UK-Russia Year of Culture 2014 The UK Programme “It is important to create opportunities and space for people to continue talking to one another, allowing them to explain what they want from each other. In this respect, cultural ties, and in particular Years of Culture, are a priceless tool allowing us, so to say, to keep the communication muscle toned.” Mikhail Shvydkoy, the President’s Special Envoy for International Cultural Co-operation Summary 1. The UK programme included 132 separate projects, involving a total of 178 UK and Russian institutions and partners. 2. This resulted in 343 events held in 13 cities. The majority (80%) were held in Moscow and St Petersburg. 3. The UK programme reached 12.35 million people, approximately 8.7% of the total population of Russia1, through live events, online and social media. 4. The programme sought to include both new work and fresh interpretations of the classics. The most popular among audiences included a programme of contemporary theatre and dance at the Chekhov Theatre Festival; exhibitions of the work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Aubrey Beardsley and Oscar Wilde; a multimedia exhibition, The Golden Age of Russian Avant-Garde, devised by Peter Greenaway; a programme of restored Hitchcock silent films from the BFI with new contemporary scores; the Barbican/Eon Productions exhibition Designing 007: 50 Years of Bond Style. 5. Media coverage obtained for the programme has been valued by an external agency2 at over £13 million. 6. It is estimated that it would have cost £6.592 million to deliver the UK programme at market rates.3 The bulk of the costs were met by host venues and sponsors of individual events, while the British Council provided £785,000 (12%) towards individual events using its grant in aid. 7. Despite the difficult economic and political conditions in 2014, the programme also raised £355,000 in private sector sponsorship. 8. The British Council was responsible for designing, developing and delivering the UK programme, and for brokering and managing key relationships at a time of political and economic uncertainty. Its team on the ground was sufficiently flexible to be able to make a distinction between the Year of Culture and the programme of events, between bilateral government relationships and people- to-people contact, and was able to refocus virtual and digital activity heavily towards social media. Martin Roth, Director of the V&A, described it as ‘a cultural emergency kit in a difficult situation.’ 9. The United Kingdom has a clear interest in stimulating active collaboration with Russian artists, arts professionals and cultural, education and science policymakers, as well as promoting UK culture in Russia. This interest appears to have been well served throughout the Year, although economic conditions currently make it difficult to deliver some immediate collaborations. 10. However, there are specific and significant opportunities on the horizon including the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death in 2016, preparations for the FIFA World Cup in 2018, the demand for English throughout the Russian education system, and in scientific diplomacy. All of these will demand a joined-up approach by UK interests. 1 World Population Review 2015 2 Grayling Eurasia Ltd 3 In the case of an exhibition, for example, this would include costs such as venue hire, transportation, installation, design, marketing, insurance, customs fees. 1. Context & Background for developing new relationships and strengthening existing ones in all sectors and Russia has a famously strong science and across all parts of society. education base and very high artistic and cultural standards. The arts and the creative The Russian Embassy in London and the economy, higher education reform, Ministry of Foreign Affairs took on primary academic/industry links, scientific research, responsibility for Russian events in the UK. On and internationalisation through English are behalf of the UK government, the British issues of high importance for the country. All Council was nominated to lead on designing, of these offer clear opportunities for developing and delivering a comprehensive collaboration with the UK and have the programme of events and projects in Russia, potential to be a highly effective means of drawn from all four countries of the United influence. Kingdom and representing all art forms, the creative industries, education, science and In August 2012 the Russian Minister of language. Culture, Vladimir Medinsky, and his UK counterpart Ed Vaizey, met to discuss ways of While each festival or season the British building on the strong links between their two Council works on has unique characteristics, countries, which span over 500 years of to date there have been enough common cultural collaboration. This meeting also elements to permit standard systems and signalled a clear break with the atmosphere of processes to be developed in areas such as 2007-2008 when the British Council was governance, content development, funding required to close its regional offices in St and sponsorship, digital and offline Petersburg and Yekaterinburg. marcomms, and risk management and evaluation. The Russia programme benefitted The following March, the Minister of Foreign from many of these, particularly during the Affairs of the Russian Federation, Sergey initial planning process. Lavrov, and the UK Foreign Secretary, William Hague, signed a Joint Statement designating At this early stage, the British Council and 2014 as the bilateral UK/Russia Year of British Embassy teams in Moscow Culture. collaborated strategically to define the Year of Culture’s overall ambition and targets; the scope and scale of events and projects; and the staffing and funding models, including income generation targets. 2. The UK’s Purpose and Aims Countries can exert influence in a number of ways. The spectrum ranges from direct financial aid, through technical capacity building, cultural and educational exchange, trade, and conventional diplomacy to The Year of Culture was envisaged as a unique sanctions and armed force. Cultural relations opportunity to celebrate the long tradition of – open, two-way, people-to-people cultural engagement between the two engagement - uses the UK’s most attractive countries and provide a high-profile platform assets - its language, education, culture and creativity - to create opportunities for people for partners. At the heart of the around the world to work with people from British Council’s partnership ambition the UK. Critically, in the process cultural is the wish to create more impact for relations builds trust. the UK than its own resources allow, and wider recognition of the power of Using these assets, the UK’s principal aims for cultural relations to transform lives. the Year of Culture were: The ‘springboard’ effect: to use the Political: to enhance and develop Year of Culture to create further relationships with the Russian opportunities and a self-sustaining government and its agencies and network for UK cultural, educational create increased access to ministers and scientific institutions within and decision-makers. Russia and, potentially, the wider English language: to develop trust Europe region. and understanding to encourage 3. Governance and Programme Management language schools to reopen across Russia, to develop a new network for Both countries established Organising teachers and students of English, and Committees to provide high-level guidance to become the recognised authority in and endorsement of plans for the Year of the field of English teaching. 70 Culture. In a decree signed in April 2013, percent of visitors to the British President Putin appointed Deputy Prime Council Russia’s website look at Minister Olga Golodets as the Russian Co- English education articles and Chair, while her coordinator was to be Mikhail information, demonstrating the latent Shvydkoy, the President’s Special Envoy for appetite for these resources which International Cultural Co-operation. The Lord could be built upon for further Speaker, Baroness D'Souza, was named as the engagement. UK’s Co-Chair, with Sir Martin Davidson, Chief Education: to encourage young Executive of the British Council, as Mikhail Russians to consider studying in the Shvydkoy's counterpart. UK, by offering them new ways to A Programme Board was formed to guide the engage with and gain access to UK’s programme in Russia, featuring senior information about specific education representation from government, the arts, institutions and the broader UK education, science, the private sector and all system. four countries of the UK, and chaired by Paul Arts: to encourage more audiences to de Quincey, Director of the British Council in engage with British arts and culture Russia. Its role was to provide overall through digital channels. While visual direction on the content, funding, resourcing and performing arts make up a and management of the Year of Culture. significant part of the British Council’s work, only 6% of its web audience in This structure was supported at executive Russia was searching for arts-related level by a Working Group with representation information before the Year of from key stakeholders, and chaired by the Culture. Executive Director of the Year of Culture, Partners & sponsors: to demonstrate Leigh Gibson. Both groups were to play a key a quantifiable return on investment role in keeping the UK programme on track, and in keeping the range of partners and An important aim, therefore, was