Description
Soviet vernacular architecture across 18,000 miles in 14 countries
Photographer Christopher Herwig first noticed the unusual architecture of Soviet-era bus stops during a 2002 long-distance bike ride from London to St. Petersburg. Challenging himself to take one good photograph every hour, Herwig began to notice surprisingly designed bus stops on otherwise deserted stretches of road. Twelve years later, Herwig had covered more than 18,000 miles in 14 countries of the former Soviet Union, traveling by car, bike, bus and taxi to hunt down and document these bus stops.
The local bus stop proved to be fertile ground for local artistic experimentation in the Soviet period, and was built seemingly without design restrictions or budgetary concerns. The result is an astonishing variety of styles and types across the region, from the strictest Brutalism to exuberant whimsy.
Soviet Bus Stops is the most comprehensive and diverse collection of Soviet bus stop design ever assembled, including examples from Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Moldova, Armenia, Abkhazia, Georgia, Lithuania, Latvia, Belarus and Estonia. Originally published in a quickly sold-out limited edition, Soviet Bus Stops, named one of the best photobooks of 2014 by Martin Parr, is now available in a highly anticipated, expanded smaller-format trade edition.
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Amazon Customer –
This is a great photo book. Definitely recommended for any Soviet history nerds. It’s worth pointing out that there are no pictures of Russia, but every other Soviet satellite state is included. Served as the catalyst for an upcoming journey in the region. Unfortunately my copy came with a bent front cover and a little spot scratched off, which is a little disappointing given the price of the relatively small/short book, but that is a criticism of the seller and not the content.
Vostochny –
Une découvert totale. A l’inverse des idées reçues sur la monotonie de l’ex-URSS. Ces arrêts de bus sont parfois de magnifiques oeuvres d’art ou bien parlent par leur dépouillement de la nostalgie.
Curieusement aucune image en provenance de Russie: l’auteur n’y est pas allé. On aimerait savoir s’il reste aussi quelques vestiges de ce type dans ce pays.
Robert I. Hedges –
Christopher Herwig has produced an amazing photographic journal of an utterly unique Soviet architectural art form, the bus stop. To get these photographs Herwig traveled to 14 countries including difficult to access Moldova, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan (not to mention his treks across Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, Belarus and Estonia among others). Herwig’s text and the introduction by Jonathan Meades are illuminating and the essay “The Bus Pavilion: A Minor Architectural Form” by Vera Kavalkova-Halvarsson is especially insightful and explains how in a sea of ugly Brutalist architecture (particularly under Khrushchev and Brezhnev) big budget construction was tightly regulated, but smaller inexpensive projects like bus stops were not considered terribly significant and flew under the radar of the bureaucrats allowing an astonishing array of creativity from mostly young designers and architects with considerable help from local communities.
I am genuinely astonished at the creativity on display here, and Herwig’s photography is more than up to the challenge. The contrast between the diverse bus stops (many of which are now unserved and abandoned) and their settings are frequently amazing and definitely helped me have a more considered appreciation of this unusual architectural form as a mode of artistic expression. My favorites in the book were concentrated in Kazakhstan (particularly the unusual installation in Astana) and Lithuania, although for sheer diversity of design and astonishing concepts, the bus stops of Abkhazia (especially in Pitsunda and Gudauta) are unbeatable.
From both a photographic and architectural viewpoint, Herwig has created a truly unique gem with “Soviet Bus Stops” and I recommend it highly.
WGC –
I’ve had my eye on this book for a while and I’m glad I finally bought it. It’s smaller than I would have imagined, but it’s the perfect size for a guest to pick up and flip through at a house party. The foreword and author’s introductions are interesting, but I wish there was a bit more text to go along with each image.
EB –
Marvelous book. Nicely bound and printed, and of course the photography is quite striking. Makes a great gift for any fan of Soviet architecture or history. I do wish some of the photos were accompanied by more detailed information, but it is what it is.
Nasso –
― 冒頭より。
建築家 Armen Sardarov氏と、彼が属したロード・デザイン・ユニオン（すごいな）のメンバーたちが、冷戦下のソ連でおよそ20年間、趣向に趣向を凝らして凝らしまくってイッちゃったりしたバス停 100点以上を掲載。当時、ソ連では自家用車なんて夢の超贅沢品だったので、代わりに、公的交通機関であるバス停が、市民の憩いの場も兼ね、象徴的な発展を遂げていったとあります。
やがて時代の流れとともに、路線変更で棄てられていった、ロシア文化の権化たち。連邦時代の広大な面積を東奔西走して、写真に収めた著者に、敬意を表しつつ。
Richard Nixon –
A deep look into the diverse public art within the former soviet union. I’ve had this book on my coffee table for a few months, and its been a popular conversation starter. If you’re fascinated with Soviet art and culture this is a great purchase
John Morris –
I stumbled on this by accident. But what a delight! The structures themselves are fascinating and, in many cases, beautiful. It’s a glimpse into the aesthetics of dozens of cultures, and evidence of how the Soviet system could not crush creativity. The backdrops, meanhwhile, provide an express tour of the Soviet Union.
What a wonderful, quirky, beautiful book!
Daniel Morgan –
This book is magnificent. Apparently Soviet architects were allowed a lot of individuality in designing bus stops, meaning that this is an eclectic collection reflecting local building materials, regional styles and cultures, and the features of life in the different areas. This includes bus stops from most of the Soviet Republics (from what I can tell, only Azerbaijan and Russia itself are not included). It is really amazing to see just how many designs people came up with.
Compulsive gardener –
This IS the coffee table book. It’s an intriguing look into the eclectic genius of tiny Ukrainian villages and throughout Russia. The backstory the authors offered was delightful. The story about the stipend offered to the villages that allowed for these bus stops… the amazing mosaics that emerged! It was inspiring. Communism, who would have thunk it?
Nicholas Rowley –
I bought this book out of curiosity and I’m glad I did. The photos in ‘Soviet Bus Stops’ are all incredibly shot, and make for a fascinating look into a field of architecture that seems to go overlooked.
Giorgio Caione –
Capolavoro. Must have per gli amanti della fotografia e del mondo soviet. Altrettanto bello il vol. 2.
Sean –
High quality materials, well made, image to print quality good. Nice book, would recommend