After the Collapse Ofthe Soviet Union the Search for Alternative Identities
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Anthropology of East Europe Review ARCIDTECTURE AND THE STATE: Moscow URBAN CONCEPTS AFTER SOCIALISM Anna Sokolina After the collapse ofthe Soviet Union Moscow exemplify the notion of architecture the search for alternative identities in Russian visually reflecting sociopolitical architecture was projected onto the transformations, which proves to be a vital fundamental reversal and ultimate decline of factor for understanding the age and place. state structures formerly responsible for The plan for basic insights comprises design and construction. The development of the following approaches: Russian architecture in recent decades-from 1) A brief analysis ofthe so-called excessive neoclassicism ofthe 1950s, to "crisis" in Russian architecture emphasizes technologism of the 1960s, to large scale the dramatic connections between architecture mass industrial construction ofthe 1970s, to and the society under socialism; regionalism ofthe 1980s, to reconstructivism 2) A narrative of conceptual architecture ofthe 1990s-follows the metamorphoses of ofthe 1980s portrays the new generation of socialist and post-socialist political cycles. Russian architects and the work they created in The transformations in Russian architecture opposition to official architectural politics, called mirror the ongoing socioeconomic changes paper architecture. It also highlights prime references to historical milestones of Russian and aim to reflect new ideals ofnational revolutionary architecture of the 1920s, and to the unification. western architectural experiences ofthe 1970s, The most recent results of prohibited in the Soviet Union as a part ofthe bibliographic research demonstrate that there "foreign ideology." The theoretical concepts of are no comprehensive academic publications utopia andfantasy in architecture are compared available, directly and exclusively focusing and contrasted; on contemporary Russian architecture and 3) The transformations in Russian urban planning in connection with economics, architecture of the 1990s are outlined as the politics, and social studies. A considerable framework for integral reading of architectural account of information is accessible, but the development mirroring sociopolitical changes in gap is not covered between actual Russian Russia; 4) Review ofprime concepts ofMoscow architectural reality and the visual images of urban development focuses on the five most Russia known and documented in the United significant dominant trends. Various other States. An integral reading ofpost-socialist approaches represented by a number of architecture in Russia is to be created not only institutions and individuals are not introduced due on the basis ofresearch on the new core to their limited novelty or inadequate recognition concepts and developments in architecture but within the architectural milieu. also on the basis of combined sociopolitical I. The Crisis in Russian Architecture and economic studies ofthe restructured In Soviet Russia, the progress ofsocialist society, and ofthe analysis ofthe historical architecture was manifested by the state to be a dilemma ofnational versus transnational political task in the process of communist identity. The compare-contrast principle has construction. The ideological concept of to be applied to outline the power dynamics architecture was introduced during the earliest on different levels ofbridging areas. years ofthe Soviet Union. Everything that The new Central Bank Headquarters 1 influenced the people's mentality and the behavior in Moscow's midtown area, the Samsung of the masses was developed in light of political Offices on the Garden Ring, or the newly objectives for the new society. The iconographic renovated church2 next to the "Burger Queen" political content of architecture, rather than at the Nikitsky Gate in the downtown inherent laws of structural genetics was always Vol. 20, No.2 2002, Page: 91 Anthropology of East Europe Review the dominant axiom. along the border of every city because of the. growing lack of housing and cheap constructIOn In the socialist age new models ofliving space methods used for the erection ofthese machines were developed, which architects optimistically for living. That "substance" is spreading d~ep into attempted to define as spaces of the collective, the historical centers swallowing and levelmg understood as belonging to the Soviet people as a them, is at the same time spanning into the green whole, that is belonging to "nobody" as a state suburbs and destroying them. Residents can property where the authorities could control hardly identify themselves with their deteriorating access and monitor behavior. neighborhood. The impact ofmodernism and the Since the 1930s, architecture has international style upon Soviet architecture proved become a cultural domain, in which crucial for Russian culture. The conflicts conservative tendencies have prevailed. increased between the creative initiative and the Socialist realism was declared to be the only clumsy monopolistic economy, the devastating direction for the development of creative need for housing and inflexible urban activities initiatives. Architects were organized in fulfilling the ambitions ofthe government to groups in order to fulfill main ideological and manifest the path ofprogress for Russian architecture3• As part ofthe socialist economy, political dogmas and to survive. All architecture experienced crises and failures of associations ofindependent architects were society. Its leaders declared an ongoing "struggle terminated and the Union of Soviet Architects for a happy future,,4 and architects were engaged was established. Any kind of free professional in an effort to create an infrastructure for an interpretation of architectural experiences alchemical transformation of the way of life. By before the 1917 Revolution, unwanted by the the end of the 1970s, major excitement was socialist administration, or Western succeeded by a sobering perception ofSoviet architectural practices that would lead to architecture as a derivative of collapsing undesirable independent conclusions were communist practices. restricted and access to such work was 2. The 1980s extremely difficult to attain, even though the As a protest against the tedious Soviet architectural community did make use standardized design production, a large group ofrare architectural publications from the ofRussian architects united in the paper West in their search for modem architectural architecture movement in the 1980s, thus images. In the 1980s, modernism, stepping out from under the shadow ofthe postmodernism, or decontsructivism, state planning collectives. In their work, officially had to be explained as ideologically which only existed on paper, parallels were foreign definitions, which could not exist apparent with the early days ofthe Soviet within Soviet reality. The orthodox slogan, Union, when constructivists and futurists "Marxist-Leninist teachings are right because were making cultural and architectural they are correct" was modified by the history.5 The new conceptual movement authorities in every professional sphere to emphasized the playful liberty of idealistic oppose open minds and alternative ways of projects towards the ironic inclusions of thinking. historical architectural styles, while also The congresses of the Union of Soviet designing standardized projects in the Architects were modeled on the congresses ofthe Communist Party ofthe USSR and were closely bureaucratic city-planning environment. A supervised by the authorities, as were all brilliant stylist Mikhail Belov, an artistic architectural concepts and initiatives. Soviet craftsman Evgeni Velichkin, an ironical architecture embodied Soviet social relations and constructivist Yuri Avvakumov, an reflected the insignificant role of an individual. intellectual dreamer Yuri Kuzin, grotesque The endless concrete jungles, once pronounced as humanists Alexander Brodsky and Ilya Utkin, Le Corbusier's modem legacy, are expanding conceptual deconstructivists Andrei Vovk and Vol. 20, No.2 2002, Page: 92 I Anthropology of East Europe Review Igor Khatuntsev, and the others settled down enhanced students' abilities to develop artistic in the niches of architectural schools and fantasy and escape from the prose of life into academies. In the 1980s, the Russian the metaphoric distinctive reality of dreams. construction industry was totally controlled Under the supervision of Professor Lezhava, and subsided by the state. The only approach students developed idealistic projects for the for emerging architects to conveying new downtown ofMoscow and St. Petersburg. ideas was international contests. Professor Nekrasov with his students In Russian society, where culture was designed conceptual projects for new always a sociopolitical domain and artists Business Towers in the White House either played the role of prophets and fighters neighborhood in Moscow, challenging the for the truth, or served the authorities, the dilemma of the constructivist-post paper architects succeeded in creating images constructivist legacy. At the 1992 of intellectual dreams and fulfilled social International Architectural Biennial in fantasies in their renderings and models. Venice, the Russian display created by The image ofthe Tower ofPerestroika Professor Nekrasov's studio attracted by Yuri Avvakumov for the exhibition enormous attention from architectural Temporary Monuments at the Russian professionals and the public. The Russian Museum in St.Petersburg