Eastern Blocks

by Zupagrafika

‘Sleeping districts’ of Moscow, Plattenbauten of East Berlin, modernist estates of Warsaw, Kyiv`s Brezhnevki: although these are home to the vast majority of city dwellers, post-war suburbs of central and eastern Europe have been invisible for decades.
Eastern Blocks is a photographic journey through the cityscapes of the former Eastern Bloc, inviting readers to explore the districts and peripheries that became a playground for mass housing development after WW2, including objects like houses ‘on chicken legs’, soviet ‘flying saucers’ or hammer-shaped tower blocks.
Showcasing modernist and brutalist architecture scattered around the cities of Moscow, (East) Berlin, Warsaw, Budapest, Kyiv and Saint Petersburg, the book contains over 100 photographs taken by Zupagrafika throughout the last decade as a reference archive for their illustrated books and kits, with special contributions by local photographers. Divided into 6 chapters, Eastern Blocks includes a foreword by writer and journalist Christopher Beanland, orientative maps, index of architects and informative texts on the featured cities and constructions.

zupagrafika.com/eastern-blocks

Genres: Architecture, Photography, Art, Nonfiction, History, Russia

144 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2019

Reviews

[Δημήτρης · Rating 5 out of 5]

Στο τέλος Οκτωβρίου επισκέφτηκα για πρώτη φορά τη Σόφια και στο gift shop του Red Flat (check it out!) βρήκαμε με την αδερφή μου αυτό εδώ το λεύκωμα. Είναι μια εξαιρετική συλλογή φωτογραφιών των μπλοκ πολυκατοικιών σε πόλεις του πρώην Ανατολικού Μπλοκ και γενικότερα της σοβιετικής αρχιτεκτονικής. Έχει μεγάλο ενδιαφέρον.

[Ian Porter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book of photographs to immerse oneself in. I read it on day two of a COVID lockdown with winter approaching and it was perfect for my feelings at the time. The buildings are beautiful and creative and the amount of supporting text, describing context, construction method and timelines, spot on. And these Zupagrafika books are a small coffee table size, beautifully bound and produced. Recommended

[Leneshka · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book caught me with pictures. Those panelki on photos were just as those where I used to live. Also the pictures seem to be taken in the very beginning of spring, amidst grey mist and fresh smell of water, something I miss a lot.
One more reason I enjoy this book is ability of authors to share their point of view on those buildings as something worth interest, consideration and maybe even protection. To me they were the necessary evil, and a very practical thing. It was a great experience to share authors' poetic view of the houses.
The book contains not so much of text, but it full of useful details, allowing to google in depth the theme. The buildings are named, and architects are provided. I really loved that local names of those panel buildings and even their certain types were given in the book.

[Nina Raspberry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zdjęcia! 💣

[Jovilė · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nuotraukos puikios, tekstai galėtų būti geresni, bet puiki knyga, prisižymėjau norimų aplankyti mikrorajonų.

[Inevitable_choice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as Concrete Siberia or Monotowns, but still quite interesting and original.

[André Filipe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite a good take if one enjoys this theme.
I am expecting more titles regarding construction & monuments outside the main cities.

[Ichor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A visual feast showcasing the underappreciated level of variety in precast concrete housing blocks on the other side of the Iron Curtain. The volume is light on detail and the authors invoke editorial neutrality to swerve rumination on the implications this form of architecture has on those subjected to it, but none of this detracts from their stated mission of challenging established but demonstrably false stereotypes about the mundane homogeneity of commieblocks.