Decorated ostrich eggs buck tradition
(1 Apr 2010)
Beloostrov, Leningrad region - 23 March, 2010
1. Wide of ostrich farm, ostriches running out of the shed into corral
2. Close up of ostrich heads
3. Wide of ostriches in corral
4. Interior ostrich shed, wide of ostriches in shed
5. Close up ostrich pecking camera
6. Pan of manager of ostrich farm Anton Kaplunovsky, walking in shed
7. Close up ostrich feathers and painted ostrich eggs on table, Kaplunovsky putting feather on table
8. Close up painted ostrich eggs on table
9. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Anton Kaplunovsky, Manager of ostrich farm :
We use the empty shells, the egg without its contents. We make a hole in the shell and take the contents out. After that the shell is ready to become a souvenir.
10. Close up of empty ostrich egg shell in Kaplunovsky''s hands
St. Petersburg, Russia - 23 March, 2010
11. Wide of artist Alexander von Hagemeister starting to sandpaper eggshell
12. Close up of von Hagemeister sandpapering shell
13. Close up drawing on table to be put on eggshell
14. Various of von Hagemeister painting shell
15. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Alexander von Hagemeister, St. Petersburg artist:
It costs nothing to the ostrich, of course, but for the collector yes, it will cost more then a chicken egg. Chicken ones are very fragile and you have to exhibit them very carefully. The ostrich ones (knocking on the eggshell with paint brush) can survive for ages.
16. Close up of tubes of paint
17. Close up painted shell
18. Close up von Hagemeister putting finishing touches to shell
19. Wide of St. Petersburg square
20. Close up statue on building
21. Wide of street, people walking past Arka gallery
22. Close up sign reading (in English) Art Gallery
23. Interior gallery, art director of Arka gallery Evgeniya Logvinova coming into gallery
24. Close up Logvinova unwrapping von Hagemeister''s painted ostrich eggshell
25. Wide of Logvinova putting painted eggshell on table
26. Painted ostrich eggs on glass table
27. Close up painted egg
28. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Evgeniya Logvinova, Art Director of Arka Gallery :
Here, in St. Petersburg ostrich eggshells are a rather exotic material. They are not common in Russia on the whole. Even though, it is known, that ostrich eggs were used for various church rituals since the times of Copts in ancient Egypt and throughout history.
29. Various of close up painted ostrich eggs
30. Logvinova showing the eggs to gallery visitor
31. Close up painted egg
32. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Natalia Istomina, Gallery visitor :
It is very unusual. (We see) painted chicken eggs every year, and maybe people are bored with them already. And here we have something new, something interesting.
33. Wide exterior St. Elijah Church in St. Petersburg
34. Close up cross on church
35. Interior church, various of Father Igor Alexandrov talking to people
36. Cutaway religious icon and lamp
37. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Father Igor Alexandrov, St. Elijah Church:
You know, it is not written anywhere that the (Easter) eggs should be chicken ones. Like Willow Sunday (in the Russian Orthodox tradition) is called Palm Sunday in other languages -this is a good example. It is not the willow or the palm that is canonised, but it is that we greet our God with the first flowers and tree shoots, whichever ones we have.
38. Close up burning candle, flowers in the background
39. Close up wall-painting of Christ
40. Alexandrov crossing himself, kissing icon and leaving
LEAD IN :
As Russians prepare to celebrate Easter by cooking traditional Easter bread, known as kulich, and decorating hen eggs, one St. Petersburg art gallery has come up with an novel Easter idea.
STORYLINE :
At this ostrich farm the birds are certainly not camera shy.
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