Representing th country on the scale of Federal Districts: a multimodal analysis of the exhibition “Journey across Russia”

The article analyzes the representation of Russia’s image at a multimedia exhibition prepared by the National Centre RUSSIA in 2025 as the “legacy” of The International RUSSIA EXPO exhibition and forum at VDNKh (2023–2024). Being more compact, the new project presents regional characteristics in the format of a journey across federal districts. The authors examine the extent to which this scale is suitable for representing the complex composite image of the country, which aspects of regional diversity come to the fore, and which remain undisclosed.

The study relies on the methodology of multimodal analysis adapted for examining multimedia exhibitions. Data was collected through observation during five visits to the exhibition from April to November 2025. In data analysis, thematic coding was supplemented by descriptions of communicative resources presenting specific informational content and documentations of how it was reflected in guided tours. The focus of the study was on ways of representing 1) the uniqueness of a federal district as a complex composite place, 2) the communities constituting it / people inhabiting it, and 3) the highlighted traditional values.

The research uncovered substantial differences in the information content describing federal districts in terms of thematic richness, representativeness, and number of geographical details. This result can be explained both by the scarcity of repertoire of geographical images associated with federal districts and by the peculiarities of the exhibition’s concept. Combining a thematic approach with a territorial one, the exhibition focuses on forming the image of the country as a whole rather than as a collection of unique places.

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