Jean-Baptiste De Coninck

It’s my 5th internship overall. I chose to dedicate these holidays to internship in Art. Lebedev Studio as I wanted to do it since my second year in school.

Moscow was a big mystery. Lots of people say it’s so dangerous, so cold, unfriendly, boring, blablabla. Stop relying on Hollywood, come to see for yourself and you’ll understand that the situation is totally different :)

I’ve spent a lot of time in the city, my favorite occupation was to get myself lost and just walk around with my camera. That was awesome! Every place has so many layers, there’re so many different buildings, emotions. It was important for me to see beyond what Russia wanted to show and, instead, to discover it on my own. Trust me, I’ve encountered plenty of aha!-moments: think of McDonald’s logo reflected in a Lada car window, all set in front of a typical Orthodox church near Red Square.

And in this world you can find Art. Lebedev studio, design studio, work place, museum, school, library, meeting place, DJ place, dormitory, canteen, gaming room... The best example of one of the best creative places that I’ve ever seen.

It’s September 16, 2011, my last day, and the atmosphere in studio is relaxed, I can hear the ball of the ping-pong game near the product design offices; people sketch, listen to music, look at a website, Timur laughs often and one Russian guy comes to ask me to play baby-foot. I have a marker, paper, character sketches, empty BIC, art toys, graphic tablet, cup of tea, cakes, and other stuff near my screen. It looks like a mess, maybe, because I am, but what I would like to explain is: in this studio do not try to be anything but yourself.

As my friend Phil said, it seems like the people here are really good friends rather than just colleagues. Art. Lebedev Studio is running on weekends, you have just to ask and then come and enjoy working. I’ve spent the best moments in Moscow with people from the studio, watching a hockey game, playing ultimate Frisbee, visiting some festivals, making a big picnic, sharing a drink...

My goal was to give you more of a feeling of the general atmosphere, rather than describe specific situations, because words cannot explain the real life of an intern in Art. Lebedev Studio of Moscow. If you would like to understand, you have to try it yourself :)

Thank you, Timur, thanks to the product design team and thanks to all members of Art. Lebedev Studio—it was fun! :)