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øi Bulgariei cu privire la proprietatea intelectualæ a articolelor militare.
În mod evident, Dl I., o persoanæ rezonabilæ, între douæ vîrste, nu dorea
sæ pericliteze încurcatele dispute vorbind cu un artist care, la întrebarea
sa: „Dar de ce væ intereseazæ pe dumneavoastræ – care nu sîntefli
jurnalist – aceastæ chestiune?!“, a oferit un ræspuns destul de ciudat: „Pentru
cæ sînt obiønuit sæ citesc despre dispute privind proprietatea intelectualæ
în cazul unei cærfli sau al unei partituri muzicale, însæ niciodatæ în
cazul unei arme, despre care se spune cæ ar fi cea mai popularæ din toate
timpurile“. În cele din urmæ, Dl I. a fost de acord cu cererea mea øi
mi-a acordat un interviu de un minut. Apoi, cu titlu neoficial, a vorbit
mai bine de o oræ despre cum studiase în Uniunea Sovieticæ øi cît de
mult admira calitatea producfliei militare ruseøti. A mai spus øi cæ lucra
de decenii în fabrica „A…I“, la început ca inginer, iar apoi ca director
general. Principala sa preocupare era acum aceea de a pæstra slujbele
celor 5.500 de angajafli ai sæi, care produc øi multe articole civile, cum
ar fi echipament CNC.
Dupæ interviu, am accesat site-ul firmei øi am gæsit o listæ completæ a armelor
de asalt pe care ea le producea, fiecare fiind însoflitæ de fotografii.
Am cerut niøte imagini de o calitate mai bunæ pentru a le folosi în cadrul
proiectului meu øi, dupæ o atentæ selecflie, departamentul de design al
fabricii mi-a trimis un CD, pe 19 decembrie 2006, conflinînd o duzinæ
de mostre cu o înaltæ rezoluflie, acoperind parflial producflia lor de arme
de asalt AR. Din pæcate, cele pe care mi le doream cel mai mult erau
socotite „prea controversate“ pentru a fi folosite în maniera propusæ de
mine, în ciuda faptului cæ erau expuse public pe site. „Nu vrem sæ-i
supæræm pe ruøi cu proiectul dumneavoastræ, nu-i aøa?“ a spus Dl I., iar
eu a trebuit sæ fiu de acord cu el. Pe urmæ am angajat douæ tinere øi talentate
artiste pentru a face douæsprezece desene în mærime naturalæ ale
puøtilor AR, folosind ca punct de reper imaginile mai puflin controversate.
Le-a luat fetelor douæ luni pentru a termina treaba.
De asemenea, Dl I. a fost îndeajuns de amabil sæ mæ ajute sæ-mi ilustrez
poziflia încæ øi mai bine, aranjînd sæ cumpær douæ arme de colecflie
AK-47 autentice, din anii ’60, scoase însæ din uz (una dintre ele cu pat
metalic rabatabil), într-unul dintre cele mai mari magazine de arme din
Sofia. Din nefericire, tehnica prin care aceste arme fuseseræ scoase din
uz – descrisæ întocmai în certificatul oficial care le însoflea – a fost consideratæ
necorespunzætoare de cætre autoritæflile italiene, care cereau folosirea
unor alte proceduri de scoatere din uz pentru armele de asalt. A
trebuit sæ renunfl la ideea de a exporta puøtile AK-47 øi am hotærît sæ
cumpær una din Italia. Ca urmare, ceea ce vedefli aici e un AK-47 fabricat
în România care provine dintr-un magazin italian øi care posedæ un
ciudat mîner suplimentar, ceea ce nu mæ deranjeazæ cîtuøi de puflin.
În paralel cu aceastæ activitate desfæøuratæ în Bulgaria, fæceam încercæri
disperate de a intra în contact cu partea rusæ. Pe 21 noiembrie 2006,
acelaøi adjunct al ministrului culturii a scris o scrisoare oficialæ adresatæ
ambasadei ruse de la Sofia, solicitînd o întrevedere în care sæ discut aceastæ
chestiune cu un reprezentant al guvernului. Eram la Miami cînd am primit
vestea proastæ de la adjunctul ministrului, cum cæ, într-o scrisoare
datatæ 5 decembrie 2006, ambasada rusæ declinase cererea de a stabili
intellectual property disputes over a book or a musical score, but never over a
weapon, reportedly the most popular of all time.” Eventually, Mr. I. agreed to my
request and gave a one-minute interview. Then, off the record, he spoke for more
than an hour about how he had studied in the Soviet Union and how he admired
the quality of Russian military production. He also spoke about having worked in
that “A...l” factory for decades, first as an engineer and later as director-general.
His main concern now was how to sustain the jobs of his 5,500 employees, who
also produce many civilian products such as CNC equipment.
After the interview, I went to the firm’s website and found a complete list of the
assault rifles they were producing with photographs of each one. I requested
a few better quality images to use in my project and, after a careful selection, the
factory’s design department sent me a CD on December 19, 2006, with a dozen
high-resolution samples partially covering their output of AR assault rifles.
Unfortunately, the ones I most wanted were deemed “too controversial” to be
used in the way I suggested, despite the fact they were publicly shown on the
website. “We don’t want to piss the Russians off with your project, right?” said
Mr. I. and I had to agree with him. I then hired two skilful young artists to make
twelve life-size drawings of the AR rifles, using the less controversial images
as a reference. It took the girls two months to finish the job.
Mr. I. was also kind enough to help me illustrate my point even better by arranging
for me to buy two real but inoperative 1960s vintage AK-47s (one of them
with a folded metal butt) at one of the biggest arms shops in Sofia. Unfortunately,
the disarming technique carried out on these rifles – precisely described in the
official certificate that came with them – was found unacceptable by the Italian
authorities who mandated other disarming procedures for assault rifles. I had to
then give up the idea of exporting the AK-47s and decided to buy one in Italy.
Consequently here you see a Romanian made AK-47 that comes from an Italian
shop and which has a weird additional handle, all of which I can live with.
Parallel to all this Bulgarian activity, I was desperately trying to make contact with
the Russian side. On November 21, 2006, the same deputy minister of culture
wrote an official letter to the Russian embassy in Sofia, requesting an appointment
for me to discuss the issue with a government representative. I was in Miami when
I got the bad news from the deputy minister that in a letter dated December 5,
2006, the Russian embassy had declined to set up a meeting for me. Later, back
in Sofia, I addressed the same request to a high-ranking person (a lady again)
from the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also soliciting the help of a curator
(yet another lady) working for the ministry. Politely and diplomatically, I was told
about negotiations going on right then on the same subject and how such a letter
focused on my own project would be deemed entirely inappropriate by the
Russian embassy. “Can I mention in my story that you are anxious to approach the
Russians?” I asked the Foreign Office lady. “I’d rather you didn’t”, was the answer.
I was then introduced to a successful businesswoman who was seriously involved
with Russia and, in fact, had the right connections. She kindly took up my cause
and finally managed to talk with the Russian ambassador about my project. Even
though he didn’t refuse outright to help me, it was still not quite clear if I could
really meet someone from their side. At last, thanks to a native Russian (another
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