Socialist Primorsky Photographing Soviet Heritage in 2018 Vladivostok & Ussuriysk Horta Fu Yat Him
Socialist Primorsky
Photographing Soviet Heritage in 2018 Vladivostok & Ussuriysk This photo collection is taken in my visit to Vladivostok and Ussuriysk in 2018 summer. It is served as an expression of my recent concerns and thoughts towards post-socialist modernism. All utopian vision would finally result in dystopia is a statement I strongly refused to accept. Through reading more arguments regarding the history of dissolution in recent months, the suggestion of ‘Balance between Old World and New World’ has been more pleasing to me. The socialist utopian experiment in the 20th century has not been failed. For instance, quite a large part of welfare concepts including labor union, social housings and urban infrastructure, which were considered as market irrational, have been penetrated the Old World through the experiment. When the Old World has become less evil, the urgency of the more radical utopian experiments was naturally fade out.
From the short visit to the Primorsky, my impression of the region is that it is in great dilemma. On the one hand, the monuments of the previous authority are well preserved, and branded as national glory. Socialist ways of living- eating highly industrialized foods, workto-rule etc. has been underlined in large degree. On the other hand, the cities, which have once been very advanced, have not been updated since the dissolution. Perhaps, it is the result of the unprecedented political movement- neither the previous authority was takeover by the foreign power nor overthrown by bottom-up mass movement, but it is the natural withdrawal of the authority’s ambition. The wishes of Putin to reverse Soviet Collapse if he could during 2018’s election may highlight the dilemma on point.
Visit on July 2018
Horta Fu Yat Him
Владивосток Vladivostok
Vladivostok was a closed Navel base with limit urban development in the early years of Soviet. Socialist modern development in Vladivostok is peaked after Nikita Khrushchev visit in 1954 and 1959 respectively. Modern infrastructures, social housings and accomondation have been rapidly constructed, forming various satellite micro-district in supporting itself not only a security border, but also a cultural and scientific centre in the Far East. By 1960s, Vladivostok is transformed at the outpost of Socialism to Asia pacific regions despite it maintained closed to foreigner.1
1. Власов С. А. Vladivostok during Khrushchev "thaw" (Владивосток в годы хрущевской «оттепели» ) // Ойкумена : журнал. — Находка: Владивостокский государственный университет экономики и сервиса, 2010. — № 3. — С. 48—55.
Buildings as Industrial Products Ulitsa Balyayeva, 56, Vladivostok, Primorskiy Ulitsy Lugovaya, 50, Vladivostok, Primorskiy kray, Primorsky Ulitsa Vilkova, 3, Vladivostok, Primorsky Sel'skaya Ulitsa, 8, Vladivostok, Primorskiy
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Mass production of buildings are the common characteristic to all Socialist cities. It can precise the building design as an industrial product, hence speeding up the construction to house the production forces. Collectivism is highly remarked by homogenous living conditions. Everyone shall enjoy the same living quality and head towards the common Utopia. Flexible prototypes are offered to be constructed as per population and streetscape. Overall, the buildings in the city are tidy order and has avoided the appear of weird personal expression.
Tabula Rasa at unflattened Peninsula Ylitsa Lugovaya, 37 Vladivostok, Primorskiy kray Prospekt Krasnogo Znameni, 120-a, Vladivostok, Primorskiy kray Vladivostok is a port city erected on the unflattened Peninsula naturally formed by sea landforms. Consisted of cliff, headland and bay. The freeland in the city is limited as there is presense of suburbs' military facilities. Tabula Rasa erection was highly challenged yet still work in practice. The industrialized building prototypes need careful adjustment according to the slope gradients. It is not uncommon to notice that majority of slab panel housing blocks are curving around the slope and steped up in form of terrace as a whole in Vladivostok. Thereby, creating a vivid and unique artificial landscape to the Peninsula.
Mosaic Arts as Identity Oktyabr'skaya Ulitsa, 14, Vladivostok, Primorsky kray Ulitsa Admirala Yumasheva, 10 Vladivostok, Primorskiy kray Prospekt Krasnogo Znameni, 114, Vladivostok, Primorskiy kray (Celebrate the 50 years found of Pervorechenskiy Rayon Though buildings are standardize products, limited degree of expression is allowed to promote the invented identity to the authority and community. Mosaic dado are commonly played on the gable walls of buildings to express and celebrate the Jubilee anniversery of the authority and rayon respectively. Patterns with undefined value shall be apply to enrich the diversity of streetscape if necessary.
Megastructure- signs of public good Naberezhnaya Ulitsa, 9, Vladivostok, Primorsky Krai (A-HOTEL Amur Bay Vladivostok, 240 meters facade length) Partizanskiy Prospekt, 28 a, Vladivostok, Primorskiy kray (137 meters facade length) Megastructure are consider financial irrational in liberal market economies, as they are inflexible to alternate during the challenges of economic crisis. However, as a planned economy, economic cycle is deminished. To demonstrate the authority ability to allocate and manage the resources, a single building can be long and big in order to perform publicly good functions. There shall be no worry of construction and management flexibility.
Perfect Utities- Purposes are served Lugovaya Square, Vladivostok, Primorsky kray Poliklinika, Vladivostok, Primorsky kray 71-605 KTM-5 Tram Cabin Interior Lugovaya Square, Vladivostok, Primorsky kray Rail transport is the SSR cities are planned with the guideline of city population. Vladivostok is fulfilling the requirement of building a tramway system which serve the workers between the urban centre and the city east. However, a large portion of rail has been demolished due to high maintainance costs since the dissolution. Fortunatly, with the durable quality of the Soviet products, tramway in the Eastern city can still function well despite tram cabin are aged and maintainance has been loose.
The Background of Production city Leninskiy Rayon, Vladivostok, Primorsky Krai (Power station Vtets-2) Ulitsa Balyayeva, 21,Vladivostok, Primorskiy kray (Megatrans Neftebaza) A typical Socialist city is production centred, which workers are living next to their workplaces. There is no exception for power station, dense residential mirco-districts are placed next to the it to reduce the commuting time of workers, which enhance the production efficiency. Situated at the Eastern end of Trans-Siberian Railway and connected with container terminals for Pacific shipping, Vladivostok is also full of warehouse and oil storages which are proximated to the workers' dwellings.
A weekend of the Soviet dream Ulitsa Verkhneportovaya, 38, Vladivostok, Primorsky kray (Palace of Mariners Culture) Svetlanskaya St, 49, Vladivostok, Primorsky kray (Primorskiy Akademicheskiy Krayevoy Dramaticheskiy Teatr) The efforts of workers should be rewarded with pastime entertainment. As a collective society, entertainment should be organized in form of mass. The theatres and concert halls are the best gathering place for promoting future common hope in form of drama and music expression. For Palace of Mariners Culture, it is now transformed to FESCO concert hall. For the Theatre named after M. Gor'kogo, front elevation has been renovated yet maintain the modern essance of its general appearance- simplicity of lines.
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Legacies of Glory Centennial Avenue,103, Vladivostok, Primorskiy kray (Youth House in Park Pobed) Prospekt Krasnogo Znameni, Vladivostok, Primorsky kray (A Roundabout at Frunzenskiy Rayon) The withdrawal of Soviet authority do not result of any replacement of old legends . Instead, most of them are still considered as national glory and kept in good condition. This do not limited to the war monuments, but also the logo cladded anywhere in a ordinary building or infrastructure. For instance, the Youth House situated at the Centennial Prospect established since Khrushchev visit in 1959, has now converted to Cinema "Illyuzion". Yet, the shining party's logo is preserved in extreme good condition.
Уссурийская Ussuriysk
Ussuriysk is the railway conjunction city associated with Railway service and manufacturing compounds. It is the second populated city in Primorsky. Locating on the Prihanka plain, the city offer another perspective in Socialist modern construction as compare to the peninsula Vladivostok.
The Irony of Fate Mel'nichnaya Ulitsa, 2, Ussuriysk, Primorsky Sovetskaya Ulitsa, 50/35 Ussuriysk, Primorskiy Ulitsa Lenina, 87, Ussuriysk, Primorsky Ulitsa Nekrasova, 25, Ussuriysk, Primorsky
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As a grassland city located in the midway station of Trans-Siberian Railway, the Standard mass housing prototypes in Ussuriysk sit in a more regular and order way according to the rectangular city grids. 5-9 stories high Khrushchyovka & Brezhnevka are scattered around the small town centres. With homogenous city grids, street name, Ussuriysk becomes unidentical to other Soviet cities of 150,000 population scaled. Isn't it romantic to meet with other who live exactly the same address and settings in the other cities?
Invented monuments (For the authority) Ulitsa Nekrasova, 66, Ussuriysk, Primorskiy kray (Fighters for the Soviet Power at Administratsiya Ussuriyskogo) Krasnoznamennaya Ulitsa, 76, Ussuriysk, Primorsky kray (Vechnyy Ogon') To stablize the ruling power of the Authority, its contributions to the welloff present must be highlighted. Monuments such as statues are extensively invented and placed in the city centres of every Soviet cities. There is no exception for Ussriysk to own its invented monuments of Russian Civil War and The Second World War.
Surveillance Gesture Ulitsa Plekhanova, 85, Ussuriysk, Primorsky kray Socialist modernism has always associate with Brutalist architecture which express building in raw concrete yet monumental gestures. The gestures are demonstrating the power of authority and industrial advancement by their heaviness. Cantilever structure were commonly used not only showing the capability to overcome the gravity, but also create a surveillance gesture. The creations by the authority are monumentally sitting on the ground, and scale over the small citizen. A sense of surveillance is created in ensuring human activities and thoughts not to be deviated from the utopia vision.
Printed and Published on August 2018 First Edition Published in Hong Kong SAR,China through issuu.com Photographed and edited by Fu Yat Him, Horta Email: hortabidac@yahoo.com.hk Tel: +852 6380 6222 32 pages All rights reserved