How do you feel about NFT crypto art? What can you say about this new format of art?
I have been studying this topic for a long time, even wrote an article in my arthistorian.ru magazine for beginners, and collaborated with a project to organize auctions for the sale of art in form of NFT. The feeling is ambiguous. On the one hand, it seems interesting and promising. I think foreign and domestic galleries and museums have been enthusiastic about this innovation. But there are just as many skeptics. There is also news about NFT hacking and theft. Perhaps if pressing problems in this area are resolved (security, ease of purchase and storage, attractive opportunities for using NFT), then this format will become interesting and attractive to young people, and I do not exclude emergence of serious NFT collectors. But older generations still prefer classical art and don’t believe that NFT is serious. Who is actually right, only time will tell. I doubt that anyone in the world can give an accurate prediction.
If you had the opportunity to start your new cultural project in the digital format from scratch. Imagine that you have all the necessary resources. What would you come up with and where would you start?
I would start an online art magazine where culture would be discussed with the help of experts in different formats: videos, articles, podcasts. A separate section would be fighting fakes, myths, and fabrications. I would target the project at adult people. Now many companies are committed to educating children, entertaining young people and diversifying the lives of retirees. But there are few who think about the adults who work all day, provide for their families, and raise their children. They, too, want to develop, learn new things, preserve tradition, and create family culture. I think they are the ones who need the most support. Cultural development offers recreation, learning, self-development, and a fundamental basis for strengthening family relationships. Therefore, a single major resource where you can easily obtain the information you need that you can trust in your preferred format is an ideal project for the cultural future.
Do you plan to participate in the Culture Online Awards in 2022?
This year I will pause, because my project is not yet at its best at the new platforms. But I would love to see the projects of other participants, because the previous contests revealed a lot of interesting events and ideas. I think there will be even more this year.