Almetyevsk Backgammon

Improvisation is a very important part of art, as well as our entire life: you never know what will happen next. The way people move in the town is also a kind of improvisation. When we go home, we can choose another road, or pop by for a visit to our friends. We may spontaneously step in for a cup of cappuccino in the nearest cafe, or even abruptly rush on the train to the suburbs to visit granny.

In 2020, we have had to change our habits. Now is not that simple to shake hands or hug your friend, as you've got to remember about everyone's safety.

We can imagine how people move in the town as graphic markings on the ground. Following them from one point to another, people are trying to keep the distance of 1,5 meters. Backgammon board can be a great example of such a graphical movement system.

The artist Xeato (read as «Khito») painted backgammon on the asphalt in one of the residential neighbourhoods of Almetyevsk. It's not just a static picture: you can play backgammon with your friends on this «board», keeping the distance of 1,5 meters. The rules of the game are different from the standard ones.This is how «Almetyevsk backgammon» helps to spend time with loved ones in safe terms.

Backgammon was widespread in ancient times under different names, such as «Tabula» or «Twelve Points» in ancient Rome.

It is believed that backgammon is quite easy to play. However, there is a legend which demonstrates the complexity of the game. Once the Indians sent the rules of the game in chess to the Persians to test their ingenuity. The Persian sage Bozorgmehr found it easy, and in response he sent the Indians his riddle, which they could not solve for 12 years. Backgammon, or New-Ardashir was the name of this game, called after Ardashir I, the founder of the Sasanian Empire. It is believed that backgammon appeared in Persia (present-day Iran).

Backgammon is not only an ancient game connected with numbers and chances, but also one of the cultural codes of Tatarstan. Seniors get together in large groups at parks and play backgammon, and in many cafes of the republic you can sip leisurely at your tea and play a game or two.

Xeato painted a backgammon board in one of the residential neighbourhoods of Almetyevsk. «Backgammon» has become the first large-scale artwork for the artist. The most complex parts of the work were marking and painting on the ground, because Xeato usually works on vertical surfaces. He has been painting graffiti on the streets for 13 years. At the end of each working day he walked onto the roof to assess the drawing from above.

Nurbek Batulla always had a dream to perform with a dance in a residential neighbourhood. This idea has its own magic: dance is born where it is not expected to be seen. Passers-by are coming back home; some people are walking their dogs, or going to the nearest shops, and suddenly all of them are being involved in the performance which they have probably never seen before.

On the opening day, the artwork turned into a stage for Nurbek Batulla and the local dance crew «Freestyle». The performance was called «Brave Ardashir» in honour of the Middle Persian name for backgammon. Nurbek Batulla and the Freestyle dance crew learned about Persian painting and miniatures to find inspiration. Based on these images, the dancers formed new visual images, which were later embodied in dance movements.

For dancers it was an absolute improvisation and a debut in a new genre. They played the role of checkers, and the audience controlled them: spectators threw virtual dice, deсiding how many people would dance and what movements they would perform on the «board». Randomizer showed two numerals: the first one meant the number of dancers, while the second one stood for the number of the picture.

Xeato started painting graffiti in 2007 and then mastered new techniques: abstract painting on canvas, sculpture and engraving. His work relates more to naive style: Xeato simplifies forms to geometric abstractions, emphasizes the color palette and the creation of a single composition of the work. Xeato took part in a street art exhibition in Lisy Nos. His artworks were also exhibited in the Futuro Gallery, Nizhny Novgorod and on the «Banneret» exhibition at Sevkabel Port, Saint Petersburg (2019).

Nurbek Batulla was born in Kazan in the family of the national writer of Tatarstan Rabit Batulla. Nurbek graduated with honors from the Kazan Choreographic School in 2007 and then entered the Saint Petersburg State Conservatory as a ballet master and choreographer. Eventually, Nurbek went beyond ballet and went to study at the Russian State Institute of Performing Arts on Mokhovaya street as a drama and film actor. This decision then determined his career. Nurbek Batulla took part in Russian-German theater, where he studied the principles of improvisation in choreography and dramatic action.