An ethical code of artists may appear in Russia Automatic translate

A round-table meeting was held in the RF OP where problems of relations between creative workers, society and the state were discussed. The conflict between them has come to light after the scandalous production of “Tannhäuser”.

A round-table discussion “Theater and Society” was held at the Public Chamber of Russia. Participants in the event were invited to discuss the relationship between artists, society and the state. The relevance of the topic is not in doubt in the light of recent events in the world of theater associated with a wide public resonance around the opera Tannhäuser and other modern theatrical works. The production of “Tannhäuser” led to the dismissal of the director of the Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theater.

The round table was opened and the tone of the discussion was set by Andrei Kovalchuk, Chairman of the OP Commission on Culture. In his speech, Kovalchuk noted that contemporary art should respect the history and traditions of our country, especially if it is funded under the state order. Crossing the boundaries of what is permitted is not advisable, this can lead to a violation of the rights of other people. In the case of Tannhäuser, the feelings of Orthodox believers were affected.

Andrey Kovalchuk called on the audience to express their thoughts on the coexistence of creative freedom and ethical standards. Violation of traditions and moral and ethical principles has always excited creative people. This is a serious field for the development of the discussion, therefore, the speaker urged not to focus on one specific example.

In the near future, the Public Chamber of Russia intends to strengthen work on contemporary art. For this, a number of events are planned. The initiative of the RF OP was already supported by the Russian Ministry of Culture. Participant of the round table - First Deputy Minister of Culture Vladimir Aristarkhov approvingly spoke about the intentions of social activists. He said that the ministry fully supports the desire of the Public Chamber to become an open platform for discussing conflict issues. This will avoid unpleasant practices when disputes about art are resolved in court or at rallies.

Another issue that became the subject of discussion at the round table was the responsibility of the theaters for incorrectly informing the audience. All the guests agreed that the viewer should have a clear idea of ​​what awaits him on stage, a real classical opera, or some kind of performance “based on”. The representative of the Ministry of Culture also spoke about the permissible limits in the interpretation of well-known classics. Moral principles and rules of ethics have always stood above petty negative judgments.

An interesting point of view was presented by Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Tolstoy. He reminded those present about the mutual responsibility and respect of the artist and society. The question of how people learn to respect each other will be relevant at all times. In his opinion, art can carry a certain amount of provocation, but only if it clearly understands the possible consequences of such an experiment. Not a single person, even the most ingenious creator, has the right to allow inappropriate and offensive statements.

For thirty years, the famous Hays Code existed in Europe, which regulated the production of films in Hollywood from the 1930s to the 1960s. Such an example of a compromise between society and the creative team was cited as an example by the deputy chairman of the STD Gennady Smirnov. He considers the idea of ​​the “Hayes Code” to be fully applicable to contemporary Russian society. The current code of ethics may become a kind of personification of the freedom of art from power. Otherwise, the state can take responsibility for determining ethical limits, which will cause only a negative reaction from the guild of theatrical figures. Smirnov turned to the representative of the Ministry of Culture with a request to initiate the start of work to create an ethical code.

Another discussion topic raised at the roundtable concerned the use of censorship in the theater. Yelena Yampolskaya, editor-in-chief of Culture and writer, member of the OP of the Russian Federation Yury Polyakov, whose works were banned in Soviet times, spoke in favor of returning such a function to the artistic councils. Most of the participants in the discussion reacted negatively to the idea of ​​the return of censorship.

Elena Pavlova