The Russian Academy Of Arts

The Russian Academy of Arts and Research Center for Eastern Christian Culture invite you to take part in the presentation of the book “Spatial Icons. Performativity in the Byzantine Empire and Old Russia” and celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Research Center for Eastern Christian Culture that will take place in the White Hall of the Russian Academy of Arts, 21 Prechistenka street, Moscow on December 19, 2011 at 6 pm.

The book “Spatial Icons. Performativity in the Byzantine Empire and Old Russia” /Editor - A.M. Lidov. Moscow. 2011 (704 pages, 334 illustrations)/ is based on the materials of the International Symposium held at the Russian Academy of Arts in June, 2009. It continues and develops the problem of hierotopic researches realized in the books: “Hierotopy. Creation of Sacral Spaces in the Byzantine Empire and Old Russia”; “Hierotopy: Comparative Study of Sacral Spaces”; “New Jerusalems. Hierotopy and Iconography of Sacral Spaces”; A.M. Lidov “Hierotopy. Spacial Icons and Images-Paradigms in Byzantine Culture” (Moscow, 2009).

The book consists of 24 articles by leading Russian and foreign researchers from the United States, Japan, Europe who analyze the phenomenon of “spatial icons” – iconic images appearing in the space in addition to two-dimensional images. These are the organization of a “sacral landscape” modeled on the New Jerusalem in the Moscow Region and other Eastern Christian monasteries and the research of the most significant rituals creating an iconic environment such as the well-known “The Donkey Walk” in the medieval Moscow. Of major importance in the book is a theme of icons and relics interacting in a single spatial image, as well as a phenomenon of interactivity suggesting the viewer’s involvement in the creation and perception of a visible image. In the world science this is the first book devoted to the urgent problem of performativity in the Eastern Christian culture, since the mobility of a constantly changing image is the most principle feature of spatial icons that played a significant role both in the Byzantine Empire, Old Russia and all “iconic” traditions outside the Christian world.

THE RESEARCH CENTER FOR EASTERN CHRISTIAN CULTURE

The Research Center for Eastern Christian Culture was set up as an independent scientific entity in 1991 by specialists in the history of the Byzantine Empire and Old Russia – art critics, historians, archaeologists, philologists, experts in liturgy. It is one of the first of its kind, one of the very few, and the only one in this field of knowledge that has survived till the present day. The Center has been working without constant state financing basing mostly on grants won in open scientific competitions. As an informal research institute it has been aimed at conducting a comprehensive study of the culture of the Eastern Christian world: from Novgorod in the North to Ethiopia in the South, from Armenia in the East to Byzantine Italy in the West. The principle goal of the Center is to develop and implement innovation projects for researching fundamentals of the Eastern Christian culture.

Since 1991, the Center has held international symposiums and published the collected articles: “Jerusalem in Russian Culture” (1991); The Eastern Christian Temple: Liturgy and Art” (1993); “Wonder-Working Icons in the Byzantine Empire and Old Russia” (1994); “The Iconostasis: Origin – Development – Symbols” (1996); Relics in the Art and Culture of the Eastern Christian World” (2000); “Hierotopy. Research of Sacral Spaces” (2004); “New Jerusalems. The Transfer of Sacral Spaces in Christian Culture” (2006); “Spatial Icons. Textuality and Performativity” (2009); “Fire and Light in the Sacral Space” (2011).

The Center has organized several scientific expeditions including the first Russian expedition to Cappadocia, arranged a number of research exhibitions in partnership with major museums in Russia and Europe. Among the most notable are: “Christian Relics in the Moscow Kremlin” and “The Holy Mandylion in Russian Icon”.

More than 100 researchers from Russia, U.S.A, Europe and Japan have been involved the Center’s projects. Its activity has won an international recognition and has been appreciated in academic reviews and many publications.

The founder and permanent Director of the Center is the historian of Byzantine Art Alexei M. Lidov. The significant contribution to the establishment of the Center has been made by the archaeologist L.A. Belyaev, historian of architecture A.L. Batalov and philologist A.A. Turilov.  

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