Inspiring Structures: Yakov Chernikhov’s Fantasies to Blob Architecture

 by Elen Jones

Yakov Chernikhov was an Architect and graphic artist in the Soviet Union. His art was described as avant-garde, despite always remaining in the realms of ‘strictly traditional architecture,’ and loyal to the party, often including slogans or exclamations within his work. Helen Thomas, author of ‘Drawing Architecture’, highlighted that his work is inspirational, displaying “all those ideas to which the architect’s mind can give birth, to inspire the viewer further to develop them.” 1

The mixture of colourful and spatially / dimensionally complex drawings, employing geometric planes and sweeping curves, makes many of his compositions comparable to that of Giovanni Battista Piranesi, according to the essay, by Alla Rosenfeld (PhD), ‘From Construction to Fantasy: The Architectural Drawings of Yakov Chernikhov in Context.’ 2 This suggests a certain prowess, and again a traditional attitude, but Chernikhov’s work clearly pushes boundaries through colour and perspective.

Constructivism is perhaps the movement which is most associated with his designs, as there is usually a powerful lack of context in how the buildings should act with the real boundaries of nature and people. While this is not so practical for plans that aim to come to fruition, these drawings serve the purpose to excite and inspire rather than inform. Despite working in fairly rigid outlines, Chernikhov seems to redefine the role of the architect as a ‘creative’ and not just practical. For instance, his drawings do not need to materialise if they have the power to inspire those in the Soviet Union, and beyond, to imagine such as prosperity/efficacy/progression etc.

I like the hyperbolic focus, the single intensity of the building without exterior context. At this time (1920-40) the Soviet Union was following an isolationist policy and defining its identity. This furthered the need for industrial, constructional and agricultural development to prove to the sceptics, and those who were fearful, in the Western World that the Soviet Union was a considerable and functioning force. 

Seeing these images made me think of the proposed architectural drawings or 3D computer generated representations that we see today, and of the sculpturally innovative buildings which are appearing in the world around us. Still, buildings are used to inspire us - whether we be the workers, visitors or owners. This can be seen clearly through the appearance in recent years of so-called “Clickbait architecture.”  3

With an agglomeration of imagery constantly available for all manner of subjects on social media, it seems natural that buildings too are vying for our attention. Creating landmarks through buildings or even monolithic structures to entice visitors, (and ‘likes’), is becoming a bit of a trend. 

Particularly in China, where spiritual connections are important between nature, humanity and urban environments, under the government's BCI (Beautiful China Initiative), this is a clear goal. New motives such as this, along with social media pressure for candidly perfect city centres, have seen the rise of some extraordinary edifices, such as Zaha Hadid’s ‘Tower C’ in Shenzhen (below). The rise of new movements - my favourite being ’Blobism’ (attributable to structures with an organic, undulating surface or rounded shapes) - has occurred - and they have grown in prominence for example the recent proposition for Amazon’s HQ2 in Arlington, Virginia (left).

While in the present day, wealthy enterprises and cities have ample funds to spend on these constructions, the depictions themselves of imagined designs still encapsulate our progression and the need for stimulation in our lives to reach our potentials, just as they did in 1920’s Communist Russia. Perhaps the materialisation of these places, while they are displays of success and the breaking of the usual boundaries of construction, in a world where as many as 1.6 billion people live in inadequate housing in communities lacking basic infrastructure, opens the door to a new discussion. 

I am left wondering, a century on from the works of Chernikhov: If the possibility of a preconceived future will be enough to power our productivity in the coming decades, if the virtual materialisation of a building is more important than its physical possibility, and, if we continue to innovate in design, is  the creation of plentiful housing or that of aspirational superstructures more influential in the fabrication of our future societal objectives?

Sources

1. Drawing Architecture: The Finest Architectural Drawings Through the Ages by Helen Thomas- @ Phaidon Press 2018.

2.https://www.jamesbutterwick.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Yakov-Chernikhov-1889-1951-The-Soviet-Piranesi.pdf

3.https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2021/jan/24/urban-clickbait-why-iconic-architecture-is-all-the-rage-again