OREANDA-NEWS The sculpture of Baba Yaga appeared on Tuesday in the center of the British capital. On the day of the celebration of Christmas by Catholics and Protestants, the bronze fairy-tale heroine, cast at a factory in Smolensk, was solemnly opened on Beauchamp place street in the Knightsbridge area.

"Great Britain is the third country in which we install Baba Yaga, - said sculptor Irina Lagoshina. "This is one of my favorite mythological characters. And when I learned her story more deeply, it became especially interesting to me - Baba Yaga is more than a thousand years old, her image was initially absolutely positive, but over time, with the advent of Christianity, transformed. As an author, I want to "rehabilitate" her good name," added the sculptor, noting that Baba Yaga is a kind of diplomat, whose task is to create an intercultural dialogue between the two peoples, which are linked by very ancient ties.

Lagoshina said that the current art project in London is the development of the project BY (Baba Yaga), one of the goals of which is a story about the best qualities of the Russian people, reflected in ancient fairy tales. At the moment, sculptures dedicated to Baba Yaga are installed in the USA (Miami), UAE (Dubai) and Russia (Yekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk, Ufa).

The first international project with the participation of the character Baba Yaga took place in December 2017 in the Miami Art Week (USA). There she appeared in the image of a Russian superhero with unsurpassed magical powers and wisdom. One of the main ideas of the project was to form a cultural dialogue: everyone could leave a signature or a comment on the sculpture. Currently, the sculpture is located on one of the embankments of Miami.

In April 2018, the world Art Dubai exhibition presented the project "Cultural code" dedicated to the mysteries of Russian history and mythology. Baba Yaga sculpture is now installed on the waterfront in one of the areas of Dubai and has become a local landmark. Viewers can try to decipher the secret "messages of Baba Yaga" by scanning QR-codes on the surface of the art object.

The London Baba Yaga forest is also different from the others. "Every project is a new experiment for me, I try to use new materials or effects. In London, we turned to led lighting, which was very difficult, because it is very difficult to insert slotted patterns into a cast shop and you need to have great skill," said Lagoshina, stressing that her sculptures are exclusively Russian - made. For example, London's 600-kilogram bronze Baba Yaga was cast in Smolensk, and the sculpture of fiberglass in Dubai was made in the Moscow region.

The opening of the statue gathered a large number of Russian citizens living in the British capital, who came to see the fairy-tale character with their families. Children with pleasure were photographed with Baba Yaga, participated in competitions, told verses, receiving as a gift the dolls representing the Almighty thing old woman. What is happening and interested in the British, who specifically crossed the road to be photographed with an unusual statue for London.