Night-2026

For one night, the House of Culture will transform into a space where chaos generates creative impulse, inviting visitors to play and collaborate.

As part of the international Long Night of Museums initiative, GES-2 will host a special programme this year dedicated to chaos as a means of exploring contemporary culture. For one night only, the blending of disparate elements ceases to be a mistake. Rather, it offers numerous opportunities for play and cooperation.

Programme 

On this night, you can visit the Eternity Formulae and Khadzar of Dreams exhibitions free of charge.

Illustration: Masha Afonchikova

The building will undergo transformation with a new lighting scheme, while the Night programme will allow visitors to explore the House of Culture spontaneously, without a predetermined script—much like a curious child might. We invite guests to join artists, musicians, mediators, and other GES-2 staff in observing how disorder becomes the foundation for creating something new.

Programme

Please note that most of the programme is conducted in Russian. We have compiled a selection of activities that require little to no knowledge of the language.

Doodling Practices

6+

Spontaneous, almost subconscious drawing—without preparation or drafts—can be a lifeline during monotonous tasks and a tool for focus during complex reflection. At times, it is simply fascinating to observe how repeating patterns, lines, and images gradually emerge from chaos to form a cohesive composition.

Tonight, three stations will open across the House of Culture, offering the chance to practise spontaneous drawing and explore various aspects of the craft. You are welcome to visit all three stations or simply choose the one that intrigues you most.

Please note that visitors under the age of 14 must be accompanied by an adult.

Each participant, including children, requires individual registration. Walk-ins are welcome, subject to availability.

Concept creator and workshop lead

Maria Higgins is an illustrator and educator, and a graduate of the Illustration programme at the British Higher School of Art and Design (under the tutelage of Vilktor Melamed). She specialises in designing and leading original programmes focused on developing creative thinking and illustration skills. Maria has collaborated with publishers such as Goodwin, Abrakazyabra, and Prosveshchenie, and has extensive experience running children’s art workshops in both English and Russian. Her preferred medium is coloured pencils, and she particularly enjoys sketching and spontaneous drawing.

Hosts
Svetlana Lyadova, Anastasia Smirnova

Right Platform: Colour

Register will start later

When: 19:03–19:33, 19:33–20:03, 20:03–20:33, 20:33–21:03, 21:03–21:33, 21:33–22:03

We will begin our drawing journey with blocks of colour, subsequently adding lines to define the work.

The right-hand side of the Prospekt: Format

Register will start later

When: 19:00–19:30, 19:30–20:00, 20:00–20:30, 20:30–21:00, 21:00–21:30, 21:30–22:00

We will be experimenting with various paper formats to see how the dimensions of the page influence the final drawing.

Upper Platform: Narrative

Register will start later

When: 19:06–19:36, 19:36–20:06, 20:06–20:36, 20:36–21:06, 21:06–21:36, 21:36–22:06

We will attempt to find stories within images that, at first glance, appear entirely unrelated to one another.

Earth and Sky

Register

When: 20:30–22:30
12+

The theme of chaos—this time cosmic—and the attempts to study it will be complemented by a screening of a mockumentary about the staff of the Special Astrophysical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences. At first glance, the plot holds nothing unusual: a film crew from the television programme Earth and Sky arrives in Nizhny Arkhyz for a conference in memory of Oleg Verkhodanov, an outstanding astrophysicist and populariser of cosmic knowledge. The presenter, Sergey Strukov, speaks thoroughly with the scientists, examines the equipment used for observing the universe, and delves into historical background. Yet, it seems that either the pure Caucasian air or the proximity to outer space (intellectually, at least) suddenly begins to exert an influence. The screening will be followed by a panel talk.

The film was commissioned specifically for the Eternity Formulae exhibition, and its premiere took place during the New Russian Cinema cycle. The film is shown in Russian with English subtitles.

Panellists

Yoel Regev — philosopher, associate professor at the Stasis Centre for Practical Philosophy (EUSP)

Sergey Tarasov — actor

Artem Timonov — curator of exhibition programmes at GES-2 House of Culture and V–A–C Foundation. He worked on the exhibition Eternity Formulae

Slava Fedorov — director of the film Earth and Sky

Vyacheslav Shutov — curator of cinema programmes at GES-2 House of Culture.

GES-2: Sound. Noise Composition for Four Magnitrons

When: 23:00–00:30
12+

An improvisation for four Magnitron cassette mixers will be performed on the Central Platform. Utilising the unique characteristics of magnetic tape, surface noise, field recordings, and various loops, artists from the GOST ZVUK label and the device’s creators will fill the House of Culture with a chaos of industrial noise.

Artists
Flaty, Kasia Ekstovich, Shine Grooves, 8ousy

Curators
Ladomir Zelinsky, Maxim Starichkov