Crafting the City: Stories of St. Petersburg’s Artisans
A multimedia longread about St. Petersburg, a city shaped not just by its architecture, but by the hands of its master craftspeople. Through the stories of a stained-glass artisan, a stone carver, and a lacemaker, we reveal the city’s less-seen side—the living, handcrafted, and almost invisible aspect of everyday life.
The project is built upon interviews with contemporary masters, reportage observation of their work, and storytelling. We managed the entire production process ourselves: from finding our subjects and conducting interviews to writing, editing, and visually designing the material.
Idea and Concept
St. Petersburg, Crafted by Hand
We wanted to move away from the typical image of St. Petersburg as a city of palaces, cathedrals, and museums, and instead showcase it through the people who continue to create and preserve traditional crafts. Even though their work surrounds us daily, the artisans themselves often remain unnoticed.
Visual Language
The project’s color palette is inspired by St. Petersburg’s architecture—specifically, the buildings along the Universitetskaya Embankment. We translated the characteristic hues of the urban environment into the long-read design to visually connect the history of the masters with the cityscape itself.
One Day—Three Crafts
The long-read is structured like a day in St. Petersburg—from dawn till night. The morning is dedicated to stained glass, the afternoon to stone carving, and the evening to lacemaking. Each segment begins with an observation of the city and the workshop, then delves into the history of the craft, and concludes with the personal story of a contemporary artisan. Thus, three distinct crafts weave together into a unified portrait of St. Petersburg—a city that continues to live and be shaped by the hands of its residents.
Transforming Light
Natalia Entelis discusses stained glass—a craft that has been a part of her life since childhood—and demonstrates how a single artwork emerges from individual pieces of glass. Through her story, we explore St. Petersburg’s stained glass, its place within urban architecture, and the artisans who continue to preserve this craft today.
Taming Stone
The second part takes us into Yulia Gogol’s workshop, where stone gradually transforms into sculpture to the sound of a grinding machine. Yulia speaks about her unexpected path into stone carving, working with minerals, and how the craft is passed down to new generations.
Weaving the weightless
In the evening, the city grows quieter, and in Marianna Medvedev’s studio, dozens of thin threads intertwine. The lacemaker speaks about how a chance interest turned into her life’s work, and demonstrates why this ancient craft continues to find new students.
Longread contributors: Sofia Voronina, Polina Glavatskikh, Ksenia Volodicheva, Victoria Gaidai, and Veronika Shokareva.
