Every spring in St. Petersburg is marked by a bright event for universities, where training in creative specialties is carried out: the city hosts the International Scientific and Practical Conference "Mesmacher Readings", timed to the birthday of the outstanding architect, artist and teacher Maximilian Mesmacher. The conference is attended by scientists, pedagogues, designers and artists, representatives of cultural and art institutions, postgraduates and students.
Within the framework of the Mesmacher Readings a student competition "Graphic Worlds" was held. Students of Repin Academy of Arts, Stieglitz Academy, Herzen State Pedagogical University, Stroganov University, Favorsky Institute of Graphic Arts and Book Art, as well as representatives of Poland, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and other countries competed with graphic artists from the University of Industrial Technologies and Design.
Daria Burgunova (Department of Graphics, Graduate School of Printing and Media Technologies, Ƶ) presented nine strip illustrations and several splash pages and endings to Bertolt Brecht's play "Mama Kurazh and Her Children", made on compound paper on texture paste backing, as well as sixteen strip illustrations to Tolstoy's story "The Golden Key, or the Adventures of Pinocchio", drawn in the traditional technique using watercolor and colored pencils.
Vasilisa Vladimirova (Graphics Department of the Graduate School of Printing and Media Technologies, Ƶ) presented the project "Celtic Myths". Fragments of myths are designed in the form of a transformer placed inside a traditional cardboard cover of album format. The transformer is activated by a mechanism disguised under the front cover. Traditional Celtic ornamentation is used in the design of the book.
Alexandra Kazakova (Department of Graphics, Graduate School of Printing and Media Technologies, Ƶ) presented her work "Anna Akhmatova's Poems" - early, rather daring, charged poems of the poet, designed in the form of an exploding transformer. The design of the layout is supported by a sharp contrast of white and black with flashes of dark purple.
Both manuscript books are made within the approach of "book-object, book-artist with an elaborate dynamic algorithm of disclosure". The art-objects were made as a creative assignment of the second course of the art of historical calligraphy.
An album-guidebook intended for a wide range of readers was presented by Maria Petrova (Graphics Department of the Higher School of Printing and Media Technologies, Ƶ). The layout is based on the principle of iconic places for the territory. The illustrations used photography processed by graphic editors. The author's style of drawing was developed, which combined figurative compositions and elements of interior and still life.
The Graphics Department of the Graduate School of Printing and Media Technologies of Ƶ is a regular and active participant of the competition. This season graphic arts students of different courses presented their works in four nominations. Third year student Vasilisa Vladimirova became the winner of the nomination "Font". Alexandra Kazakova's work was awarded the first degree diploma in the same nomination. Natalia Alexandrova and Maria Petrova received first and second degree diplomas in the nomination "Book Design". Daria Burgonova won two diplomas in different illustration nominations. The works that received diplomas were supervised by Dmitry Petrovsky, Associate Professor of the Graphics Department of St. Petersburg State University of Industrial Technologies and Design, and Galina Lavrenko, Head of the Department.