CIBA 2023: Talking Art and Business at the Alexandrinsky Theatre
On April 20, the conference 'CIBA: Creative Industries. Business. Art' took place. It was organised by students of the Master's programme 'Arts and Culture Management' in cooperation with the New Stage of the Alexandrinsky Theatre. The event was attended by 225 people, and the online broadcast on the VK social network had more than 230,000 views.
CIBA took place on the New Stage of the Alexandrinsky Theatre for the third time thanks to the partnership between the theatre and HSE University. The conference is one of the main projects of the Master's programme 'Arts and Culture Management'. The event was organised by students of the programme and employees of the New Stage.
This year, the main topic of the conference was the role of art in a corporate environment. Talks fell into three broad topics: how individual creativity helps to create a business, how large companies integrate art and creativity into their cultural code, and the results of collaborations between business and art.
The conference started with a welcoming speech by Anna Tyshetskaya, Director of HSE University-St Petersburg. She underscored the importance of this project to the university and the city in general and expressed readiness to support the initiatives of CIBA and the New Stage of the Alexandrinsky Theatre.
Anna Tyshetskaya, Director of HSE University-St Petersburg
I am happy that CIBA takes place on the New Stage of the Alexandrinsky Theatre—HSE University values this partnership a lot. We are ready for joint cultural projects which are helpful to both business and the city. We be very happy to see new creative initiatives from CIBA and its team, and the university will happily support them. Cultural projects have always been an important part of HSE University.
CIBA has become a significant creative experiment for the New Stage of the Alexandrinsky Theatre; the conference contributes to the development of the theatre as a major cultural centre. In August 2022, the stage was renamed in honour of Vsevolod Meyerhold, a famous theatre director of the 20th century who rose to fame for his unusual approach to plays and decorations.
'CIBA is an attempt to find new meanings for both business and art,' says Alexander Malich, Chief Producer of the New Stage of the Alexandrinsky Theatre.
Alexander Malich, Chief Producer of the New Stage of the Alexandrinsky Theatre
It is obvious now that business cannot operate without art, and that it is also somewhat of an art itself. But not everyone sees how useful such a symbiosis can be. The experience of the New Stage can contribute to this discussion. Our team is very flexible and open to change, but it would be impossible without the special creative environment which we have created. When we tell our colleagues from the corporate world about our basic approaches, their worldview changes significantly. Art helps you to enjoy your work and liberates you in some way. It is impossible to discover your talent without it.
The first section of the conference examined how art influences business creation. On the one hand, it helps entrepreneurs to discover their talent, and on the other hand, it becomes a part of a creative idea. This was the case for the 'Vokzal 1853' food mall, which opened in the building of the former Varshavsky railway station. Nikita Ulybin, General Director of the food mall, shared that the historical background of the space had a major influence on the final business concept. 'Vokzal 1853' has become an entertainment space, and the interior references the decorations of old carriages.
The second section focused on how projects in the art sphere become a distinctive feature of large companies and a part of their corporate environment. Maria Buzunova, Head of the press service of hh.ru, said that the company created short films following the results of the quarter. The concept is usually based on a film or TV series which inspired the employees—for instance, 'The Matrix' and 'What We Do in the Shadows'.
In the company 'GEROPHARM', contemporary art has become not only an integral part of the corporate spirit but also a distinctive feature of the interiors. Each meeting room has a wall painting of a scientist who dedicated their life to insulin research. The collection of the pharmaceutical company is rich in modern art pieces. For example, employees can see one of the 'Little Red Men' by Andrey Lyublinskiy, Professor at HSE University-St Petersburg and famous artist.
Galina Grenning, External Communications Manager at 'GEROPHARM'
Art is an important amino acid in the DNA of a company. We pay a lot of attention to the architecture and design of our infrastructure facilities and also surround our team with contemporary art pieces. Employees highlight that this love for art creates a special atmosphere and distinguishes us as employers.
This commitment to art also manifests externally: projects to increase the availability of art for society and preserve cultural heritage are a part of the corporate social responsibility of 'GEROPHARM'. For instance, in honour of the company’s 20th anniversary, we held the '20 Good Deeds' campaign, as part of which we supported museums and creative associations. We became partners of two exhibitions in Moscow and St Petersburg: 'Other Shores: Russian Art in New York, 1924' and 'New Nature' by Recycle Group. We also gifted a fragment of a portrait of Catherine I made while she was alive to the Tsarskoe Selo museum and heritage site.
The third section of CIBA covered collaborations. Representatives of cultural clusters, large companies and non-profit organisations gathered together to discuss the advantages and aims of modern collaborations. The main purpose of joint PR campaigns is an exchange of ideas and audiences. For non-profit organisations, collaborations are a way to inform people about their activities and support their mentees.
Some companies create spaces for new ideas in art, making it more accessible. Alexandra Zvezdina, Head of Community Engagement in the VK Culture and Art Group, spoke about cooperation with the Moscow Multimedia Art Museum (MMAM). They hosted a video project titled 'The Alphabet of Russian Photography' on the VK platform, which helped the community to grow its audience.
The speakers highlighted that working on collaborations was a hard process. Sometimes, collaborations turn out to be so huge that they exhaust the PR team's energy, says Lada Efimova, PR Director of 'Anton is Right Here'. Another challenge is convincing people that collaborations are useful. Alexandra Zvezdina recommended paying attention to the neural network launched to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the Russian museum; some cultural institutions have turned down such projects.
In addition to the open discussions and expert speeches, CIBA attendees had the chance to take part in quizzes, visit a platform for networking, and take photos in a dedicated area decorated with art objects by Victor Grachev. The participants of the conference received certificates granting extra points for admission to the Master's programme 'Arts and Culture Management'.
Ekaterina Pastukhova, 4th-year student of the Bachelor’s programme 'Public Policy and Analytics'
I'm involved in urban territorial branding. I'm also interested in the art sphere—museums, theatres, and cinemas. So I decided to come here to make new contacts and meet people who are interested in the same sphere as me. Perhaps I also wanted to gain extra points for further admission to HSE University; one of the options is the Master's in 'Arts and Culture Management'.
The organisers of CIBA plan to expand the project beyond annual in-person meetings, including the possibility of branching out into online formats.
Elena Zelenskaya, Academic Supervisor of the Master's programme 'Arts and Culture Management'
CIBA is becoming an increasingly significant and large-scale city event and a magnet for professionals in the art sphere. Many art institutions and media write about us. As such, we feel that CIBA is becoming a brand. Together with the New Stage of the Alexandrinsky Theatre, we will think about ways to develop this project. We don't want CIBA to remain just a one-off annual event, but to make it live throughout the year. We might try the podcast format and continue our dialogue about art and business online as well.