Photographer Christopher Herwig has covered more than 30,000km by car, bike, bus and taxi in 13 former Soviet countries discovering and documenting these unexpected treasures of modern art. From the shores of the Black Sea to the endless Kazakh steppe, these bus stops show the range of public art from the Soviet era and give a rare glimpse into the creative minds of the time. The book represents the most comprehensive and diverse collection of Soviet bus stop design ever assembled from: Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Moldova, Armenia, Abkhazia, Georgia, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. With a foreword by writer, critic and television presenter Jonathan Meades.
Working as a prison guard in St Petersburgs notorious Kresty Prison, the author diligently recorded over 3,000 criminal tattoos, documenting their meanings within this closed society. This title explores the extremes of this collection.
Containing over 140 exclusive photographs - ranging from private homes to football stadia - across every region of the country, Brutalist Italy is the first publication to focus entirely on this subject.
The first ever spomenik guidebook, with over 75 examples alongside map references and information on why they exist and who built them. Spomenik' the Serbo-Croat/Slovenian word for 'monument' - refers to a series of memorials built in Tito's Republic of Yugoslavia from the 1960s-1990s, marking the horror of the occupation and the defeat of Axis forces during World War II. Hundreds were built across the country, from coastal resorts to remote mountains. Through these imaginative forms of concrete and steel, a classless, forward-looking, socialist society, free of ethnic tensions, was envisaged. Instead of looking to the ideologically aligned Soviet Union for artistic inspiration, Tito turned to the west and works of abstract expressionism and minimalism. As a result, Yugoslavia was able to develop its own distinct identity through these brutal monuments, which were used as political tools to articulate Tito's personal vision of a new tomorrow. Today, following the breakup of the country and the subsequent Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s, some have been destroyed or abandoned. Many have suffered the consequences of ethnic tensions - once viewed as symbols of hope they are now the focus of resentment and anger. This book brings together the largest collection of spomeniks published to date. Each has been extensively photographed and researched by the author, to make this book the most comprehensive survey of this obscure and fascinating architectural phenomenon. A fold-out map on the reverse of the dust jacket shows the exact location of each spomenik using GPS coordinates.
A must have for collectors of Baldaev's and Vasliev's work: anyone who has the Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia I-III and Drawings from the Gulag, will need this to complete their collection
The follow up to Soviet Cities by acclaimed Russian photographer and Instagram sensation Arseniy Kotov. A photography book featuring four areas of the post-Soviet republics seen over four different seasons
The first book by Russian photographer and Instagram sensation Arseniy Kotov. The images showcase surviving Soviet Modernist architecture from across the former USSR, much of which has never previously been documented
Following his bestselling quest for Soviet Bus Stops, Canadian photographer Christopher Herwig has completed a subterranean expedition photographing the stations of each Metro network of the former USSR. From extreme marble and chandelier opulence to brutal futuristic minimalist glory, Soviet Metro Stations documents this wealth of diverse architecture.
This vivid and fascinating collection of propaganda spans over a century - a visual feast illustrating how persuasion, manipulation and fear were used to influence populations around the world. Do you know what propaganda looks like? A mural showing Saddam Hussein on horseback. A colossal cut-out of Benito Mussolini mounted on Milan Cathedral. A film of North Korea's Kim Jong Un parading an intercontinental ballistic missile. A Pakistani newspaper advertisement calling for 'Jehad' (sic). A soldier firing condoms from his gun in a Ugandan AIDS awareness and prevention campaign. A traditional Azerbaijani rug celebrating the achievements of Soviet space travel, with portraits of Gagarin, Tereshkova (and of course Lenin). Juxtaposing material from conflicting ideologies, Propagadopolis presents the broadest range of shocking, unusual and visually arresting images, encompassing all regions and eras of the modern age to demonstrate how propaganda has been wielded to evoke emotions, rally support or instill fear - to leave an indelible mark on the collective consciousness. Extended captions explain the fascinating stories behind this material, contextualising the strategies used by governments, agencies and individuals seeking to influence, deceive and demoralise through the use of propaganda. Containing many previously unpublished examples and with an enlightening introduction from Robert Peckham, author of Fear: An Alternative History of the World (2023), Propagandopolis is an essential visual guide to the enduring potency of the most pervasive, manipulative and persuading images of our time.
An incredible collection of images of chess players from the last 130 years, showcasing the unique relationship between chess and culture, featuring world famous actors, artists, politicians and musicians.You don't have to play chess to appreciate Chess Players: from Charlie Chaplin to Wu-Tang Clan, but as Martin Amis asks in his illuminating essay: What are they playing at?'These evocative photographs transcend the chessboard, spanning 130 years - from a steamship crossing the Atlantic in 1888, to the zero-gravity of space - showcasing the diverse range of individuals who have embraced the game across continents and eras.Marcel Duchamp's iconic quote, ?All chess players are artists,' resonates through these pages. David Hockney likened the games strategic thinking to that of making art 'Drawing is rather like playing chess: your mind races ahead of the moves that you eventually make.''Chess is war over the board', said Bobby Fischer (grand master and world chess champion) - but here John Lennon and Yoko Ono checkmate this notion, with their all-white, chess ?peace' set.Hollywood stars played chess on and off the screen - Humphrey Bogart deploys a Sicilian Defence against Lauren Bacall, while Faye Dunaway and Steve McQueen plot their next gambit in the iconic chess seduction scene from 'The Thomas Crown Affair' (1968).With an introduction by Dylan Loeb McClain, former chess columnist for The New York Times, the photographs in Chess Players help explain the enduring attraction of this cerebral game, from pawn to king, amateur to grandmaster.
Audio Erotica is a perfectly pitched visual anthem to home audio entertainment. Using sales brochures from the 1950-1980s, a symphony of graphic nostalgia tracks the technological progress of our listening pleasure. Remember roller-skating wearing your first Walkman? Or relaxing to easy-listening in your pure white Philips lounge? Or playing chess on your JVC tabletop radio? All these scenarios can be found in the geeky and rarefied world of the vintage hi-fi brochure, where graphic design and acoustic apparatus make magical music together. From austere post-war Britain to poppy pre-millennium Japan, Audio Erotica presents a nostalgic nirvana of the strangest and most significant period hi-fi brochures. Alphabetically listed, from Aiwa to Zenith, with Braun, JVC Nivico, Nakamichi, Sony and everything in between, this book will resonate with any music fan. Setting the tempo are the pipe-smoking, high-end separates (amplifiers, speakers, turntables) of the 1950s, followed by the swinging Dansette record players of the 1960s, the prog-brushed-metal music centres of the 1970s, and the sleek capitalist cabinet stack systems of the 1980s ¿ not forgetting the aerobic stereo sound portability facilitated by the boom-box, and that final high-fidelity, hardware hurrah: the compact disc. All accompanied by questionable fashion decisions and acres of shag-pile carpet. The evocative brochures in Audio Erotica track the technological development of audio equipment before the digital download, while simultaneously revealing the way hi-fi was marketed to the listening public. With knobs on.
The most comprehensive photographic document of the London council estate, with fascinating images from every London borough and the City, featuring some 300 estates built between 1947 and 1981. Why are some London council estates considered notorious, while others are arguably the most desirable places to live in the capital? As the most comprehensive photographic document of the London council estate, this book provides an insight, featuring some 300 estates from every borough and the City. London Estates features the first post-war housing in Paddington, Islington and Romford; the Modernist schemes in Finsbury, Bethnal Green, Poplar, Wandsworth, Camberwell and the Cities of London and Westminster; the acclaimed 1960s estates of Camden and Lambeth; and the lesser-known 1970s estates of Kingston, Haringey, Havering, Hillingdon and Tower Hamlets. There are designs from a broad range of architects including Denys Lasdun (Keeling House, Trevelyan House); Chamberlin, Powell & Bon (Golden Lane Estate), Erno Goldfinger (Balfron Tower, Trellick Tower); Basil Spence (Stock Orchard Estate, Tustin Estate), and Kate Macintosh (Dawson¿s Heights). A huge range of architectural styles are represented ¿ from prefabricated and `self-built¿ schemes, to Modernist and brutalist designs, including over 30 protected historic buildings. This book celebrates London council estates in all their diversity, championing the neglected alongside the distinguished, honouring their immeasurable contribution to the social and architectural fabric of the capital.
Charles Holden's designs for the London Underground from the mid-1920s to the outbreak of World War II represent a high point of transport architecture and Modernist design in Britain. His collaboration with Frank Pick, the Chief Executive of London Transport, brought about a marriage of form and function still celebrated today. Pick used the term `Medieval Modernism¿ to describe their work on the underground system, comparing the task to the construction of a great cathedral. London Tube Stations 1924 ¿ 1961 catalogues and showcases every surviving station from this innovative period. These beautiful buildings, simultaneously historic and futuristic, have been meticulously documented by architectural photographer Philip Butler.Annotated with station-by-station overviews by writer and historian Joshua Abbott, the book provides an indispensable guide to the network's Modernist gems. All the key stations have a double page spread, with a primary exterior photograph alongside supporting images. A broader historical introduction, illustrated with archival images from the London Transport Museum, gives historical context, while a closing chapter lists the demolished examples alongside further period images.These stations, as famed architectural historian Nicholas Pevsner later noted, would "pave the way for the twentieth-century style in England".
A `dachä is a country house, made of wood, used by Soviet citizens to escape the rigors of the city for rural idyll. Widespread in the countries of the former USSR, this important cultural and architectural form has been largely ignored academically. In Dacha Fyodor Savintsev documents this particularly Russian phenomenon, his photographs constitute a unique record of a rapidly vanishing fairytale wooden world. The word `dachä has been used to describe constructions ranging from grand imperial villas to small sheds. Originally bestowed by the Tsar to reward courtiers, this custom continued following the revolution, with Soviet cooperatives building dachas for their members. Supposedly for the benefit of labourers, in reality they were destined for those favoured by the State, including famous writers, architects and artists ¿ from Pasternak to Prokofiev. The fall of the Soviet Union accelerated their use, as economic uncertainty forced city dwellers towards self-sufficiency. The dacha tradition has survived Revolution, war and the collapse of Communism, becoming an integral part of life in the process. Using contemporary photographs to showcase these uniquely individual buildings for the first time, alongside an introduction explaining their historical and cultural context, Dacha is the only publication of its kind.
Jonny Trunk and FUEL present A-Z of Record Shop Bags - a publication celebrating the humble record store bag. This exhaustive collection of the record shop bag provides a unique perspective of record shopping in the UK over the last century, bringing together over 500 incredible bags (some possibly the only surviving examples) to document the fascinating story of British high street record shopping. Bags from famous chains such as NEMS, Our Price and Virgin (the amazingly rare Roger Dean bags), sit alongside designs from local shops run by eccentric enthusiasts. Packed with stories such as the first Jewish ska retailer, the record sellers who started the premier league, famous staff (David Bowie, Dusty Springfield, Morrissey, etc.) and equally infamous owners, these anecdotes of mythical vinyl entrepreneurs will entertain and delight. With vinyl record sales at their highest ever for decades (outselling CDs in the US), this publication acts as an amazing insight into the history, culture and visual language of record collecting. Following Own Label, Wrappers Delight and Auto Erotica - A-Z of Record Shop Bags: 1940s to 1990s is the next book in the series by Jonny Trunk and FUEL, examining overlooked aspects of our collective past.
Each of these objects is personal, and has a personality, a story. In an age of in-built obsolescence there's something very radical in that. - Owen Hatherley, Tribune magazine The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has led to widespread sanctions being imposed on Russia. As the effects of these measures begin to take hold, the lives of ordinary Russian people will be subject to the type of austerity they last endured over 30 years ago, following the collapse of the USSR. A reprinted edition of the highly popular book from 2006. Home Made Russia features over 220 artefacts of Soviet culture, each accompanied by a photograph of the creator, their story of how the object came about, its function and the materials used to create it. The Vladimir Arkhipov collection includes hundreds of objects created with often idiosyncratic functional qualities, made for use both inside and outside the home, such as a tiny bathtub plug carefully fashioned from a boot heel; a back massager made from an old wooden abacus; a road sign used as a street cleaner's shovel; and a doormat made from beer bottle tops. Home Made Russia presents a unique picture of a critical period of transition, as the Soviet regime crumbled, but was yet to be replaced with a new system. Each of these objects is a window, not only into the life of its creator, but also the situation of the country at this time. Shortages in stores were commonplace, while wages might be paid in goods, or simply not paid at all. These exceptional circumstances lent themselves to a singular type of ingenuity, respectfully documented in intimate detail by Vladimir Arkhipov.
The first book to tell the story of the Soviet airline Aeroflot using never before seen ephemera - advertising, brochures, tickets and promotional items
Whether it's the poster for the three-wheeler Bond Bug or the rare and racy flick book for the Ford Cortina Mark III, Auto Erotica will delight and possibly drive you wild!
A photography book of film stills and script from the critically acclaimed, psychogeographic film London, written and directed by Patrick Keiller, released in 1994
French photographer Jason Guilbeau has used Google Street View to virtually navigate Russia and the former USSR, searching for examples of a forgotten Soviet empire. The subjects of these unlikely photographs are incidental to the purpose of Google Street View - captured by serendipity, rather than design, they are accorded a common vernacular. Once found, he strips the images of their practical use by removing the navigational markers, transforming them to his own vision. From remote rural roadsides to densely populated cities, the photographs reveal traces of history in plain sight: a Brutalist hammer and sickle stands in a remote field; a jet fighter is anchored to the ground by its concrete exhaust plume; a skeletal tractor sits on a cast-iron platform; an village sign resembles a Constructivist sculpture. Passers by seem oblivious to these objects. Relinquished by the present they have become part of the composition of everyday life, too distant in time and too ubiquitous in nature to be recorded by anything other than an indiscriminate automaton. This collection of photographs portrays a surreal reality: it is a document of a vanishing era, captured by an omniscient technology that is continually deleting and replenishing itself - an inadvertent definition of Russia today.
Jonny Trunk is an English writer, broadcaster and DJ as well as the owner and founder of Trunk Records.
Drawing on the early Soviet atheist magazines Godless and Godless atthe Machine, and postwar posters by Communist Party publishers, the authorpresents an unsettling tour of atheist ideology in the USSR.
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