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At the 4th PROrestoration Expo run by the Moscow Government on December 4th-7th, the Main Administration for Service to the Diplomatic Corps (GlavUpDK) had an own booth and actively participated in the business program,

including the roundtable discussion called Cultural Heritage Sites and Contemporary Art, which, among other things, discussed the prospects for the Architecture of Diplomacy Open Creative Competition for Young Artists. It was moderated by Marianna Petrenko, architect, interior designer, Founder and CEO BOMAR Architectural Firm; she is also an honorary member of the Union of Artists of Russia, member of the Historical Real Estate Investors Club, member of the Creative Economy Expert Board with the CIS Business Center, and a gallery owner. She spoke about global practices of synthesizing architecture and contemporary art, thus setting the key framework for the discussion.

The discussion was opened by Irina Maslova, Deputy Director of the Press Service and Information Department GlavUpDK, with a talk on Architectural Hallmarks as a Source of Creative Exploration for Young Artists and Technology Projects. She shared GlavUpDK's background in hosting the Architecture of Diplomacy competition; over four years, it has in fact grown from a local initiative into an international project engaging young people from many countries. The roundtable participants agreed on the need to expand the competition’s program next year by inviting contemporary non-academic artistic community whose fresh perspective could drive unusual solutions. Maslova’s talk was accompanied by a video featuring the award-winning works from different years.

As an example of the successful implementation of new technologies in heritage preservation, she mentioned GlavUpDK’s new development – an immersive AR and VR performance inspired by Schechtel’s Mansion, which is now available on RuStrore, Google Play, and AppStore. 

Maria Ivanova-Sorokina, a designer, architect and co-owner FullHouseDesign, Alexander Minaev, Art Director OTKRYTIE, and Katya Bochavar, an artist, curator and exhibition architect, Valentina Kuzina, Vysota Gallery founder, a co-owner of Manufaktura DOM, a collector and creative director, shared their professional case studies and developments related to the roundtable.