The Spark Photography Museum

Roman Kakotkin has been forming his collection since the late 90s. At first this was associated with his passion for photography and then directly with collecting. Some things were acquired in the city and region, others were exchanged or gifted. The idea of creating a museum arose about a year ago so that the things would not just be stored, but would please and surprise, introduce and bring back memories. The museum was opened with the support of the Ministry of Tourism of the Tver Region; the deadline for applying for a subsidy was the incentive to establish it, and the museum won two subsidies from the ministry. The name is from the well-known positive slogan “A flame will ignite from a spark” and the name of the medium-sized Soviet camera “Spark”, which the head of the museum uses now.

Creative meetings, exhibitions, city tours, and exhibitions from the museum in the city are held on a regular basis, and the museum also participates in city events. The plan is to devote a separate room to each area of the museum’s activities and make a modern space for a youth center of photography with a lecture hall, laboratory, cinema hall, exhibition space, and reading room – a place of pleasant cognitive family leisure. VR glasses for virtual walks around the city are presented at the museum. It is also working on creating augmented reality.

The following programs are currently in effect:

1. Excursions at the museum.

2. Master classes with development and printing in the red room.

3. Master classes on creating photograms.

4. Workshops.

5. Film screenings.

6. Photo school.

7. City tours “Photogenic Tver”.

The collection presents mainly Soviet equipment. The most popular exhibits of the museum are the Slavolyubov wooden folding camera with a tripod, a photo gun, and a spy camera in the form of a coat button. Genuine photographs from the 19th century are of particular interest. Objects and devices for shooting and printing photographs such as tanks for developing film, including ones for traveling on a train or in a tent, various brands of cassettes for photographic film, devices for measuring the amount of light, and decorative vignette-frames complement the picture of the development of photographic equipment. All these items of the collection convey the spirit of the times and immerse the viewer in the memorable era of analog photography.