{"title":"Frédéric Chaubin","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrédéric Chaubin\u003c\/strong\u003e explores the intersection of architecture, history, and culture through a unique visual lens. His works offer an insightful journey into bold, often overlooked styles and movements, capturing the spirit of their time with striking imagery and thoughtful commentary.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eReaders can expect richly illustrated books that celebrate artistic expression in public spaces, inviting reflection on the power of design and symbolism in shaping cultural identity. Chaubin’s distinctive approach blends art and documentation, making his books an inspiring addition to any Arts \u0026amp; Culture collection.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"frederic-chaubin-by-frederic-chaubin-9783836587792","title":"Frédéric Chaubin","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eElected the architectural book of the year by the International Artbook and Film Festival in Perpignan, France, \u003cem\u003eFrédéric Chaubin's\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cem\u003eCosmic Communist Constructions Photographed\u003c\/em\u003e explores \u003cb\u003e90 buildings in 14 former Soviet Republics\u003c\/b\u003e. Each of these structures expresses what Chaubin considers the \u003cb\u003efourth age of Soviet architecture\u003c\/b\u003e, an unknown burgeoning that took place \u003cb\u003efrom 1970 until 1990\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eContrary to the 1920s and 1950s, no \"school\" or main trend emerges here. These buildings represent a \u003cb\u003echaotic impulse brought about by a decaying system\u003c\/b\u003e. Taking advantage of the collapsing monolithic structure, \u003cb\u003earchitects went far beyond modernism\u003c\/b\u003e, going back to the roots or freely innovating. Some of the daring ones completed projects that the \u003cb\u003eConstructivists\u003c\/b\u003e would have dreamt of (Druzhba Sanatorium, Yalta), while others expressed their imagination in an \u003cb\u003eexpressionist\u003c\/b\u003e way (Palace of Weddings, Tbilisi).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA summer camp, inspired by sketches of a prototype lunar base, lays claim to Suprematist influence (Prometheus youth camp, Bogatyr). Then comes the \u003cb\u003e\"speaking architecture\"\u003c\/b\u003e widespread in the last years of the USSR: a crematorium adorned with concrete flames (Crematorium, Kiev), a technological institute with a flying saucer crashed on the roof (Institute of Scientific Research, Kiev), and a political center watching you like Big Brother (House of Soviets, Kaliningrad).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn their puzzle of styles and outlandish strategies, these buildings are \u003cb\u003eextraordinary remnants of a collapsing system\u003c\/b\u003e. In their diversity and local exoticism, they testify both to the \u003cb\u003evast geography of the USSR\u003c\/b\u003e and its encroaching end, representing holes in a widening net. At the same time, they immortalise many of the \u003cb\u003eideological dreams of the country and its time\u003c\/b\u003e, from an obsession with the cosmos to the rebirth of identity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Thames and Hudson (Australia) Pty Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47596437143788,"sku":"9783836587792","price":70.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9783836587792-fr-d-ric-chaubin.jpg?v=1777925383"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/collections\/frederic-chaubin.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}