D’une utopie de « l’entre-deux » à une marchandisation irrégulière : temps sociaux de quelques lieux de rassemblement à Saint-Pétersbourg dans les années 1990-2010

The article explores the inter-connections between locations, people, money and time related to the development of meeting places (such as rock clubs, DJ bars and "Time cafés") in St. Petersburg from 1990 to 2010. Such places that emerged during this period did so by depending on a dual system which incorporated elements remaining from the old Soviet welfare state as well a new “laisser faire” attitude to access to abandoned spaces. These clubs represented an “underground experience” - spaces which could be used regularly on an ongoing basis free from the need to make a profit. During the early 2000’s these clubs experienced a lengthy and irregular process of commodification leading to their becoming open permanently and enabling them to diversify their cultural program and their repertoire. Some clubs, bars and “time cafés” emerging in the 2010’s aimed at creating their own specific regular following for the longer term by fostering a sort of “community spirit” intended to be both “open” and at the same time “exclusive” - reinforced by certain “selection” mechanisms. This element of “sociability” took precedence over the artistic components, suspending the idea of a maximum profit in favor of proposing a free (non programmed) use of time. This trend also seems to have been followed by some State Cultural institutions seeking to modernize their appeal by positioning themselves as places to gather and meet others