A monument to the babr will be installed in the square near the Irkutsk House of Artists

In autumn 2010, a monument to the babr will appear in Irkutsk, to be installed for the citys 350th anniversary and funded by residents. The sculpture model is ready, and the project was created by Dashi Namdakov, who proposed placing it in the square near the House of Artists. Soon the city will present a plan to improve this space, with a fountain, lawns and shrubs planned.

The monument to the babr will be installed in Irkutsk in the fall of 2010 as part of preparations for the city’s 350th anniversary. As the press service of the Irkutsk administration reports, the sculpture of the mythical beast will be created with funds from the city’s residents.
As of today, the model of the future city monument is ready. It was created by the artist of world renown Dashi Namdakov. He discussed the implementation of the project with the city mayor Vladimir Yakubovsky, artist Sergei Eloyan, chairman of the Irkutsk regional branch of the Union of Artists of Russia Alexander Muravyov, chair of the committee on social policy and culture Valentina Voblikova, and head of the Irkutsk Department of Culture Svetlana Dombrovskaya.
One of the main issues at the meeting was the discussion of the location for the future sculpture. Vladimir Yakubovsky called it appropriate to install the babr monument in the square near the House of Artists. Dashi Namdakov approved this proposal. “This place seems more attractive to me than Kirov Square,” Dashi Namdakov noted. “The latter is too official, while the square next to the House of Artists and the Museum of the History of the City is a poetic, creative place. All the more so because the sculpture is airy — according to my concept, the babr seems to hover over the Siberian city.”
In the near future, the Irkutsk Committee on Urban Planning Policy will submit the square project for approval. Specialists will develop a plan for all its components — the fountain, lawns, shrubs — and prepare a platform for the future monument. At the meeting, a proposal was made to add another glass floor to the House of Artists building, where an exhibition gallery could be created.