Cathedral of Riot
Bachelor Thesis, 2014/2015
On February 21, 2012, members of the anti-government punk band "Pussy Riot" stormed the altar of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow to protest against the patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church and President Vladimir Putin - with serious consequences for the three members Ekaterina Stanislavovna Samuzevich, Nadecha Andreyevna Tolokonnikova, Marija Vladimirovna Aljochina. For those three women the trip to the altar ended with a conviction and imprisonment.
In response to this, the church is torn open, destroyed and a massive concrete concert hall squeezes through the walls and pushes itself into the interior until shortly before the altar, which is thus transformed into a stage. The church leaders have no choice but to share their space with artists and musicians.
Furthermore, the ulcerous development offers niches and hiding places for zealous journalists of independent, government critical internet blogs.
"Normally, defendants are expected to show remorse, regret, or enumerate extenuating circumstances in the closing remarks. This is absolutely unnecessary for me and my colleagues". – Nadecha Andreyevna Tolokonnikova