Finding the form of a blunt massive volume, VKhUTEMAS 1920-1926

Posted by Ross Wolfe

Parallelepiped, cylinder,
complex configuration

Unknown View of the Basic Course Report exhibition of student projects showing models, drawings and a sculpture at the Vkhutemas (Higher State Artistic Technical Studios), Moscow between mid 1920s and 1930

View of the Basic Course Report exhibition of student projects showing models, drawings and sculptures at the Vkhutemas (Higher State Artistic Technical Studios), Moscow between mid 1920s and 1930a

From VKhUTEMAS to MARKhI, 1920-36 (1)_Page_086

“Comrades!

The twin fires of war and revolution have devastated both our souls and our cities. The palaces of yesterday’s grandeur stand as burnt-out skeletons. The ruined cities await new builders[…]

To you who accept the legacy of Russia, to you who will (I believe!) tomorrow become masters of the whole world, I address the question: with what fantastic structures will you cover the fires of yesterday?” ⎯ Vladimir Maiakovskii, “An Open Letter to the Workers” (1918)

“Utopia transforms itself into actuality. The fairy tale becomes a reality. The contours of socialism will become overgrown with iron flesh, filled with electric blood, and begin to dwell full of life. The speed of socialist building outstrips the most audacious daring. In this lies the distinctive character and essence of the epoch.” ⎯ I. Chernia,“The Cities of Socialism” (1929)

“The idea of the conquest of the substructure, the earthbound, can be extended even further and calls for the conquest of gravity as such. It demands floating structures, a physical-dynamic architecture.” ⎯ El Lissitzky, The Reconstruction of Architecture in the Soviet Union (1929)

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The Charnel-House

From Bauhaus to Beinhaus

Day: March 23, 2014

Finding the form of a blunt massive volume, VKhUTEMAS 1920-1926

Parallelepiped, cylinder,
complex configuration

Like this:

Parallelepiped, cylinder, complex configuration

With lightning telegrams:

Like this:

Parallelepiped, cylinder,
complex configuration