Date: 17.05.2018
On 21 April 2018, under the motto "The Magic of the Book," Library Night-2018 was held at the Russian State Art Library (RSAL).
With the magic of books, music, theatre, illusions, and creativity, all activities in the library were connected. Traditional excursions were held, with tours of the RSAL building and book depository, and a walking tour of Petrovsky Lines.
Youth readers of the DAS-Studio of Theatrical Arts, under the direction of Director-Producer Denis Sorokotyagin, performed at the Readers Museum, presenting the play «Fantasies in Prose” with poems in prose dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the birth of Ivan Turgenev. The sincerity of the performance and the subtlety of the teenagers' perception of Turgenev's prose made a great impression on the audience.
A guitar music concert was held with the students of the Inspiration Children's Art School performing the works of Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, Mauro Giuliani, John Lennon and Paul McCartney, Alexey Vinnitsky, Maria Linneman, plus the March of the Preobrazhensky Regiment and the traditional Spanish dance «Alegria».
In the Blue Hall, there was an evening of urban romance. In the performance by the winner of the Prague Spring festival-competition, Elena Zotova (soprano) performed the works of Russian composers.
During Library Night, guests took part in the interactive programme “Everything Is in the Hat." At the exhibition "Grace and Coquetry," the headgear of the famous fashion designers Tatyana Smirnova and Marina Kovalskaya was displayed. Each guest could try on a hat and take a picture for remembrance. At the "Hats, Bonnets, Top Hats ..." book exhibition, editions were presented from RSAL collections on the history and design of headwear, their depiction in paintings, and famous fashion designers. These books helped guests answer the questions of the prize quiz "Stranger in a Hat."
The theme of fashionable clothing was continued by the exhibition in the Blue Hall "On the Memoirs of Casanova," showcasing sketches and mock-ups of European costumes from the era of the legendary adventurer and writer Giacomo Casanova, presented by students of the Moscow Art Theatre Studio School. The sources presented in the exposition of RSAL’s collections and working materials helped in the creation of the clothing and accessories for Casanova and his contemporaries. A meeting with the creators of the works and a tour of the exhibition were held.
Youth and adult guests of Library Night tried their hand at illustration in the master class "Drawing a Fable" and drew pictures to Ivan Krylov's fable "The Cat and the Cook."
In the Hall on Kuznetsky, there were the top works dedicated to books, literature, and archives of the International Video Art Festival "Now & Later."
In reading room № 2, there is the Book Gallery "The Art of the Book", devoted to the history of book design from ancient times to the present day. At the free book kiosks, book lovers could find editions for their home collections, with the library offering about 300 books, including those dedicated to the theatre, music, fine arts, as well as domestic and foreign fiction, and more.
In the Readers Museum, the concert-performance «Art-transformation» took place. The students in the graduate course of the Yekaterinburg State Theatre Institute revealed to the audience the stages of preparation and secrets of mastering the rare profession of the puppeteer.
Library Night ended with the "The Magic of Illusion" show, a brilliant performance by the artist of the Moscow State Circus Dmitry Dubov, who was the bright final star of the evening. With the help of spectators, the illusionist shared the secrets of his art, performing unique tricks and illusions.
