Lets consider the packaging of Alenka chocolate, the most popular sweet in Soviet and post-Soviet times in Russia and the countries of the former USSR. This chocolate is so well-known that the face of the little girl from the packaging is still the main souvenir from modern Russia. There is a concept store on the main street of Moscow — Tverskaya Street — where enthusiastic tourists buy kilograms of this chocolate to show this face at home in their countries. This is a demand trophy — proof of visiting Russia or Moscow. Can we say that this face from the package is the collective image of Russia today? Maybe yes, at least for those who have visited Russia first time.
Explicitly been created in the Soviet context, packaging still sells a product these days. Because for many, Russia is inextricably linked with Soviet culture, including visual images. This is Russia as an idea of something not accessible to anyone, which still is behind the Iron Curtain and what is happening there — no one can say for sure. All these associations can still be seen in the face of "Alenka". That is why it is still so popular. And that is the reason why we have decided to use the original image in our art project. We would like to show the difference between Western and Eastern approach to the “selling face”. There is no better and wirth, it's completely polar ideas: young woman triggering sexual desire and pure childish face, full of innocence and triggering to take care and protect her from raw reality.
4-colored handprinted serigraphy, edition of 32 imprints (+8 test prints) printed at Graphic Expansion Printmaking Studio conducted by Associate Professor Małgorzata Warlikowska at Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Fine Arts and Design, Wroclaw, Poland. Vintage offset paper, one side coated, 250gr/m3. The source image for the project was a high-resolution scan of original Alionka chocolate wrap, printed in offset technique in Russia. The whole digital stage of the process was prepared at Experimental Digital Printmaking Studio conducted by Associate Professor Aleksandra Janik at Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Fine Arts and Design, Wroclaw, Poland. After scanning, the image was rendered into SMYK color space, devided to processed colors channels. After, each color channel was transmitted into bitmap images, grascaled and transfered to halftones as a four separate files. That 4 images was printed digitally on a transparent paper and used to expose 4 screens and further printing with hydro-pneumatic drive system machine.
Proof tests (handprinted serigraphy, 4 processed colors, 100x70cm each piece), digital tests (300x210cm).
This video describes all the stages of the complicated printing process of the «Alionka» project, from the scanning till final multi colour printing parts.
Starting from the scanning process, preparing the digital project, separation of the colours and rendering the bitmaps we are moving to the stage of frame preparation, the work with emulsion could be observed as well, the first stages of the printing process. Also the printing itself could be seen: for that I used the table with a hydro-pneumatic drive system.
Starting from the scanning process, preparing the digital project, separation of the colours and rendering the bitmaps we are moving to the stage of frame preparation, the work with emulsion could be observed as well, the first stages of the printing process. Also the printing itself could be seen: for that I used the table with a hydro-pneumatic drive system.
Alionka coffee shop and concept store, Moscow, Russia, msk.allcafe.ru/catalog/alenka, Allcafe.ru © 2020.
Interior of the Alionka mono-brand coffee shop and concept store on the main central avenue of Moscow, the Tverskaya street. Usually overcrowded, this is a popular place for tourists and locals: Alionka remains the one of the most popular brands in Russia. Innocent child face is still a trigger to make a purchase, so even nowadays, post-Soviet nostalgia works for marketing goals.
Interior of the Alionka mono-brand coffee shop and concept store on the main central avenue of Moscow, the Tverskaya street. Usually overcrowded, this is a popular place for tourists and locals: Alionka remains the one of the most popular brands in Russia. Innocent child face is still a trigger to make a purchase, so even nowadays, post-Soviet nostalgia works for marketing goals.
The Fairytale about Alionka 2005, (screenshot), Moscow, Russia, http://www.183art.ru, Pavel Pukhov © 2011.
Freese from “The Fairytale about Alionka 2005”, the documentary about Alionka project made by russian street artist Pasha 183. The artist himself could be seen in front of the concrete plates, on which he re-paint the package of Alionka chocolate. As mentioned in following thesis, this is a metaphor: the essence of russian life, such a solid and steadfast with all its old values from soviet times, with childish face referring to our gone childhood.
Freese from “The Fairytale about Alionka 2005”, the documentary about Alionka project made by russian street artist Pasha 183. The artist himself could be seen in front of the concrete plates, on which he re-paint the package of Alionka chocolate. As mentioned in following thesis, this is a metaphor: the essence of russian life, such a solid and steadfast with all its old values from soviet times, with childish face referring to our gone childhood.