Loneliness and Isolation in Siberian Punk

• In Event: Siberian Text of Russian Culture?

Abstract

One of the recurring themes in Vladimir Kozlov’s 2014 documentary “Tracks in the Snow” (Следы на снегу) is isolation. In interviews with Kozlov, members of the Siberian punk scene repeatedly comment on the isolating character of Siberian life and the role it played in the creation of their art. They speak both about benefits and drawbacks: while the remoteness of Novosibirsk and Omsk made it difficult to, for example, acquire musical instruments, it also afforded them some insulation from the state supervision to which musicians in Moscow and Leningrad were subject. Examining texts from key artists like Egor Letov, Roman Neumoev, and Yanka Dyagileva, this essay will consider the role isolation plays in their poetic representations of space, as well as to what extent we can call this isolation “Siberian.”

Author

• Jacob Christopher Richey, U of Pittsburgh