"Eye of Sauron" ("All-Seeing Eye") over the complex "Moscow City"

At the end of 2014, many media reported that the "All-Seeing Eye" will flash over the Moscow-City towers. For many, this news aroused indignation, bewilderment and rejection, although it was just an installation timed to coincide with the release of another Hollywood blockbuster.

International Business Center

The international business center, called "Moscow City", is located on Presnenskaya embankment. Some buildings have already been built and put into operation, but work on many sites continues to be conducted.

Numerous towers in the style of high-tech sparkle with a mirror surface, and at night the brightly lit skyscrapers rise above the city, visible from many points of Moscow.

And it was on the roof of one of these towers that the creative group "Glow" decided to exhibit an art object called "The Eye of Sauron". The site for the installation was to serve as a high-rise not yet commissioned complex IQ-quarter, consisting of three towers.

Why did you need such an installation?

In recent years, the release of many high-profile film premieres is accompanied by various large-scale actions designed to pay attention to the emerging picture. Aircraft are painted in the colors of the outgoing film and draw on them characters, hang out huge posters, create video installations on the walls of buildings. In this series, "All-Seeing Eye of Sauron," burning in the night above Moscow, looks quite logical.

The installation of this art object was timed to coincide with the final part of the film trilogy "The Hobbit", created by Peter Jackson. This outstanding director from a small children's book created a large canvas with a lot of special effects and battles, which you need to watch on the big screen.

Hobbit and his adventures

"Hobbit" is a trilogy of worldwide popularity. The action of both the book and the film unfolds in the fictional magical world of Middle-earth. Here, in addition to humans, there are elves, gnomes, evil orcs, goblins and even dragons. And if all the listed characters have already appeared in various fantastic works or computer games, then the hobbits are unusual creatures. These short men with hairy feet and habits of diligent housewives were invented by Professor Tolkien, a man who in many ways created the genre of fantasy itself.

"The Hobbit" is a trilogy in which Bilbo Baggins becomes the main character, who, contrary to common sense, went on a dangerous journey to the company of the dwarves and the old wizard. The purpose of the trek was the Lonely Mountain, once a possession of dwarves, but captured by a dragon named Smaug.

As the progress toward the goal, the company faced ever-increasing threats, and in the final part of the trilogy, the main enemy was not the formidable Smaug, but the combined forces of the orcs and goblins.

From another opera

Surely the reader is already asking the question of what role is played in this whole story of "The Eye of Sauron". Paradoxically, but absolutely no. So where did the "Eye of Sauron" come from? The fact is that this image is taken from another work of Tolkien, also filmed by Jackson.

The subject "The Lord of the Rings" is a continuation of the book "The Hobbit". Here the main role is also assigned to the hobbit, only not to Bilbo, but to his nephew named Frodo. During his journey, described in The Hobbit, Bilbo found a magic ring. And it is precisely this that becomes the driving force behind Tolkien's next, more ambitious and "adult" book.

The screen version of The Lord of the Rings was implemented in 2001-2003. She brought Peter Jackson not only the title of one of the best directors of our time, but also numerous awards, as well as significant profits. Several years after the release of this picture, also consisting of three parts, Jackson refused to shoot the prequel, the same "Hobbit", but as a result agreed.

Great magician and villain

What is the meaning of the "All-Seeing Eye"? The incarnation of evil in the world of Middle-earth, described in The Lord of the Rings, became the magician and sorcerer Sauron. He was not a man, but a mighty spirit, Maya, who took on a human form. Long before the action of both books he was defeated and disembodied. Over time, he regained his strength, but could not take physical form. His incarnation was the fiery "All-Seeing Eye."

This "Eye" tirelessly watched its slaves and conquered peoples, it embodied the concentrated power of the will of the sorcerer.

But even the "All-Seeing Eye" could not see everything. As it should be in the legends, the evil was destroyed, Sauron fell and his "Eye" collapsed along with all his magic.

"The All-Seeing Eye" in the film

In Jackson's picture, the created image of "Oka" was a blazing eye, located at the very top of the citadel of the magician in Mordor, the land of evil and fear. Here eternal darkness reigns, in which the "Eye", which follows everything around, glows with a bright ominous beacon. This is the territory of death, where everything dies and falls into decay.

In fact, Sauron was not all-seeing and all-powerful, otherwise a small group of brave representatives of different peoples of Middle-earth would not be able to defeat him. And the "All-Seeing Eye" embodied the ability of the sorcerer to turn their attention to individual people and draw them to their side, playing on their weaknesses. The victims of Sauron's treachery, who turned into his obedient puppets, were many strong and proud rulers and mages turned away from good.

"The All-Seeing Eye" as an art object

Why was this image chosen by the creative group to create an installation on the roof of the tower? There are two reasons for this:

• This image is much more famous among fans of Tolkien, Peter Jackson and fantasy in general, as repeatedly appeared in the mega-popular "The Lord of the Rings". In the new trilogy, there are no such bright and memorable images.
• The bright, glowing eyes in the night, regardless of the context, looks extremely impressive and certainly should have attracted everyone's attention.

The physical embodiment of the "All-Seeing Eye"

The creation of this object was to be a demonstration of modern technologies. As a skeleton it was planned to create an inflatable eye, on which a video installation of the burning "Oka" is projected. It was up to GiveAR, specializing in virtual reality objects, to create the design.

According to the intention of the creators of this installation, "The Eye of Sauron" was to appear only for a short time, and then disappear, which was to show the victory of the forces of good over evil. However, this idea was not destined to be fully realized.

A ROC against it!

The announced action caused a lively discussion. If the fans of the book and the film reacted to the idea, basically, positively, then the other opinions were divided.

Strongly opposed by the ROC, whose representatives condemned such an object. In the ROC saw in this installation a demonic image. "The All-Seeing Eye" is a symbol of evil and oppression, the appearance of which over Moscow can lead to negative consequences.

Representatives of the Moscow mayor's office also did not approve of the idea. And their arguments turned out to be stronger - in fact, the approval of the authorities is required to coordinate the installation of such facilities.

Political background

A significant part of those who were categorically against the temporary appearance of the "Oka Sauron", referred to the already negative perception of Russia by many Western countries. And the appearance of the "All-Seeing Eye" above the high-altitude tower visually could turn Moscow into Mordor.

At first glance, such a judgment seems frivolous. However, everything is not so simple. The fact is that the "Lord of the Rings" was created during and immediately after the Second World War. And although later Tolkien himself constantly disavowed these parallels, it is difficult not to see in Mordor allusion to Nazi Germany. And during the Cold War with Mordor, the Soviet Union was occasionally associated, contrasting it with a positive and noble West. Indeed, in the geography of Tolkien, the East has always been a land seized by evil, and only good forces from the West could withstand it.

And now, in the times of the next confrontation between Russia and Western countries, albeit not so acute and explicit, our country again claims to be the Universal evil. So there is a certain reason for such a ban - there is no need to give political opponents an additional reason to blame Russia for all sins.

In addition, the "All-Seeing Eye" could cause an association with another well-known work, "1984" Orwell. It was from there that the famous expression "Big Brother sees you" came. And the fiery eye, able to find any person in a huge metropolis, could well give rise to jokes about total control in the country.

The show did not work out

As a result, having received a large number of negative responses, as well as refusal from the Moscow mayor's office, the creative studio was forced to back down. A loud and scandalous action was canceled.

However, a loophole was found. On the wall of one of the towers of the complex IQ-quarter, albeit for a short while, there was still a sparkling and frightening image of the Eye of Sauron. How to see it? This could not be done without the help of special means. Smartphones and tablets, capable of recognizing QR-code (a kind of barcode), could see on their screens a glowing image of the "All-Seeing Eye."

Was there a boy?

It is possible that all the concerns of the protesters were in vain, and in fact no installation was planned to be erected. There is no reason to refuse the version that all this hype was a banal PR company of the company that creates similar effects of virtual and augmented reality. After all, thanks to the scandal, many first learned about the existence of GiveAR, which managed to attract attention so brightly.

In favor of this version is also evidenced by the fact that at the time of the refusal of the installation its physical form has not yet been created.