30 years have passed since the dissolution of the USSR - a reasonable timespan to reconsider the events of the past era. In 2021-2022 in Kyiv the international project "After Socialist Modernism" took place. The main idea of the project is to research and represent the meanings inherited from the recent past and to give the architecture of the 1980s cultural and social context, resulting in the renewal of the discussion about the urban environment between citizens.

Questions of the institutionalization of architecture and its inclusion in the history of the country as a conscious, scientific, and socially engaged topic - are rare in contemporary discussions. Initiated by the National Art Museum of Ukraine (NAMU), the project "After Socialist Modernism" touches upon the issues of archiving material and immaterial heritage. Ukrainian historians and researchers feel the urgent need to speak out loud about the complex and multifaceted history of art and architecture; they were joined by experts from Lithuania, Poland, Germany, Belarus, and others.

The book "After Socialist Modernism. Architecture, Urban Design and Planning of the 1980s" is the result of the work of the project team, which gathered a variety of international experiences and presents the works of researchers from 7 countries.

The book focuses on the still underexplored issues of architecture and urban planning of the 1980s - unique innovative urban projects in historical cities of the Socialist Bloc, the theory of socialist and postmodern architecture and urban planning, and discussions that determined the transition in East and Central-European city planning.

In this event, participants - architects, architecture historians, researchers - will discuss distinctive case studies of postmodernist architecture from Ukraine and Lithuania, as well as practices and principles that were and are in use in Lithuania - from the 1980s and till the present day, and whether they could be of use in future Ukraine

Book PDF: https://www.aftersocialistmodernism.com/pub/after-socialist-modernism.pdf

ZOOM link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87604830374?pwd=MjlqSkRQTTZXWHBnSW5mK0tjTHBiUT09

Meeting ID: 876 0483 0374

Passcode: 215614

Working language: English

PARTICIPANTS

Oleksandr Anisimov is a project "After Socialist Modernism" co-leader, and holds a MSc in Urban studies (Vienna University & Vrije Universiteit Brussel). The chief specialist at the department of urban Mobility and street infrastructure in Lviv. Head of an educational and research-oriented urban NGO "Understanding Soviet Podil", he is involved in citizen participation, design of educational courses, and research interests including the period of the late USSR to 1990s in planning and architecture as well as urban policy and architecture entanglements.

Marija Drėmaitė is a Professor at Vilnius University's History Department. She holds a Ph.D. in the History of architecture. She is interested in the 20th-century modern architecture, socialist Modernism, and industrial heritage. Dremaite has authored, co-authored and edited books on the history of Lithuanian architecture.

Martynas Mankus is an architect and researcher who resides in Vilnius. He has obtained a Ph.D. from Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, and currently is an Associate Professor at the Department of Architecture of Vilnius Academy of Arts. His research interests include modern and postmodern Lithuanian architecture and the theory and practice of preserving modern built heritage.

Tetiana Vodotyka is an editor and publication manager of the book "After Socialist Modernism. Architecture, Urban Design, and Planning of the 1980s". She holds a Ph.D. in History, and is a co-founder and editor-in-chief of the magazine "City: History, Culture, Society".

More information about the project: https://www.aftersocialistmodernism.com/en

"After Socialist Modernism" is created as a collaboration between the National Art Museum of Ukraine, the Lithuanian National Museum of Art, Zabolotny State Scientific Library of Architecture and Construction, Journal MICS: city, history, culture and society, NGO "Understanding Soviet Podil", Center for Urban Studies.

The project is supported by the European Union under the House of Europe programme.