Instagram of former model conquered foreigners by sketches of St. Basil's Cathedral and the Kazan Art School

''Yes, I worked as a model, but it was in the distant past''

Adelina, how do you manage to combine the career of an architect and a model. According to the publications on the Internet, you are working as a model...

I was born and raised in Kazan, and since childhood I have looked at the world around me with great curiosity: I have always been interested in how things work, how everything works. Probably all started back then. If we talk about the choice of university, when I came to KSUAE, I was inspired by its professors. Despite the fact that I had a choice (I was thinking about entering in Moscow, St Petersburg and so on), when I came to the University to the courses, I was inspired by these people because they were very interested in their students.

I don't know why it has been so widely spread on the Internet. Yes, I worked as a model, but it was in the distant past. Now I don't work in this field because it's impossible to combine with my schedule: I work in a wonderful studio BFFT.space (based at the University) together with other creative people and excellent teachers, the work goes every day and including at weekends. I have already made my choice in favour of creative work, I just left this field on time, and I am fully dedicated to the architecture now.

''Yes, I worked as a model, but it was in the distant past. Now I don't work in this field because it's impossible to combine with my schedule.'' Photo: vk.com

What does architecture mean for you?

Architecture is life, this is not just buildings. This is all that happens around us, that's how people live, how they wake up in the mornings, how their day goes… Cities, streets, buildings, first floor, second floor — everything programs human movement, creates mood, style, and quality of life. As architects, we have to worry about it — after all, we have a very large audience. Architecture is not only about how to put a wall or put overlap. Although, of course, is also included in the scope of our task.

''An architect should be able to draw any idea in 15 minutes — a customer will not wait for a long time''

Adelina, have you watches Inception by Christopher Nolan? Do you dream about becoming an architect from the movie?

This might sound a bit absurd if I say that I am already some of that. I can call all the architects a little crazy because we can just imagine it. Reality can seem completely static, but in parallel, we can walk down the street and create a different life around us, to imagine that, say, elements of buildings move, raise or inverte, the ground beneath my feet turns upside down… Yes, it's real, and we do this, although for anyone from the outside it cannot be seen or it seems even impossible.

Tell us about those sketches, how you do them. Do you draw from life, just make rubbings of the objects from a ready example, or restore the image from memory?

Everything that is published on the Internet — this is not a case for a case or for a drawing. It's just the exercise that develops mind. My teacher always says that you first need to take the idea, take it apart and reassemble as we see it. That's what we do. We do not redraw from the finished pictures, we do not copy some sketches, and we do absolutely everything by hand because the architect should be able to draw any idea in 15 minutes — the customer will not wait long.

Everything that is published on the Internet — this is not a case for a case or for a drawing. It's just the exercise that develops mind

Near to some sketches you can see plans and elevations — of course, we need projections, if we picture something already built. This is done in order not to tell a lie – it is a respect for the architecture buildings. When we have projections, we may do any three-dimensional form.

What is more interesting — to invent or to draw existing?

There's a serious connection. We look at what already exists, memorize, transform inside ourselves and then do something that do not exist yet. It is a continuous process, and one does not exist without the other, and it is equally interesting for me. This is probably my nature.

''I have always loved Kazan and I've always wanted to change it''

What do you think about the architecture of Kazan? What would you change if you had a chance?

There are a lot of such things actually. It is very difficult and incriminating question, so I'd rather not to answer it in detail. I will say this: there is a city for people and a city for cars. Where people walk, where the priority belongs to pedestrians – it is always a good city. Where a person has a place to rest, where they can spend their free time, where it is comfortable and a person feels safe – it is a good city. I have always loved Kazan and I've always wanted to change it. Such contradictory feelings. In fact, how the city looks now is the work of many people, which should be respected.

Speaking of houses, typical buildings, there is a gradation across periods. For example, I hate the typical buildings of the 2000s, and what period you don't like?

The buildings of the 2000s… I have the same opinion. Panel houses, if you take our quarter – it is a very ill-considered housing, in my opinion. It just programs a person, I think, for a bad mood. When you walk into an apartment and straight down the corridor you see the door of the bathroom — it already programmes you in a certain way.

I have always loved Kazan and I've always wanted to change it. Such contradictory feelings. In fact, how the city looks now is the work of many people, which should be respected

I highlight stalinkas as pleasing to the eye period of development because they have very high ceilings, comfortable and convenient layout of the apartments, even if judged by Moscow. Entering such apartment, you feel the air, you feel life.

Again, judging by social networks, you have managed to visit many countries. Architecture of what cities have impressed you the most?

Yes, I love to travel, but I cannot say that I've been to many places. For example, Italy — I have many sketches of it — it is a very tourist country and its quite difficult to contemplate due to the large number of people. We had to stop very long to consider the constructions. In general, the whole Italy is a giant museum, as well as all of Europe.

Of course, each country has their own special features. Israel, from where I recently returned, is more simple, Italy is more pompous, more adult or something — they can't be compared to each other, as well as with Russia. You know, in Italy most of all I remember the balconies, they are all so individual, each balcony is very special: one is decorated with something, on the other there are some crazy flowers, on the third — someone is sitting and drinking coffee… I am attracted by the places where we see a human being, where the life is.