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Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Moscow: Futuristic Concepts from 1900 (!)


"QUANTUM SHOT" #136


If not for the Russian October Revolution...

This is a rare glimpse of how Moscow might have evolved, if communists had not come to power in 1917 (and the laws of physics had been more forgiving)...
These amazing visions appeared in Russia at the turn of the century, in 1900 - probably one of the very first truly "Futuristic / Urban" series of images ever published (issued by the Joint Stock Publishing Company "Einem")
Source: Museum of Modern History, Russia

Architecture

Architecture

Architecture

Architecture

Architecture

Architecture

Architecture

Architecture

Source: Museum of Modern History, Russia (public exhibits)

Permanent Link...
Category: Architecture,Vintage

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COMMENTS:

6 Comments:

Blogger doctorow said...

Great post, but I don't think that Leninism is the reason that Moscow never got jet-powered ice-sleds.

BTW, how about tagging the Flickr set as Public Domain or CC instead of "All Rights Reserved"? These images are in the public domain, after all.

Cory

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

YeaH Duuudz,

Like don't diss Marxism Leninism! Soviet Union, China, Cuba, North Korea, Pol Pot, Stalin, Mao, Chauchesku... That was just a fluke. Just because Marxism has turned every country it touches into a poverty stricken facist hell-hole, doesn't mean there is anything wrong with Marxism or Leninism! Marxism failed because the people in those countries where inherently inferior and evil - Why if good white upper middle class bay-area hipsters like Cory Doctorow were leading the revolution, it would be nothing but kittens and cupcakes for everyone! After all, Cory is so much cooler than a bunch of dirty and ignorant cossacks.

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Insightful and profoundly witty though Anonymous' critique may be, it misses doctorow's point. There may well be very good reasons for criticizing communism, but jet-powered ice-sleds isn't one of them.

These are great pictures, and thanks for posting them. But I've got to agree with doctorow, the commmunism crack is silly, particularly since it was only thanks to the revolution that backward, monarchist, agricultural Russia left the dark ages and actually became industrialized.

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This is what they were planning instead...I particularly like the deranged "palace of soviets" designs.

Anyway, they did get jet powered ice sleds. Or close enough.

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Blogger Avi Abrams said...

Unrealized Moscow & sleds: Awesome links! Thank you

___  
Blogger bob said...

I'm with the first anonymous poster- clearly Lenin was responsible for the failure to realize futurist visions not only in Russia, but in every other country in the world. I think he must have used commie magic, or something.
Seriously though, obviously this vision of the future never came to pass because it's _completely absurd_. Those sleds are hard to make out, but aren't those propellers in front? They appear to float in mid-air, unconnected to the vehicle. It'd be great to have the streets filled with those- one could imagine the carnage if they crashed into anything.

___  

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