On 21 April 2018, the Special Astrophysical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Karachay-Cherkessia hosted the solo project by Russian artists Liza Artamonova and Ilina Chervonnaya, the participants of the 3rd Gogova Foundation Artists Residency.
The authors of The Pearl Paths Route attempted to rethink the phenomenon of tourism as a standard set of sights and impressions that are offered to the traveller. In their quest for knowledge of the world, the traveller of today – thanks to the efforts of the tourism industry – falls into the trap of stereotypes, which strip their experiences of their unique value. The history of a place is created before our eyes, cultural monuments are given new meanings, and the creation of modern sights and associated legends is powered by marketing technologies.
As a result, today’s tourist routes are an amalgamation of reality, fiction and potential expectations, so closely blended that they can no longer be separated. Anyone can create a cultural landmark of their own and make it appear authentic.
So modern tourist attractions no longer acquire significance from their cultural and historical context – but as a tool for sensing the value of the interconnectedness of life. The motives that drive the tourist-traveller to generate a process, in which they are its participant, creator and critic simultaneously.
Ilya Yakunin, astronomer
The authors of The Pearl Paths Route attempted to rethink the phenomenon of tourism as a standard set of sights and impressions that are offered to the traveller. In their quest for knowledge of the world, the traveller of today – thanks to the efforts of the tourism industry – falls into the trap of stereotypes, which strip their experiences of their unique value. The history of a place is created before our eyes, cultural monuments are given new meanings, and the creation of modern sights and associated legends is powered by marketing technologies.
As a result, today’s tourist routes are an amalgamation of reality, fiction and potential expectations, so closely blended that they can no longer be separated. Anyone can create a cultural landmark of their own and make it appear authentic.
So modern tourist attractions no longer acquire significance from their cultural and historical context – but as a tool for sensing the value of the interconnectedness of life. The motives that drive the tourist-traveller to generate a process, in which they are its participant, creator and critic simultaneously.
Ilya Yakunin, astronomer
