Moscow launched a competition for the concept of a monument to William Shakespeare

The British Council together with the Moscow Museum announced the launch of a competition for the concept of a monument to William Shakespeare in Moscow.

The competition organized by the Union of Moscow Architects aims at giving a chance to young Russian sculptors. Its goal is to select the best architectural and artistic solution.

“It makes sense that Moscow will, finally, have a monument to William Shakespeare. Perhaps nowhere, except, of course, in Britain, his plays are staged as often as here. I am sure that this monument will not only be a convincing evidence of the ability of the Russian and the British to cooperate fruitfully, but also a symbol of timeless closeness of our cultures and of mutual understanding”, says Mikhail Shvydkoy, Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for International Cultural Cooperation.

“The British Council includes this project into the program of the Year of Language and Literature of Britain and Russia 2016, an important part of which was the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the memorial day of William Shakespeare,” says Michael Bird, director of the British Council in Russia.

The selected site for the monument is the area of the Museum of Moscow branch, the Museum of the Old English Court, on Varvarka Street. Here, in 1556 the first trade mission of England appeared – the residence of merchants of the Moscow company, formed in London for trade with Russia.

The decision to install the monument was made by the Mayor of Moscow in October 2017. To select the best concept of the monument to William Shakespeare, the All-Russian creative competition was launched.

“The focus of the competition is young Russian sculptors, architects, artists, and designers. The task is not only to create a unique embodiment of the image of the great playwright and poet, but also to seamlessly integrate it into the historical environment of the preservation zone around the Moscow Kremlin, the Old English Court museum and the unique landscape park Zaryadye,” says Director of the Museum of Moscow Alina Saprykina.

It is the idea of the initiators of the project that the monument should represent a symbolic image of Shakespeare conveyed in an original and conceptual way, it should reflect such features of his work as innovation, universality, diversity, and relevance.

The initiator and commissioner of the competition is the British Council / Culture Department of the British Embassy in Moscow together with the Museum of Moscow. The functions of the contest operator are performed by the Moscow Union of Moscow Architects. The competition has the support of the Moscow Government, the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the Department of Culture of Moscow.

To participate in the competition, please, send an email to the organizing committee (cmacompetition@gmail.com) by April 7, 2018 enclosing your application for participation, or fill out the registration form on the contest website: www.shakespeare.moscowarch.ru

See the competition information here: https://goo.gl/uXivQd

Competition schedule
Participant registration until April 7, 2018
Project submission: April 17, 2018
Competitive project exhibition: April 18 – 29, 2018
Closing ceremony: April 26, 2018

The jury will select three finalists who will get the following awards:
First place: RUB 250,000 and the right to realize the project;
Second place: RUB 200,000;
Third place: RUB 150,000.

The jury will include representatives of the British Council in Russia, the Department of Culture of Moscow, the Museum of Moscow, the Union of Moscow Architects, as well as experts in the field of monumental art, architecture, design, and contemporary art.