Film Film Film

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Natalia

Lots of film shot during my time in Moscow.
Now in California: it’s time to process, edit, and develop some pictures!

Narkomfin Building: http://narkomfin.ru/Eng/Narkomfin.aspx

Melnikov House: http://www.melnikovhouse.org/home.php

Posted in Photos, Project Documentation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Shukhov Radio Tower

Posted on December 30, 2011 by Natalia

A look at SHUKHOV TOWER from several points of view:








Special thanks to Vlad for providing the view for photos 3 & 4.

WATCH art historian Andrew Graham-Dixon show off Shukhov tower.

And READ about it at the Shukov Tower Foundation website.


1919 Shukhov’s 350 meter tower design / Vladimir Grigoryevich Shukhov

Posted in Photos | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Protests and Constructivist Buildings

Posted on December 24, 2011 by Natalia

Today Moscow witnessed the largest gathering of protesters in nearly 20 years,
against the backdrop of some recognizable Constructivist buildings.

Le Corbusier’s Tsentrosoyuz Building



Schusev’s Narkomzem Building


Fomin’s NKPS Building

Posted in Photos | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Now and Then

Posted on December 19, 2011 by Natalia

MOSSELPROM (Moscow Agricultural Industries) Building
Now (2011) and Then (mid/late 1920’s)

^Now

^Then

^Now

^Then

Posted in Photos | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Links!

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Natalia

I just added 4 new sites to the INFO PORTAL / LINKS page. Check them out!

RKM Save Urban Heritage
http://www.saveurbanheritage.eu/en/

СОВАРХ – проект советская архитектура (SOVARCH – soviet architecture project)
http://sovarch.ru/

Фотографии старой Москвы (Photographs of old Moscow)
http://oldmos.ru/

proeto.net – constructivist database
http://www.proeto.net/

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Better (off) than others

Posted on December 11, 2011 by Natalia

Some Constructivist buildings are doing better than others these days…
in various states of condition: from vacant and dilapidated, to newly rebuilt.

^Bread Factory No.5, 1931 (currently vacant, awaiting reconstruction)

^Dinamo Stadium, 1928-1930 (currently under reconstruction)

^Central Aerohydrodynamics Institute, 1925-1931

^”Kvartirokhozyain” Cooperative Residential Building, 1929-1930

^Presnenskiy Mostorg Department Store, 1927-1929 (currently United Colors of Benetton)

^Bakhmetevsky Bus Garage, 1926-1933 (currently Garage Center for Contemporary Culture)

Posted in Photos | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Poster Progress!

Posted on December 4, 2011 by Natalia


^Telephone Station, V. Patek, 1928


^”ZHURGAZ” Cooperative Residential Building,
M. Barshch, G. Zundblat, 1934-1935


^All-Union Electrotechnical Institute Educational Facility,
L. Maylman, V. Movchan, G. Movchan, 1929-1932

Posted in Photos, Project Documentation | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

VKHUTEMAS Gallery

Posted on November 17, 2011 by Natalia

As part of the exhibit «Иван Николаев. Наука русского авангарда»
(Ivan Nikolaev. Russian avant-garde science) at the VKHUTEMAS GALLERY,
a presentation of Nikolaev’s book «Акведуки античного Рима» was held last week.
Some photos from the event:

http://vkhutemas.ru/gallery


Portrait of I.S. Nikolaev


Nikolaev’s daughter spoke of her father’s strong work ethic


The gallery space


Guests were friends and former colleagues of Nikolaev, professors at the Moscow Architecture Institute, and architecture enthusiasts (such as myself)


A guest admiring Nikolaev’s works


A 1927 variant of the wool laboratory of the Moscow Textile Institute


1929 sketches of the Student Commune House


More Commune House sketches


1960 Hotel “Varshava” sketches


And this I found upstairs, an artistic rendition of the plan of the Student Commune House

Posted in Events, Photos | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Progress

Posted on November 15, 2011 by Natalia

Today I paid a visit to Nikolaev’s Student Commune House to check out the progress
on the reconstruction / restoration …

^Construction is still going as the weather gets messy


^View from the characteristic skinny windows


^Kitchen / hang out space is looking nice … & … ^Dorm room for 2 is looking even nicer!


^Hallway on the 4th floor is currently serving as a paint sampling area. The long wall facing the windows will be a different color on each of the 7 floors, with a light gray along the wall with the windows. The chosen colors were inspired by the French artist FERNAND LEGER who had a great influence on the development of Cubism and Constructivism.

His own words describe the color scheme planned for the dorm hallways:
“I organize the opposition between colors, lines and curves.
I set curves against straight lines, patches of color against plastic forms,
pure colors against subtly nuanced shades of gray.”

Posted in Photos | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Constructivism Today

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Natalia

Another great reason to be in London right now:

CONSTRUCTIVISM TODAY LECTURE SERIES
Lecture 1: : Wed 2 November 2011, 7.30pm He who works, eats: Samara’s Factory Canteen and other masterpieces of Russian Provincial Constructivism
Lecture 2: Thu 10 November 2011, 7.30pm Building the Revolution: Destroying the Past
Lecture 3: Wed 16 November 2011, 7.30pm Russian Architectural Models of the 1920’s from VKhUTEMAS
Lecture 4: Wed 23 November 2011, 7.30pm Were the Constructivists really Communists?
Lecture 5: Wed 30 November 2011, 7.30pm Constructivism: what are we trying to save?

Lectures are being held at THE PUSHKIN HOUSE in London. Wish I was there…

Posted in Events | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment