THE LIVING DEAD
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A
SPEEDY INTRODUCTION TO 19th CENTURY RUSSIAN LITERATURE
LEO TOLSTOY'S THE DEATH OF IVAN ILYCH
ANTON CHEKHOV'S THE CHERRY ORCHARD
RUSSIAN CEMETERIES: HOME OF THE LITERARY DEAD
The remarkable contrast between the "vitality" of gravesites and the stupor of monuments is what I hope to demonstrate in the exhibit. For all eternity, cemeteries house the remains of literary figures Gogol, Pushkin, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Leo Tolstoy, Anton Chekhov, and Ivan Turgenev. St. Petersburg carries the weight of bronze statues, which commemorate Dostoevsky, Turgenev, Gogol, and Pushkin, while the traveling statue of Tolstoy ventures from Russia to Canada and Chekov’s unwelcomed monument stands in Tomsk, Russia.
Strictly focusing on tombstones to recognize the paramount importance of such literary figures did not suffice. To prove the liveliness of the gravesites, it was necessary to include images of statues erected outside of cemeteries. The housing the literary figures bear gravestones exhibiting their eccentricities opposed to displaying and reflecting their nation’s glorious history. The vivaciousness of the enriched, earthy greens in the cemeteries shield the gravesites, which in effect, implies the presence of the deceased. The earth springs attractively colorful flowers, gifting life to the dead, whereas the enormous monuments in public squares and towns are rooted in cement, an unbreathable material.
The exhibit’s format is designed to resemble a literature blog. Separate pages will exhibit images of tombstones and monuments. Visitors will then scroll down the list of literary figures involved in the exhibit. By placing all images of gravesites on one page and monuments on another, I hope the observers will find themselves amazed by how colorful the gravesites are and how uninterestingly dull the monuments are. That images of both the gravesite and monument will be accompanied by a vivid description. The label copies will animate the designed tombstones, which are fashioned to communicate each individual’s distinctiveness. The simplicity of the exhibit’s layout allows for the observer’s attention to focus entirely on the images. The colorful nature of the gravesites also enhances the intentionally neutral state of the layout.
The cemetery is an example of where people, no matter what defines them as individuals, are united, whereas monuments in public squares and towns have an agenda. The peacefully stunning state of cemeteries mentioned in the exhibit will attract a large audience not only because of its illustriousness, but because it suggests that one’s life never ends. Placing the monuments besides the gravesites will present the literary figures in a different light: they are lifeless. These decisions enhance the purpose of the exhibit: to recognize and acknowledge the overall vibrant attractiveness of gravesites. The exhibit will display the presence of life within a cemetery.
