Drawing on rarely seen material, Imagine Moscow presents an idealistic vision of the Soviet capital that was never realised. All the proposals were originally designed for Moscow between the 20s and 30s. The Design Museum celebrates the first centenary of the Russian Revolution by housing an exhibition where visitors can discover six old projects which were designed to change the city.
The exhibition shows large-scale architectural drawings are supported by artwork, propaganda and publications from the period. Taken together, these unbuilt projects suggest an alternative reality for the city, offering a unique insight into the culture of the time. Each of the six projects presented in the exhibition introduce a theme relevant to life and ideology in the Soviet Union: collectivisation, urban planning, aviation, communication, industrialisation, communal living and recreation.
The proposal of a new Moscow was created by a bold new generation of architects and designers in the 20s and early 30s. They worked on an idealistic vision of the Soviet capital that was never built.
Communal house (1920) by Nikolai Ladovski was one of the most iconic and famous symbols of Soviet communal living; Cloud Iron (1924) by El Lissitzky consisted of eight lightweight horizontal skyscrapers linking the work and living spaces using trams and metro; Lenin Institute (1927) by Ivan Leodiniv was a new planetarium and a big library; Health Factory (1928) by Nikolai Sokolov consisted of individual capsules for isolated rest, and a big area for communal activities; Narkomtiazhprom (1934-1936) a building design by the Vesnin brothers: Ivan Leonidov and Konstantin Melnikov. It was intended to house the People’s Commissariat of Heavy Industry; The Palace of the Soviets (1932) by Boris Iofan, was the ultimate monument of Soviet power at the time. It was going to be the tallest building in the world.
The exhibition shows large-scale architectural drawings are supported by artwork, propaganda and publications from the period. Taken together, these unbuilt projects suggest an alternative reality for the city, offering a unique insight into the culture of the time. Each of the six projects presented in the exhibition introduce a theme relevant to life and ideology in the Soviet Union: collectivisation, urban planning, aviation, communication, industrialisation, communal living and recreation.
The proposal of a new Moscow was created by a bold new generation of architects and designers in the 20s and early 30s. They worked on an idealistic vision of the Soviet capital that was never built.
Communal house (1920) by Nikolai Ladovski was one of the most iconic and famous symbols of Soviet communal living; Cloud Iron (1924) by El Lissitzky consisted of eight lightweight horizontal skyscrapers linking the work and living spaces using trams and metro; Lenin Institute (1927) by Ivan Leodiniv was a new planetarium and a big library; Health Factory (1928) by Nikolai Sokolov consisted of individual capsules for isolated rest, and a big area for communal activities; Narkomtiazhprom (1934-1936) a building design by the Vesnin brothers: Ivan Leonidov and Konstantin Melnikov. It was intended to house the People’s Commissariat of Heavy Industry; The Palace of the Soviets (1932) by Boris Iofan, was the ultimate monument of Soviet power at the time. It was going to be the tallest building in the world.
