RUSSIA: Portraits of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin lead sales at Russian tapestry factory

Record ID: 735354

  • Title: RUSSIA: Portraits of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin lead sales at Russian tapestry factory
  • Date: 9th February 2012
  • Summary: FACTORY EXTERIOR
  • Embargoed: 24th February 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Russian Federation
  • Country: Russia
  • Topics: Business,Quirky,Politics,Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVA6YQIIJP6LWTU75TWNQBWM9T8G
  • Story Text: At the Uzor textile plant in a village about 70 kilometers (43 miles) north of St. Petersburg, workers are weaving portraits of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in a variety of scenes, for customers to hang likenesses of Russia's most popular leader in their homes as decoration.
    The 67-year old factory, whose name means "pattern" in Russian, began by producing tapestries with Soviet symbols for political stands and to decorate museums. Factory tapestries were even used to recreate the interiors for the restoration of writer Leo Tolstoy's home at Krasnaya Polyana.
    Large looms create the tapestries that are then wrapped on huge spools. The spools are then laid out, cut and framed.
    Uzor is one of just a handful of factories in Russia producing such works, and director Ivan Kozlov said portraits of Putin lead factory sales and demand.
    "So we look for what people buy more of, and that's what we do. At the moment - if I speak honestly without getting up from this seat - the most popular portrait is that of Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. So that's why, if you've noticed, we have a bunch of different styles - not one, not two - including (Putin) in military and in civilian (clothes)," Kozlov said.
    Designers at Uzor work to keep abreast of changes in the country's political landscape and the possible emergence of new characters for their tapestries, but Kozlov said, the factory keeps everything in perspective.
    "The opposition, ardent opposition...comrades Zyuganov, Zhrinovsky - and we did Mironov - I think this is a healthy opposition, quite normal. But the kind of opposition that is calling for a coup, I don't think we are going to do, because, although I'm not going to consider myself a patriot, I still have common sense and I look at life realistically and at all these things. So why do something that would spoil the mood of people, people have enough wounds and it's enough," Kozlov said.
    Designers also produce pieces commissioned by the public. Photos are taken from public sources or on the Internet and reformatted in a special computer programme created by the company, which adapts images for use on the loom.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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