That day The War

On February 24th, Russia underwent a sudden shift towards authoritarianism, which had been a concern for many years. But suddenly, literally one night our worst fear became a reality. Work, that creative class had been doing these years to improve the country, became meaningless overnight. Even more, we questioned, whether we had unwittingly contributed to this system’s growth.

The nightmarish change left free-thinking Russians feeling like outsiders in their own country, which is precisely what the Kremlin wanted. Putin encouraging people to leave, resulted in the biggest brain drain from Russia since the Bolshevik revolution. Some people stayed to keep the bright hope of life in Russia alive.

The situation is too overwhelming to express solely through grief, so I decided to channel my emotions into something useful. As an architect, I believe that our field has the power to create meaning- ful visualizations that can communicate complex emotions and ideas.

However, when a country is in a state of destruction, it can be difficult to know what is truly meaningful. How can we create something that speaks to the heart of a nation in turmoil? How can we use architecture to make a positive impact when so much has been lost?

As an architect, I have embarked on a project that delves into the complex relationship between architecture and power within authoritarian states.

While focus will be on the contemporary Russia, the project aims to offer valuable insights that can benefit architects in other authoritarian countries facing similar challenges. Although it does not provide definitive answers, it seeks to explore issues to highlight possible solutions.