Home-Made: Contemporary Russian Folk Artifacts

by Fuel

The clever, bizarre and poignant DIY housewares that fill the pages of Contemporary Russian Folk Artifacts have stories to tell. They communicate the textures of the lives of ordinary Russians during the collapse of the Soviet Union, they highlight alternatives to factory design and disposable goods, and they speak volumes about what goes on in other people's homes--how they spend and scrimp, how they make do. Home-Made highlights the best of the everyday objects made by ordinary Russians during and around the time of the Soviet Union's decline. Many were inspired by a lack of access to manufactured goods. Among the hundreds of idiosyncratic constructions for inside and outside the home are a back massager from a wooden abacus, a television antenna from unwanted forks, and a tiny bathtub plug from a boot heel. The author is himself a self-taught he began exhibiting his own objects and installations in 1990, and collecting and cataloging these everyday, utilitarian objects handmade from modern materials a dozen years ago, in 1994. He accompanies each invaluable artifact with a photograph of the maker and his or her story. Foreward by Susan B. Glasser of the Washington Post Foreign Service.

Genres: Design, History

304 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2006

Reviews

[Owen Hatherley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very much enjoyed this funny and sad illustrated collection of ingenious 'other things', mostly from the late USSR or the 1990s, where people improvised the things they lacked out of waste materials or bits and bobs from the factory.

[lia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh this book. So incredible. Pictures and stories from all over Russia of hand made objects. Many made because of shortages and lack of money-all are innovative, slightly crude and beautiful. A suprising number of tritons, and metal manufactured handles for porcelain tea pots. But you'll also finde home made clocks, phones, childrens toys, guitars and more. My personal favorites were the tape deck (!), playing cards and rosary (made of chewed up bread and tobacco ash).

[leah R · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read completely yet, but I love it. My favorite part of the Shrinking cities exhibit at Cranbrook showed many of these home-made tools. My favorites so far are a beekeeping hat that uses a doily for the netting and a homemade guitar.

[Chiyo · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most inspiring art/design books I've seen in a while. It's amazing to see how people can be so creative & resourceful if they are put in extreme circumstances. It makes you think twice about throwing anything away even if it's broken or old. I wish I can live more like this everyday.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just want to say that I have read 104 pages of this so far this morning while waiting for my email to load. I can't fucking wait until we get the internet in the house and I can stop using my phone as a suboptimal wifi hotspot. I guess that's not very DIY-ethic mend-and-make-do of me.

[Tidygirl76 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent book - draws you back to the roots of craft with it's emphasis on using the things you have around you rather than buying expensive new materials.