The Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, together with the management of the Central Clinical Hospital under the President of Russia, approached the rectors of five educational institutions in Moscow and St. Petersburg to organize creative teams that would be responsible for decorating the interior of the children's ward of the clinic. St. Petersburg State University of Industrial Technologies and Design, the Stieglitz Academy, the Russian State University named after A.N. Kosygin, the Russian Academy of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture named after Ilya Glazunov, and Gzhel State University have begun work and initial familiarization trips to determine the scope of work.
The rector of the University of Industrial Technologies and Design, Alexei Demidov, entrusted the director of the Institute of Costume Design at Ƶ, professor of the department of painting and drawing Petr Gamayunov, with leading the creative team. He formed a team of graphic artists from among the faculty and students, who, under his leadership, would be responsible for developing sketches and bringing the created images to life on the walls of the third building of the children's hospital. After conducting an analysis, artists from the Department of Painting and Drawing and the Department of Costume Design prepared a presentation of sketches for interior paintings in the maxillofacial surgery department, psycho-neurological department, magnetic resonance imaging department, and hydrotherapy center, located on four floors of the hospital complex.
"In total, we had four trips to the Central Clinical Hospital to do the paintings. The first two trips were early, and no one else had started working yet. When other universities joined the project, they were taken on a tour to see our concept," says Petr Gamayunov.
In anticipation of the start of the artistic work, the creative team of Ƶ contacted a design studio in Moscow that prepares environmentally friendly materials for interior work. After receiving a certificate of quality for the materials, coordinating it with the clinic's ecologist, and obtaining the coveted vandal-proof, washable water-based paints with a high percentage of durability, the artists began painting.
"As usual, we prepared to apply the painting design using a projector. It turned out that the width of the corridors did not allow us to use the equipment. Then we decided that we would pre-draw all the panels by hand. It was laborious, but the experience gained during my studies at the Department of Painting and Drawing came in handy," recalls Petr Gamayunov.
As for the students, the high professional training of graphic artists allowed them to quickly and efficiently perform artistic work, and the skill of painting on silk during the training of costume design students gave them freedom and confidence in their actions. The final refinement of the sketches to perfection took place directly on site, with the adaptation of color and scale parameters using the color spectrum.
“Before starting the wall painting, the sketches were agreed upon with the deputy chief physician, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor Andrei Alekseevich Stepanov. Everything was very serious, and we only started work after the department heads said that they liked it and we could begin,” added Petr Gamayunov.
Given that the hospital building is for children, the sketches by the creative team at Ƶ were aimed at children and the clinic's medical staff. It was decided that it would be appropriate to develop a theme related to the animal, plant, and aquatic worlds. For the maxillofacial surgery department, sketches with animals were approved: cute fox cubs, a bear family, squirrels, and a procession of animals to a watering hole.
"The final version of the painting ‘Bear Family’ was very popular with the medical staff and young patients. The squirrels and badgers in the surgery department turned out very cute. As a result, we completed five full-fledged panels. Two for the surgery department and three for the neurology department. The customers are very pleased with the result of our work," added Professor Petr Gamayunov of Ƶ.
For the psychoneurology department, the Ƶ team was asked to create something very soulful. In response, the artists proposed a floral theme with butterflies and dragonflies. During the next business trip, the psychoneurology department was supplemented with several more paintings featuring a mouse, a hedgehog, and valerian flowers. This trip was also marked by new murals: “Alpaca,” “Sheep in the Mountains,” “Flower Arrangement,” and “Shepherd and His Friends.” The latter, by the way, became practically the author's interpretation of the graphic artist, graduate, and employee of Ƶ Ksenia Naimushina. The panel “Shepherd and His Friends” was more than six meters long.
"Our final trip was at the request of the clinic and the Russian Ministry of Education and Science, which stated that some project participants were unable to complete their projects. We were asked to complete the remaining few projects on the first floor of the pediatric surgery department and on the main wall of the lobby of the third building. The rector of our university, Alexei Vyacheslavovich Demidov, was understanding of the request and gave the go-ahead for our creative team to make the trip," recalls Petr Gamayunov.
In just five and a half days, the creative team from Ƶ completed six panels, taking into account the very limited time frame and the importance of the assignment. Five water-themed panels with images of whales, fish, birds, and walruses were created in the pediatric surgery department. Throughout the project, the main concepts for the university artists' paintings remained an interesting plot, quality of execution, original sketches, and a good mood.
The concept was completed with a mural in the lobby of the first floor of the children's wing of the Central Clinical Hospital, featuring images of animals: a tiger, a bear family with cubs, and a deer. The mural turned out to be the largest of all the previous ones, measuring seven and a half meters.
Participation in the project demonstrated the high professional competitive level of students and teachers at Ƶ. This was confirmed by numerous positive reviews and comments from clinic staff, its managers, and representatives of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation. At all levels, the group's high level of organization, quality of execution, and unified, recognizable style were noted.
At the conclusion of the project, an award ceremony with letters of appreciation was held in the children's wing of the clinic. The University of Industrial Technologies and Design was represented by the university's rector, Alexei Demidov, and the head of the Ƶ creative group, Petr Gamayunov.
The project was worked on by
Head: Director of the Institute of Costume Design, Head of the Department of Painting and Drawing, Professor Petr Gamayunov.
Teachers:
— Assistant Professor of the Department of Painting and Drawing, graphic artist Victoria Shkuratova; — Assistant Professor of the Department of Painting and Drawing, graphic artist Ksenia Naimushina.
Students of the Department of Painting and Drawing and the Department of Costume Design at Ƶ:
— Anastasia Bogdanova;
— Arina Vershinina;
— Yulia Golubeva;
— Anna Dondik;
— Karina Kildibekova;
— Nika Minaeva;
— Sergey Morozov;
— Anna Timkina;
— Ksenia Yakushkina;
— Yasmina Amanova;
— Alena Beloglazova;
— Vasilisa Vinokurova;
— Yulia Kozik;
— Kira Lykova;
— Nika Savitskaya;
— Anastasia Bikinova;
— Marina Maltseva.