A Series of Public Lectures by the Research Laboratory I Am the Parcel, You Are the Stamp

Nadezhda Tarshis—theater critic and sister of Ry Nikonova (Anna Tarshis)—will speak about Anna and Nadezhda’s parents (Alexander Abramovich Tarshis and Olga Vasilievna Kvasha [Kalintseva]), their childhood years, and the family samizdat publications, including the almanac Nashi (Ours) and the magazine Za mir v sem’e (For Peace in the Family). The talk will also feature artist and poet Boris Konstriktor, who was part of the Transfurist group together with Nikonova and Sigey.

Literary critic, scholar, and poet Pyotr Kazarnovsky will discuss the distinctive features of the poetic practices of the Leningrad circle around Ry Nikonova and Sergey Sigey. This circle included poets and contributors to the journal Transponans such as Vladimir Erl, A. Nik, and Boris Konstriktor. The lecture will also touch upon the creative differences among the authors outside their work on the journal.

Philologist and literature teacher Mikhail Pavlovets will discuss the «system» of forms and techniques developed by Ry Nikonova, as expressed in a number of theoretical and practical works. Nikonova’s artistic practice combined both a drive toward creating a "systematic" framework of creativity and a constant pursuit of experimentation, which distinguished her even within the Transfurist circle.

Art historian and curator Irina Riznychok will talk about the wide range of Ry Nikonova and Sergey Sigey’s artistic practices and publishing activities, as well as their consistent ability to foster a creative environment around themselves. The duo’s interests ranged from traditional easel painting and drawing to experimental poetry, samizdat, and performance.

Using as an example the archival work of Ry Nikonova and Sergey Sigey, literary scholar and text researcher Ilya Kukui will reveal the artistic potential of the archive—not only as storage but also as a space for discovering materials for future projects.