‘This Event Is a Step Beyond the Ordinary’

Photo by Adelia Guseynova | Lyceum Media Department

The HSE Lyceum hosted the Big Winter Event, a traditional large-scale celebration culminating in a gathering of Lyceum students in the Atrium of the HSE University campus on Pokrovsky Bulvar. During the preparations for the grand ball, which took two months, more than 2,000 Lyceum students and employees explored the theme of ‘the Renaissance’ in a variety of ways.

Valery Pazynin

Director of HSE Lyceum

'Events don’t happen often—it is impossible to hold meetings and events that make everyone feel special every day or every week. An event is a step beyond the ordinary: a step out of your routine, classes, and even out of the building premises, as we were allowed to do something in the Atrium that we do not do there every day. It was important that everyone felt part of the community.'

The Renaissance: Historical or Metaphysical

There were three initial ideas for the event concept: Renaissance, Enlightenment, and Thaw. Each of them had a double meaning—metaphysical, symbolic, and historical—and the organisers wanted to encourage any options and initiatives.

By a majority vote, the Lyceum students and staff chose the theme of the Renaissance, the pivotal cultural and historical era that marked the transition from the Middle Ages to the Modern Age over the 15^th–17^th centuries. The organisers used a variety of methods to convey the concept to the Lyceum students.

Everyone was involved in the organisation: subject heads, department heads, curators, and the Lyceum students themselves.

Five Floors of Conversation about Man

Each floor of the Lyceum building on Bolshoi Kharitonyevsky Pereulok had its own concept. The ground floor became a harbour, referencing the Battle of Gravelines and the expansion of spatial awareness that arose from navigation. The second floor was a fair, where the concepts of demand and supply, the development of trade, and the ability to attract attention to one’s product met in one place. The third floor was turned into a university, demonstrating the shift from a religious perspective to a scientific approach to studying the world at that time. The fourth floor of the building hosted a gallery and cultural conversation.

Visitors to the building had the opportunity to decorate and eat gingerbread, create Christmas tree decorations from natural materials, assemble and complete the Divine Comedy, and make collages, stickers, postcards, and even slime.

Another highlight of the Big Winter Event was the fashion show. A large number of Lyceum students were involved in its preparation, designed and sewed costumes, and modelled.

Solyanka: Five Concepts in One Building

There was no single concept for the building on Solyanka, befitting a venue where people study in a wide variety of fields.

A variety of interesting stations devoted Asian and African studies showcased Eastern alchemy, collages from medieval Japanese ukiyo-e prints, and Indian chess.

Lyceum students of Computer Science, Engineering and Mathematics also combined the seemingly incompatible—computer science, mathematics, and the Renaissance—having organised Leonardo’s Workshop and a sword tournament.

Life Sciences students also preserved the flavour of their subject, connecting their stations with the theme of the area and aspects of Renaissance art and science development. Visitors to the area’s stations could create jewellery from crystals, try their hand at fresco painting, take part in a geographical quiz, and even make their own plague doctor mask.

The Mathematics section of the Big Winter Event began with a mathematical regatta, where mixed teams of Lyceum students and applicants competed to solve mathematical and cryptographic problems.

The theme of the Psychology area was cognition. The stations were devoted to psychological testing and art therapy techniques, quizzes on psychological terms, and board games.

The Scientific Discovery Building

The Big Winter Event in the building on Lyalin Pereulok, where ‘Futuritet’ students (9^th graders) attend classes, was held in the spirit of scientific development during the Renaissance.

The building hosted a workshop on historical dances and a lecture on historical and modern fencing from Lyceum teachers.

On the third floor, a secret Nostradamus room opened its doors and invited future and current Lyceum stars to complete quests based on the Renaissance and astronomy, make secret wishes, and write messages to their future selves.

Guests could also make new acquaintances in a game of Mafia (alongside the noble Montague and Capulet families from Verona), as well as listen to their favourite music thanks to an incredible performance by LycMusic in the recreation area on the fourth floor.

The Venice Carnival on Kolobovskiy Pereulok

The building on 3 Kolobovskiy Pereulok is where classes in ‘Economics and Mathematics’ and ‘Economics and Social Sciences’ take place. During the Big Winter Event, visitors found themselves in the most colourful part of the Venetian winter—the carnival.

The Atrium: Initiation and Dancing

The second part of the event took place in the Atrium of the HSE University building on Pokrovka. Lyceum students of all years and fields gathered in one building to undergo an initiation and enjoy the ball, as well as celebrate their shared interest in the art of opera.

The atmosphere in this part of the event evoked Renaissance society with authentic festive outfits, decorations, and instrumental music, leaving all the participants with a great mood and unforgettable memories.

The Big Winter Event was a celebration not only for students and staff of the Lyceum, but also for future members of the community. Aspiring applicants could register in any of the buildings and get an insider perspective on the Lyceum, as well as talk to Lyceum students and teachers in an informal setting.