Distant Streets of Life

"Distant Streets of Life" (DSL) is non-profit non-formal affinity group that involves young people in self-expression in various kinds of art.

Roughly speaking, our dimensions are music, theatre, fine arts and graffito. We intend to provoke people's creativity and make their everyday life more convenient for self-expression. Our mission is to promote new and effective ways of self-expression, cultural education and personality development.

In 1994 DSL was established by several groups of musicians, poets and artists. Its main body was composed by three music groups: "Mechanical Oranges", "Out of Reach" and "Kali-Yuga".

The main forms of DSL activity are concerts, poetry readings, happenings, etc., organized in the flats of DLS members and their friends. Two actions of such kind (designed roughly for 25 participants) were organized in the last months of 1994. On December 8, 1994 a party was devoted to Jim Morrison's birthday.

In the beginning of 1995 five "home concerts" were held. The first festival of DSL was organized in co-operation with creative associations "Malva" and "Chiaroscuros". Eight groups, participated in the festival, attracted 60 spectators, who then were involved in a stage action and in performance comprised by the three stages.

In June 1995 DSL held a circle of creative parties, united by name "Carney". The programme of parties included actions in such genres as poetry, music, art, photo, prose and philosophy as well as free intercourse with actors. By the beginning of the programme the 1st issue of "Omnia" newspaper was prepared in 8 pages of A4 format. The 2nd circle of "Carney" parties happened in August 1995 and it was devoted to the Eastern philosophy and Western modernist literature (including Russian emigrants' literature of the third wave). During the "Carney" programme the material for "Omnia" magazine was gathered and prepared for publishing.

Home actions were carried out actively in the period from Autumn 1995 till Spring 1996 with the participation of the mentioned groups as well as foreign guests ("Iliada" from Russia and "Mr.M's Dreams" from Israel and others). During 1996 a second and third festival were held.

In 1996 DSL started to work over collection of stories "Black Sanubmanum" with selected works of "lvis Tulupov, Sergei Pukst, Svetlana Istshenko and Dmitry Vorobyev.

From 1996 till 1999 music groups of DSL played in clubs, participated in festivals, established contacts with other towns (Homel, Vitebsk, Rechitsa, Baranovichi and others).

A number of concerts were held by DSL in "Cosmopolitan" Club in Minsk. On the 8 of March and on the 17 on May, 1998 DSL prepared the whole programme.

In the summer of 1998 DSL participated in international festival "Protiag" (Continuation) in Rivno (Ukraine).

In winter 1999 DSL published the 1st issue of "AlterAlternative" magazine (62 pages A4 format, 100 copies), where the idea of cultural outside and new graffiti in Belarus was exposed. On the 30 of April 1999 both the magazine and its concept were presented to a wide audience. The presentation was completed by acoustic concert, performance and happening, and it was a great success.

In May 22, 1999 Horky Park DSL held a concert with participation of groups "Children of Underground", "Iliada" and "Emergency Exit".

Last updated:    January 2000

A print version of much of the information contained in this NIS Third Sector Organizations section can be found in the The Post-Soviet Handbook (Seattle and London: University of Washington Press, 1999).

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