My Trip to the Russian Republic of Kalmykia

 

In early July, 2010, I spent a week in Russia as a guest of the Russian Republic of Kalmykia, where I was invited to attend a conference in the city of Elista, Kalmykia, entitled "Creative Technology: Perspectives and Means of Development." I had been asked to speak on using Ithkuil to model creative thinking.

At the conference, I presented a paper entitled "Conceptualizing an Ideal Language for the Expression of Creative Thought" (certainly a presumptuous title, but what the hell...) which offered my ideas on what such a language must be able to accomplish, accompanied by a slideshow presentation analyzing an Ithkuil sentence purporting to describe an "indescribable" work of art, specifically Marcel Duchamp's Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2. The presentation appeared to be well-received and several of the various Russian scientists and the many students in attendance approached me afterward during the course of the conference to discuss my work on Ithkuil.

I had a wonderful time at the conference and also enjoyed playing tourist in Moscow. Meeting many Russian scientists, students, and the local Kalmyk people was exhilarating. I was humbled to discover so many people interested in my work, and whose work in turn I found quite fascinating (to the extent I was able to understand it through my interpreters). I now have several new friends halfway around the world.

Below are photographs from the conference:

City-Chess City-Chess street

The "City-Chess" compound built for the 1998 World Chess Championships, where participants in the Conference were housed. It reminds me of a California townhouse community.

 

Group Picture at Buddhist Temple in Elista

Some of the attendees at the conference in front of the Buddhist temple in Elista, with the President of the Republic of Kalmykia. From left to right:
John Quijada, Dr. Elena Pereslegin, Dr. Vladimir Kizima , Dr. Vyacheslav Moiseyev, Kalmykian President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, Dr. Mikhail Tyurenkov, Dr. Oleg Bakhtiyarov, Galina Bakhtiyarova, Dr. Sergei Pavlov.

 

Group Pic 2

Left to right: Dr. Oleg Bakhtiyarov, John Quijada, Dr. Anatoliy Levenchuk.

 

Various pictures of the conference sessions:

Forum Pic 1

Forum Pic 2

Forum Pic 3

Group Pic

A group photo of various attendees at the conference, including many of Dr. Bakhtiyarov's students and colleagues from his "psychonetics" program.

 

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