SPbU represented at the PROrestoration exhibition in Moscow
The team representing the «Restoration» educational programme, including both teachers and students, took part in the second international exhibition "PROrestoration. Import substitution in restoration materials and technologies". This major professional event, supported by the Moscow City Government, brought together the best restorers from Russia and abroad, academic institutions, and business representatives.
The VI contest of young restorers took place within the exhibition. A total of 53 students from 11 Russian cities took part. Olga Prudnichenko, a student of SPbU’s bachelor’s programme in the Restoration of Fine and Applied Art Objects, came second in the category of Woodwork Restoration.
The exhibition was held in the historic building of Ivan Sytin’s publishing house. The exhibition programme included more 200 events.
SPbU professors spoke at several exhibition events. On the first day of the exhibition, Dina Fomitova, a senior lecturer at SPbU (Restoration Department), gave a lecture on "Conservation of monumental art using nanomaterials and sedative compressions". The next day, the book "Nabokov’s House" was presented by Vladimir Torbik, Head of the Restoration Department, one of the authors of the publication. It traces the fate of the house at 47 Bolshaya Morskaya Street through the restoration work carried out by the university’s staff in recent years.
The restoration of Moscow’s Triumphal Gate was another topic covered by the SPbU representatives. Olga Shchedrova, a senior lecturer at the SPbU (Department of Restoration), told the story of its construction and operation.
SPbU lecturer Khristina Shumilova (Department of Restoration) and a future conservator Victoria Danilova gave a masterclass on the restoration of stone and plaster sculptures. They described how the courses are run and gave examples of the work of students and graduates.

The team from our university also presented a report on the history of the restoration of the valuable marble sculpture "Figure of a Dancer Touching Her Chin with Her Finger". The students’ research revealed that the sculpture had recently been used as a support for a building in the countryside, when it was once part of the sculptural decoration of the Sergievka estate. The sculpture is now being restored with the help of the students. The report was presented by Anna Glazunova, a third-year student at the SPbU.
The SPbU stand was open throughout the Prorestoration exhibition, showcasing the University’s achievements in restoration.