About

Will Someone Stop You…? is a project by artists Emma Rushton and Derek Tyman, who have been working collaboratively since 1997. They are based in Manchester, England.

Rushton and Tyman first became interested in the Mathias Rust episode in November 2001, when they came across mention of his Moscow landing in Susan Buck-Morss’ book Dreamworld and Catastrophe: The Passing of Mass Utopia in East and West (1) However, like most people they spoke to about the landing and who had seen images of Rust in the media at the time, they could clearly recall the images of his appearance in Red Square, but they knew nothing more about what had happened to Rust. In trying to uncover what had become of Rust and to understand the impact of the event - its ramifications and wider resonance - Rushton and Tyman found that clarifying the facts was often difficult. In fact, the facts were confused and had, perhaps invariably, merged with rumour and speculation. However, what is clear is that for many different reasons, there remains a great deal of interest in the Rust episode. This is evident in the amount of material relating to the events of 28th May 1987, found in a wide variety of sources, from academic and military texts, to references on the internet and even within the realm of contemporary popular music.

Launched with a commemorative card and e-flyer and distributed to mark the 20th anniversary of Rust’s landing, Will Someone Stop You…? is a multi-part project combining flyer, website, exhibition, publication and a talk/event. The intention of which is to establish a discursive space to try and uncover what really happened when Rust landed in Red Square, and to explore through artworks how the event continues to reverberate. For some, Rust’s flight was the act of a ‘naive idealist’ or ‘hooligan’ (2) for others his ‘peaceful gesture’ (3) has provided a symbol of the effectiveness of individual and collective activism and resistance. (4)

The British physician Dr. Robin Stott took the filmed images of Rust in Red Square which were circulated in the world’s media a few days after the landing. (5) Stott was in Moscow to attend a conference of international physicians campaigning for a nuclear freeze, although when the story first appeared in the printed press he was referred to simply as a ‘tourist’, as the press were not sure who exactly had taken the film. In developing Will Someone Stop You…? Rushton and Tyman located both Robin Stott and Mathias Rust and will bring them together as part of their project.

In a short feature, produced by the artists and with the cooperation of both men, Rust and Stott will discuss the days prior to and leading up to Rust’s landing, it’s ramifications and their subsequent activities. Robin Stott has given the artists access to all the video footage he took on the day of the landing. A newly edited and subtitled version will be shown as part of the exhibition Will Someone Stop You…? at Artis, The Netherlands in October 2007. The exhibition will also include a full-scale fabric copy of a four-seater Sky Hawk Cessna 172. The shell of the aircraft has literally been traced by the artists, panel-by-panel, rivet-by-rivet and is to be reassembled in the gallery.

In October both Robin Stott and Mathias Rust will contribute to SAY IT AS IT IS (Part II), the second of an ongoing series of talks exploring the relationship between art and politics, hosted by Unit 2 Gallery, London and timed to coincide with Will Someone Stop You…?

Rushton and Tyman have a history of producing free, or modestly priced publications and printed matter to accompany their projects and exhibitions. A publication collecting together information and images about the Rust episode including artworks, song lyrics and commemorative actions will be produced in September 2007.

(1) Published by MIT Press 2000, p214.
(2) The judge at the Soviet Supreme Court in Moscow who sentenced Rust described him as…” an adventurer, guilty of hooliganism.”
(3) An article entitled “Rusts Peaceful Gesture” appears in the Manchester Evening News, Friday February 14, 2003, p24.
(4) For instance Padraic Kenney writes… “Another type of happening simply attacked the passivity of the crowd. In Poznan on International Women’s Day, March 8, the Mathias Rust Komando dressed as women (most were men) and marched on the Rynek. They carried banners reading, “Polish women support the government policies”, “I’ll take any work,” “Down with sex segregation” and “[We demand] power and cotton [i.e. sanitary pads].”” A Carnival of Revolution: Central Europe 1989, published by Princeton University 2002, p177.
(5) Since the 1960’s Robin Stott has been and continues to be an active peace and environmental campaigner. He has been outspoken in his opposition to nuclear weapons for many years and has acted as both Chair and Vice Chair of Medcat, an organisation of health professionals that exists to highlight and take action on the health consequences of war, poverty and environmental degradation.