An exhibition by Kavkaz.RF, exploring the Soviet legacy of Mount Elbrus, is moving from Moscow to Nalchik.

The exhibition, titled "Infrastructure of Expectation"—the first cultural project presented by Kavkaz.RF in Moscow—drew 4,000 visitors. In the first half of November, the display will be hosted in Nalchik at the Pavilion of Contemporary Art in the Park of the 100th Anniversary of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, followed by a stint in December at the Itkol Hotel, located at the foot of Mount Elbrus.

The Moscow leg of the exhibition took place from October 14 to 31 at SISTEMA GALLERY. It offered a look at the Elbrus region during the 1960s and 70s—a period marked by the simultaneous development of a ski resort, the establishment of high-altitude scientific laboratories, and bold experiments in modernist architecture. Through archival footage, sketches, and original artifacts, the exhibition illustrates how life in the mountains evolved and the visions of the future that fueled these transformations.

The exhibition will travel to Nalchik featuring archival materials from TASS—including photographs by Roman Denisov, known for his images of the "golden era" Soviet national ski team—as well as items from the A. V. Shchusev Museum of Architecture, works by architectural photographer Alexey Naroditsky, and pieces by documentary photographer Maria Gelman. The display will also include scientific instruments from the Baksan Neutrino Observatory, sketches for the entrance stele of Tyrnyauz (created by Yevgeny Ablin in 1965), an original chair from the Cheget cable car (dating back to 1963), various everyday objects, mountaineering gear, books, and vinyl records.

Additionally, the exhibition will continue to feature screenings of the film *Vertical* (starring Vladimir Vysotsky) and the 1978 newsreel *May There Always Be Sunshine*. This film was discovered at the Baksan Neutrino Observatory and digitized in preparation for the exhibition.

According to curator Yulia Senina, each venue lends a new dimension to the exhibition. Following its run at a Moscow gallery, it will move to a glass pavilion in Nalchik, and subsequently to the Itkol Hotel—a facility opened in 1966. There, the architecture of Soviet modernism will become an integral part of the exhibition itself: visitors will encounter it not only in photographs but also in their immediate surroundings.

In Moscow, the exhibition drew art enthusiasts, scientists, and tourists alike. Among the guests were current students from Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU) alongside alumni from the 1980s who had worked at the Elbrus Educational and Scientific Base. Also in attendance was glaciologist Natalya Volodicheva—a student of Georgy Tushinsky, the founder of Russian avalanche science—who has dedicated many years to researching the Elbrus region. Students from the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics and the Higher School of Economics (HSE) also visited to explore the exhibition and learn about the process of developing such projects.

Guests recognized familiar locations and returned with their families and friends. In the tourism-themed section, visitors played a vintage guitar—which they tuned themselves—watched the film *Vertical*, and took photos while sitting in a chairlift seat from the Cheget resort. Residents of the North Caucasus republics, who saw their home regions featured in the Moscow gallery, shared warm, positive feedback. After his visit, MTS Bank Vice President Akhmed Zhamanov remarked that he plans to attend the upcoming exhibitions in Nalchik and at the Itkol Hotel with his family.

The Moscow exhibition was accompanied by five lectures featuring guest experts, as well as four guided sessions led by curator Yulia Senina. Nelly Elagina from the Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) and Ekaterina Pavlyukevich from the Institute of Water Problems of the RAS spoke about the glaciers of Mount Elbrus. Elena Khaerdinova, a science communication specialist at the Baksan Neutrino Observatory (part of the Institute for Nuclear Research of the RAS), delivered a lecture titled "Neutrinos: How to Catch a Message from the Sun," while Andrey Shein, a researcher and engineer at the Terskol Observatory, gave a talk on "Where and How Astronomers Work."

The exhibition’s architecture was designed by Alexey Snetkov, and the research-based texts were prepared by architectural historian Olga Kazakova.

The project was initiated by Kavkaz.RF with the support of the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation and the Institute for Nuclear Research of the RAS. Its media partners include TASS and the multimedia portal "Eto Kavkaz" ("This is the Caucasus").