PEOPLE & PLACES · LONDRES · 2010 · L’INTÉGRALE
En 2010, pour People & Places, notre série de portraits de villes racontées par ceux qui les habitent, je tends le micro à Alexeï Blinov. Un quart d’heure d’entretien intégral, sans coupe, avec l’ami artiste, ingénieur et « geek » de l’Est londonien, disparu en 2019.
Un geek à Londres
Alexeï se présente comme « basically a geek » : électronique, ordinateurs, réseaux, lumières, lasers, installations interactives. Pas de diplôme, beaucoup d’intuition, et au bout du compte, dit-il, un artiste. Né à Moscou, il passe par Amsterdam, qu’il trouve trop petite et « claustrophobe », avant de s’installer à Londres, où il vit depuis seize ou dix-sept ans au moment de l’entretien.
Londres selon Alexeï
Une ville vieille, sale, agressive, mais avec une énergie qu’il n’a trouvée nulle part ailleurs : un mélange de nouveauté, de défi et d’agressivité qui pousse à créer. « Si tu réussis à Londres, tu peux réussir partout. » Les Londoniens ? Il n’y en aurait presque plus : une population en transit permanent, qui ne pleure pas le passé et regarde devant. Moins détendue que Berlin, moins tolérante qu’Amsterdam, mais qu’il n’échangerait pour rien au monde.
Si Londres était un organe, ce serait un œil : une ville qui voit les choses avant qu’elles n’arrivent ailleurs. Une Babylone, un creuset où le neuf est toujours en train de naître.
Ses lieux
Les musées d’abord, le Science Museum et le British Museum, « fantastiquement inspirants ». Puis la marche : sa grande promenade le long de la South Bank, de Charing Cross et Westminster jusqu’à Greenwich, à travers les anciens quais, docks, prisons et entrepôts, où flotte encore l’esprit des grandes découvertes et de l’aventure maritime.
Londres en mots
Pour finir, face caméra, Alexeï déroule Londres en associations libres : la Navy, Robin Hood, Boudicca, les druides, Newton, Nelson, Guy Fawkes, Sherlock Holmes, Dickens, le métro, la peste, Shakespeare, la Tour de Londres, Guillaume le Conquérant, Elizabeth, Cromwell, le Blitz, la radio, la télévision, l’Isle of Dogs, Canary Wharf, les canaux, le smog, les bus à impériale, Hyde Park, les Rolling Stones, le Cutty Sark, l’Observatoire… « Pretty much perfect. »
People & Places · Le portrait
Le portrait d’Alexeï Blinov · People & Places London
→ La page du portrait People & Places
Ses lieux en vidéo
Bain dans la Tamise
→ La page du portrait People & Places
Science Museum et British Museum
→ La page du portrait People & Places
Transcription intégrale (VO anglaise)
0:09 · Who are you? It’s very hard to say, I don’t know really. My name is Alexei Blinov. I’m basically a geek. I do all sorts of things to do with electronics, computers and interactive arts, so to say.
0:38 · How do you define your skill? Oh, it’s very hard to define. On one hand I don’t have any, on the other hand I know quite a bit. I know a lot about everything… well, not everything about nothing, nothing about everything. I don’t have any formal education or formal qualifications as such, so whatever I know is basically amateur knowledge. What I do: electronics, computers, networks, lights, lighting installations. Basically I’m an artist.
1:25 · What is your story with London? By now it’s a bit of a lengthy one. I’ve lived in London for the last 16, 17 years and I pretty much like it, I feel pretty much at home, although the town is quite nasty and old and smelly and dirty. However it has an unsurpassable vibe which I didn’t find in any other place I’ve been. I haven’t been to too many places, but none of them has this kind of vibe, so London is pretty unique.
2:23 · Why did you move to London? I moved because I had an English wife at some point in my life, quite some time ago. She now lives in the US and I remained here. I’ve actually seen her recently: she’s very much into plants now, and I’m very much still into electronics, computers and lasers. We were living in Amsterdam at the time and I got pretty much fed up with the claustrophobia of a tiny little provincial town. I’m from Moscow, which is comparable to London by its size and its energy, the level of entropy is pretty much equal, so I felt a little bit squeezed in a small town such as Amsterdam. Moscow was not a choice at the time, so London it is.
3:40 · What does London offer you? I suppose it’s a concoction of novelty, of challenge and aggression, which brings forth the creative impulse that propels me elsewhere. I still quite seriously believe that once you manage to make it in London, you can make it pretty much anywhere. If we manage to do something good in London, that’d be good enough for everywhere else.
4:27 · The people of London? It’s a kind of contradiction in terms: I don’t think London has any real Londoners left. The majority of the population here is transient, people in transition one way or another. This permanent transience keeps on advancing, and it keeps your emotions pretty tight, because you don’t cry about the past and you happily, wishfully look into the future. Once you get in here, you have to accommodate the rules of engagement of a place such as London. It’s not as relaxed as Berlin, not as tolerant as Amsterdam, but I wouldn’t swap it.
5:57 · Is London your hometown? For now, yes.
6:04 · Is London male, female, something else? I wouldn’t give London a gender. It behaves either way, some kind of strange transmutation, but it’s certainly not a youngster, that’s for sure. It doesn’t have a distinct personality of one kind or another, that’s the funny thing about it: it’s mixed. On one hand it loves you, on the other hand it hates you, so you can behave likewise.
7:09 · If London was an organ? It would be an eye. London has this mysterious property of being capable of seeing things to come. Things which happen in London have not necessarily happened everywhere else yet; they come to everywhere else a little bit later, or maybe not at all, and perhaps not in the same way London sees them. London sees a lot because it’s a real multicultural city, pretty much a Babylon.
8:06 · How do you define London? A Babylon, really. A mixture, a melting pot, a breeding tank for all sorts and kinds, good and bad. This energy, this situation where something new is always happening, is very much present. New things coming out of it, for sure.
8:47 · Two places that inspire you? I like London’s museums, to start with. I go quite frequently to a variety of them, specifically the Science Museum and the British Museum: fantastically inspirational places. The British Museum has one of the best collections of antiquities in the world. The other thing: I like to go for very long walks around London. One of my favourite tracks is along the South Bank, starting from Charing Cross Bridge or Westminster Bridge and going all the way down to Greenwich. It’s a reasonably well-kept footpath alongside the river, passing through very historical, very ancient places upon which the whole culture of this place is built: the old wharves, prisons, docks and warehouses, converted these days into galleries, offices, cafés and such, but still with a flavour.
10:35 · How does it make you feel? Explorational and inspirational at the same time. Perhaps because that particular side of London had to do with the great geographical discoveries, the era of navigation, and it still retains the spirit of maritime adventure. It lets you think about things you may still discover and claim, still conquer, rather than just quietly enjoy. That’s the spirit you get, looking at all these old docks and old ships.
12:16 · London, in words London. Navy. England. Robin Hood. Boudica. Druids. Time. Astronomy. Physics. Kelvin. Newton. Battles. Trafalgar. Nelson. Guy Fawkes. Parliament. Revolution. Sherlock Holmes. Dickens. Sewers. Tube. Romans. Plague. Inquisition. Theatre. Astrology. John Dee. Shakespeare. Tower of London. William the Conqueror. Harold. Elizabeth. Cromwell. George. Blitz. Radio. Television. Docks. Ships. Isle of Dogs. Canary Wharf. Trains. Railroad. Rocket. Canals. Industry. Smog. Double-decker. Hyde Park. Rolling Stones. Cutty Sark. Tea clippers. Observatory. Pretty much perfect.
People & Places, London 2010 → · Le portrait People & Places London · Transmediaquizz #7 : Alexeï Blinov (2006) · Porta2030 à Bâle (2006) · Triping @ The Ray Lab (2006) · Alexeï Blinov est mort (2019) · Moments with Alexei Blinov, Berlin 2020
La transcription
Transcription automatique à partir des sous-titres YouTube (en).
[00:09] okay it's swolling so first question is who are you it's very hard to say I don't know really what's your name my name is Alex blov and what do you do in life well I'm basically a geek I do all sorts of things to do with electronics computers and interactive Arts so to say so how do you define your skill oh it's very hard to Define on one hand I don't have any on the other hand yeah POS I know quite a bit I know lot about everything well not everything about nothing nothing about everything I don't know I don't know um I don't have any formal education all formal qualifications as such so whatever I know is basically well an imature knowledge but I don't know that's about it what I do electronics computers networks
[01:19] lights lighting installations basically I'm an artist really and um what what do you do in London what is your story with London my story is London well by now it's a bit of a lengthy one I live in London for the last 16 17 years and I pretty much like it I feel pretty much at home although the town is quite nasty and old and smelly and dirty however it has um ins surp passable Vibe which I didn't find in any other place of the places I've been I haven't been in too many places but there is a few places I've been to and none of them unfortunately has this similar kind of vibe so London is pretty unique and and where did you move to London why did they move well I moved because I had an English wife at some point in my life that was
[02:35] quite some time ago she now Lees in us and I remain here I've actually seen her recently she's very much into plants now and I'm very much still into Electronics computers and lasers as it was so it's love that when you come pretty much yeah although well I must say we've been living in Amsterdam at the time I got pretty much fed up with claustrophobia over a tiny little provincial town so we decided to move somewhere a little bit bigger you see I'm from Moscow so Moscow is pretty large town it's comparable to London by the size and by the you know energy so the level of entropy is pretty much equal so I feel a little bit you know squeezed in a small town such as Amsterdam so we decided to move somewhere bigger so Moscow was not a
[03:31] choice at at the time so London it is remain so um and and what is London for I mean to you what what London is offering to you in terms of inspiration or just I don't know what is giving to you and maybe in which way it fits to you well I suppose there's a concoction of of novelty of Challenge and aggression which brings Force the creative impulse which propels me elsewhere you know well I still quite seriously believe that once you kind of managed to make it in London you can make it pretty much anywhere so yeah if we manage to do something good in London that'd be good enough for everywhere else great and um how do you define the London people inhabitants of London how can you define them you see it's kind of contradiction in terms I don't think
[04:45] London has any more real londoners left so I guess majority of the population here is transient people you know people in transition of one way or another so yeah this permanent uh transience which on the one hand kind of keeps on advancing and on the other hand you know keeps your emotions pretty tight because you you don't cry about the past and you kind of Happily look into the future wishfully looking into the future that's really the general idea about London and London London's people but the main point about London people is that once you got in here you have to start um accommodate Rules of Engagement so to say was a place such as London it's not as nice as Berlin is not as relaxed as Berlin you and not as
[05:50] tolerant as Amsterdam but you I wouldn't swap it um if um so London is is everything for you I mean it's your hometown yeah for now yes ni um if we have to to say that London is is is kind of human is it female or me oh or something else what well I wouldn't give London agenda okay it behaves in either way it's perap some kind of strange transmutation transgender kind of thing but it's certainly not the youngster that's for sure and gender no I wouldn't put it to gender it behaves in both ways although we doesn't have a distinct personality of one kind or another that's funny thing about it it's mixed it's mixed yeah another hand kind of plugs you on hand it hates you so you could behave likewise and if London was an organ
[07:13] which which part of the body would it be as an organ it would be an ey London does have this kind of I think a mysterious property of of being capable of seeing it can see things can see things to come so things which which can happen in London um are not necessarily yet things which already happened everywhere else and they com to everywhere everywhere else a little bit later or maybe not coming at all and perhaps not in the same way the London sees them but London does see a lot of things because why because it's a real Multicultural City or pretty much is a Babylon how do you define London well is a Babylon really is kind of a mixture a Melting Pot of breeding tank for all sorts and kinds good and bad I like but the uh this kind of
[08:30] energy or situation where something new is always on the happening is pretty much present yeah that's what it is for sure new things coming out of it okay uh can you give me two places where which are inspiring you or where you like to go and why like first second it has to be specific places yeah point of view or neighborhood or well I like London's museums to start with I'm quite frequently going to a variety of London Museum specifically Science Museum and such British museum fantastically inspirational places for instance British museum has one of the best collection of Antiquities around the world except for Lux probably or some somewhere else I don't know if anybody else could Ravel yeah one thing and another thing I kind of
[09:31] like quite a lot to go for a walk I go for walks very long walks around London well one of my favorite trucks is along the South Bank say starting from the um Charing Cross Bridge Westminster bridge and going all the way down to greenage why is it specific well first of all play is kind of reasonably well kept foot path so you could walk on it it's kind of goes alongside the river and it passes all through very historical places very ancient places upon which the whole culture of this place is built like it passes through all the old Wars and prisons and docks and park houses which obviously converted these days into going VI policies cafes and such but still does have a notion does have a flavor that's for sure how do you feel
[10:35] that well pretty explorational and inspirational at the same time perhaps because this place of that particular site of London had to do something where the great uh geographical discoveries and kind of where area era of navigation and discoveries as it used to be back in whatever Century that was and yeah it still perhaps retains the spirit all kind of martime Adventure which yeah something like that does it give to do insir yeah let's you think about things you still May yet discover and claim still you may still conquer rather than just quietly enjoy so that's probably so the spirit you can get out of that looking at the all these old dogs old chips okay I have one last um London okay you watch the camera you say
[12:22] London okay London Navy England Robin Hood bodika Druids time astronomy physics gelvin Newton battles trala Nelson guy Fox Parliament Revolution sh like Holmes Dickens saries sewers tube donals Romans plague Inquisition theater astrology John de e Shakespeare Tower of London vome the Conqueror Harold Elizabeth Cromwell geel George Blitz radio television dogs ships Isel of dogs kenry Warf trains railroad rocket canals industry smog double DEC hide Park Rolling Stones C shark te Clippers Observatory pretty much perfect
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