A native of Odessa, Vitaly Vinogradov, who lived and studied in Leningrad, at the Academy of Arts. Ilya Repin left interesting memories in the form of a conversation with his friend Sergei Sukonkin about a mystical place known as Dr. Pel's Pharmacy and his famous artifact, the Tower of Griffins, located in the courtyard of the house. This conversation, more like an interview, tells about very interesting things, things that are important enough for the history of informal Petersburg. Firstly, at that time, namely at the end of the 80s of the 20th century, such a thing as the Tower of the Griffins simply did not exist, the tower was there, the griffins did not exist. Secondly, in this house, built in a place of power, there really was a constant devilry and this mysterious place really changes the fate of people and fulfills desires. Well, and, thirdly, the numbering of bricks was not invented by Alexei Kostroma,he simply stole this idea, the strange numbering of bricks already existed at that time in the basement of the pharmacy. Perhaps it was invented by the artist Alexander Retz, who lived there. He, according to Vinogradov, actively experimented with digital installation long before the appearance of Kostroma in the city. And yes! - of course, the case of meeting Pel's ghost in the basement is impressive … Now Vitaly, who, like many of the inhabitants of this house, has become a wealthy and wealthy person, lives in London. But let's talk about everything in order.who, like many of the inhabitants of this house, became a wealthy and wealthy person, lives in London. But let's talk about everything in order.who, like many of the inhabitants of this house, became a wealthy and wealthy person, lives in London. But let's talk about everything in order.
In autumn 1989, when we populated the attic of the Pel pharmacy, we did not notice any devilry … The country was burning with sacrificial fire. Rallies were held, ditches were dug, people were habitually drinking vodka. The area was academic, near a tram, a river, a market, even a small park with old trees.
We had good relations with our neighbors, no one paid them anything, but we were warned, the house is not simple. Who warned? We didn’t remember, and we didn’t understand what it was about. The house is inhabited by famous people, academic and university families. We have not heard bad rumors about the house, but mysticism, from the past, and what is it? We, young optimists, were not afraid of anything, thought about art, talked about the rational, were going to live forever.
Vital, do you remember the warning? The old woman, in the courtyard, said - live peacefully and most importantly, do not be surprised at anything.
- No, you moved in with Olga earlier and told me, but for me it was an empty phrase. I remember your dog Mishka chasing the poodles living in the next attic. The working class was chasing aristocrats, it was funny and graphic.
We were warned about the strangeness of Pel's house, an old woman on the stairs.
- Yes, I remember: I asked how many artists are going to live? On which floors, which attics, which rooms do they have? We didn’t know at all that attics had rooms.
Most of the newcomers were former students of the Academy of Arts. Everyone who studied at the academy remembers the lessons on visual memory. From fragments, we could remember the location of the cathedral portals in the city of Bamberg, which no one had ever visited. But the faces of the elderly women, who were many in the house, we could not remember. The artists could not remember their faces, there was something mystical about it.
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Why did you pass through Retz?
- I was afraid to use the back door and only walked through his workshop. The back door was often locked from the inside, or I met strange old women on the stairs, although I knew that no one was using it. I told you, but in my opinion, only Mishka believed me and, raising his tail, ran to check with Dasha.
We then decided to put a grate on the landing, they said from the homeless. It turned out that strange noises interfere with sleep at night. We decided to refer to the “spirits of the new place”. Everyone loved the joke.
The doors to the courtyard were always open and from the street it was possible to enter my wing and climb to the attic without disturbing anyone.
Late one night, returning from Pushkinskaya, I went up to Rets, the doors were open. I went to my workshop. Everywhere the lights were on, there was a sharp smell of ammonia, carbolic acid and pharmaceutical medicines. It was hard to breathe. I jumped out onto the landing, it didn't get any easier. The eyes were watering. I decided to go down to the street. Floor by floor, closer to the exit, suddenly I find myself in the basement of the house. Walking along the wall, I found myself in a room in which an elderly pharmacist was mixing something, bending over the table. The walls of the cellars were covered with numbers. He was carried away and did not notice me. The absurdity of what was happening shocked me so much, I could not speak. I don't remember how I ended up in the courtyard between the chimney and the outbuilding. I inhaled fresh air and fell asleep. By the morning my legs and back became numb, having changed position, I suddenly realized that the pipe was warm! I woke up, felt the pipeshe was very warm. I fell asleep again.
I asked you three times what happened. You were pale, your eyes were bad, you were trying to tell something.
- I remember, then you said that there was some kind of devilry going on. Nobody believed it, laughter, dogs barking, music is playing, tea is being drunk in the river, they are constantly talking, nobody is listening to anyone. Bagels dangle on the wall, a bunch of garlic.
We believed you as soon as we saw you. You just didn't see yourself from the outside! And you told me that you slept on the street.
- I don't know where I slept, but I woke up on the street near the chimney. I told what happened to me, we went down to the basement. The door was closed. The pipe was as cold as usual. Then everyone drank and did not attach much importance.
Olya told me that something had happened to Vital, he began to visit us less often for tea. He became irritable and uncommunicative. Do you remember that we went to your workshop, and you hid the drawings, saying that it was not interesting and that it looked like P. Filonov. You claimed to have guessed his analytical code and could easily repeat it.
- I have always liked P. Filonov's drawings, I loved to look at them. After some event, I began to draw similar drawings and began to analyze. I don’t remember what I meant. The drawings remained in my workshop, which was later occupied by A. Kostroma. I probably threw them out.
Igor Zhagorov and I went to see Sasha Retz. He was sullen and silent as always. Rez's huge attic, from floor to ceiling in boxes, each of them storage for several items: in one rope and an old shoe, in the other a flashlight and a brick. Each box is numbered with a special code, and the list of numbers is in a notebook. - So you will help me - and points to the mountain of boxes, taking out the cherished notebook. We got scared, the boxes were getting bigger. The meaning of their movement was not clear to us, the boxes formed figures, other numbers were added from the numbers, the objects were removed, examined, and put back. Everything was done very carefully. We liked the dance of boxes and objects and we respected Retz.
Yes, he did not like Mishka and Dasha, and they did not particularly like him. But on the street in line for Mishka, someone always gave a piece of meat and he shared it with Dasha. Strange beasts, what do you think of them Vital?
- I liked Mishka, Dasha did not love me, or maybe on the contrary: Mishka liked me, and I liked Dasha? There were a lot of people in the attic, the kitchen worked in constant working mode, like a field. On the table there is always a hot samovar, cups, something for tea and someone ready to talk about art.
After spending the night at the tower, you were interested in old women, asked who came to visit us? I told you that the neighbor downstairs invited us to visit her, showed a huge fossilized walrus penis hanging between the doors. I assumed they were using it as a guardian talisman. - I remember how stupid, no one uses a walrus dick for protection. This is their heirloom, cute family. - You said that these are not the same old ladies!
- Yes? I do not remember.
The house was huge, besides living quarters and attics, it had an outbuilding in the yard, a thick unusual chimney, basements, a pharmacy and attics. Thanks to the caring services of the housing office, huge barn locks hung on the doors of basements and attics. Sergei and I were never able to get into the attic.
The right side of the attic was occupied by Slava with his mother and two poodles. The rest of the house belonged to us completely. It included the front and inner attic, side and far, located in the wing.
I lived in a distant attic, subsequently sharing it with A. Kostroma. From the attic there was a wonderful view of VO, the attic of my friends and the strange pipe-tower in the yard.
The side attic was occupied by A. Retz with his traveling box theater. The front attic was the largest and most structured. It was divided into a large number of small, cozy rooms, which attracted artists.
And why did Yu. Gurov and V. Konevin, having opened the attic, immediately left? Maybe they learned something about the attic?
- I don’t think they were offered at Pushkinskaya 10, there was more space, but you know the principle: you can only transfer a workshop to friends in the shop. I asked Valera Konevin about the attic, he said that he met with a woman and an artist from the right side, says nice people.
- Is that all? And why did they leave, if the neighbors are nice people?
- I do not know, but there is no mysticism here, at Pushkinskaya 10 they were not bad.
Didn't you think that there is something strange in this ritual of passing the workshop from one hand to another? As if we didn’t choose the attic, but the attic chose us?
- In St. Petersburg there was a lot of non-residential stock, but there were not enough workshops, we believed that they were transferred to creative people. Believing in the principles of respect for fellow workers, we were happy to receive and give. This applied to everything: material for sculpture, for painting. That was the time.
Did you not think that by inviting A. Kostroma to the street and not leaving the attic after that, you disturbed the course of things? After all, when Alexey met you on the street, he asked about a free workshop, which you did not have? You invited him, thereby defining yourself into exile. Do you agree with this?
- I didn't think so then. The attic is huge, there is a lot of space, we divided it. Alexey took half and I took half. In addition, he did not live in the attic, but only worked. I lived there, I felt uncomfortable in an empty room.
Vital? And before that, you were tormented by fears, fear of being left alone in an empty room?
- Until what event?
Before you spent the night near the warm tower.
- It began to seem to me that incomprehensible phenomena are happening to each of us. I could wake up and suddenly see Retz at the door asking me - What if I had acid in my hands? - or some other nonsense.
I did not connect anything with the pipe, but the internal tension grew. I remember when Oleg Yanushevsky appeared in the attic, when I saw him called loudly, he looked at me and closed the window.
Oleg says that he heard a voice, but did not see anything. We then checked everything together.
- Yes I remember. Then I started dreaming, I remember coming to you in the morning and wanted to tell you, but immediately forgot.
You told me that you were afraid of the tower and you were fed up with everything and wanted to leave. Why didn't I move to Pushkinskaya 10, there you could find a place, they developed.
- I can not explain it. It seemed to me that it didn’t matter where I moved in St. Petersburg, it was important what I did. I went to London and went into business, but I never gave up art, and then I gave up business and returned to art.
Vital, there are rumors that everyone you were a business partner with became millionaires or billionaires?
- It looks like it, but maybe not thanks to me, but in spite of? In business, it is better to be a supporter of the rational than the mystical.
So the tower doesn't matter in your life?
- I did not say that, she is a witness to many stories. I don't know what matters in my life and what doesn't. Why did Lesha put numbers on her? Why did Sasha Retz paint his boxes with numbers? Seryoga, why did you become a painter, and I took up digital art, because we are both sculptors, but something turned us 180.
After your departure, the entire distant attic was occupied by A. Kostroma, and Igor Zhagorov, Sasha Liburkin, Olga Zemlyanichnaya and many wonderful artists lived with us. I keep in touch with many, do you?
- And I'm in touch.
In 1994 Sergei decided to move to London, Olga and Retz remained in the attic. Kostroma.
In 1997 Olga moved to London, transferring the attic to Oleg Yanushevsky.
During the years of staying in the attic, many artists visited Oleg and worked in his workshops.
And in February 2005 there was a fire. 14th.
The entire floor burned out, the attic, both ours and the neighbor's, burned down. The fire flooded Pelya's pharmacy, causing big losses. One woman, our neighbor, the mistress of black poodles, died.
The history of the attic for 15 years.