Valery Pikulev - Water and Stone. Historical story

© Valery Pikulev, 2018

© Valery Gulyakin, 2018

ISBN 978-5-4493-0723-1

Created with Ridero smart publishing system

Real, Last, Future…

In one good song sung by all favourite Russian “musketeer” – such words are Mikhail Boyarsky, —: “Everything will pass …". As they say, you won’t throw out words from a song and whether costs: the song isn’t bad. And, nevertheless, Mikhail Sergeyevich, – at all respect! – will pass not everything: there is a Past, it is always with us! It helps to live in the Present and to trust in the Future. On that it is – the Past!

In other song, – and too, good! – it is sung: “There is only an instant between the past and future, – it is called life…” And here is about what to argue. At first sight everything is correct: life, – only a chain of imperceptible moments of the Present, which each link clamped in a vice, between the Past and Future. Instant! – and it is absent any more, it in the Past; and the next instant – it is absent yet as it only in the future… and we live only in the Present, between “already” and “still”! But, whether so it actually?

“Dashing nineties” of the last century! What did they leave in our memory? – Disintegration of the state, revelry of obscurantism: occultism, pseudo-healing… However, among thousands of deceivers and charlatans who filled a TV screen, stadiums and clubs units of carriers of the phenomenon of clairvoyance sometimes appeared, – and it cannot be denied! – units of the people capable to see our past and the future as if considering a certain photo…

Give, think: in what way (even if the most fantastic!) it is possible to photograph our Past or the Future… which are absent?! And if it, nevertheless, is somehow possible, then it is necessary to recognize that the Past and the Future exist along with the Present and – “now”! There is nothing surprising: it is enough to present of itself in the train with company the name “Present”, departed from the station with the name “Past” and rushing to another – “Future”: behind a window the twilight not to see either that, or other station… but they, nevertheless, exist and – “now”! Here also leaves that the past – at all not what isn’t present any more, and the future … – well, you understand!

And by all well familiar art form – the photo – whether is created it in order that to make the Past property of the Future?! – Isn’t it?!

The photo … – a riddle in which philosophical judgment still nobody was engaged yet. I remember myself six-year-old… and now, considering that photo, – I… mother… the father … – I remember not only the area where acted, but even the thoughts which have visited me at the time of “photoclick”. To me it was thought then: “there will pass a lot of time, and I, looking at this photo, I will remember what I thought many years back of: that there will pass a lot of time, and I, looking at this photo, I will remember what I thought… of” – and so many time! It is remembered, me, the six-year-old boy, it very surprised. I am surprised to this day!

Yes, – a set of riddles! And the most mysterious of them, perhaps, – the Photographer! – the person capable “to catch an instant”!

And here, with such person, with Valery Gulyakin, the destiny… or rather – a personal exhibition of his photoworks devoted to our St. Petersburg has also brought together me!

Being, in essence, a professional, Valery Nikolaevich was presented as the fan, having explained the position with the fact that only the person in love with the business can decide to display the favourite city, the favourite country – in the photoetudes. It will quite be coordinated also with my vital installation. And we had had an idea…

– And that if to try to create something like a creative tandem: the writer – the photographer… Whether it is possible in that case, doing present pictures, to glance in the past … – in the past, in the past of the edge, the country? But whether not to try?!

As a result of similar cooperation there was the whole series of the photosketches entirely devoted to one of the most beautiful cities of the world – to brilliant, unique St. Petersburg.

By means of these photostories different both on subject, and on character of the narration, we will try to show round the city it what it is represented to ourselves.

To tell about the Great City in one book – an impossible task. Moreover, the danger of temptation to come down to such guide with lots of photos of beauty of St. Petersburg, forced to reconsider critically already well fulfilled and given a dry run receptions of a similar genre. And therefore the project, perhaps, will represent a series of the art photobooks united by the general idea: to acquaint the whole world do not, not only with fantastic beauty, and first of all, with soul of the Northern Capital of Russia!

– Yours faithfully! Valery Pikulev

All photos placed in the book – and their nearly two hundred! – are executed by Valery Gulyakin

St. Petersburg… Leningrad … – is not present, it not just the name of the city, once, as the fates decree, visited the capital of Russia, – something such that heart of any kind and in the slightest degree forces to be clogged quicker the competent person of Earth also is connected with this name! And for the Russian people, for all residents of Russia, – for all “Russians” as we for some reason were christened recently, is also a symbol of invincible Firmness, Spirit height… and man-made Beauty!

I remember, being in Tallinn, in Soviet period, we wanted – I with parents, – to lodge in hotel near the station for transients, for two days …“There are no places!” – the grandmother person on duty has answered in Russian, but with characteristic accent; however, seeing that we don’t hurry to leave, – and there was no place to leave: hotels are crowded too, – has thrown, having taken pity: “through the area hotel … – From Moscow?”. We have told that we aren’t present, – from Leningrad… The old woman has right there become kinder: “wait, I learn” – both she has learned, and she has lodged… and even for three days!

With what only titles don’t call our Great City, – and the Northern Capital of Russia… both the Cultural capital… and Northern Venice… St. Petersburg… However, Venice and Palmyra, in my opinion, could also with honor to bear a proud name – the Southern St. Petersburg.

Yes, our city was more than two hundred years actually the capital of Russia, – since 1712 (from final moving from Moscow of the imperial yard and embassies of the European states) and prior to a Bolshevist revolution (before the return moving of the government to Moscow in March, 1918). However…

“Surprise” the first.Being, – and more than two hundred years! – the actual capital of Russia, St. Petersburg legally never in such quality stayed! We don’t know any law, the act or at least the decree on transfer of the capital from Moscow where – or! Moreover, all Russian emperors (except for Peter I) were crowned at accession to the throne, as well as it is necessary, in Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin! (In this regard we were reached by one interesting story, – or perhaps and beautiful fiction, – connected with Paul I’s crowning which was held on April 5, 1797. And so, the message about the moment of a crowning has reached from Moscow to St. Petersburg… in two and a half hours! – by mail by means of a voice organized by the soldiers built on a chain throughout a way).