Architectural fantasy: Yakov Chernikhov's industrial city model at "The Birth of Scale" exposition

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The exposition copy of an urban planning composition from the "Architectural Fantasies" series attracts the attention of guests at "The Birth of Scale" exposition in the National Centre RUSSIA. Its author is Yakov Chernikhov.

This futuristic model represents the image of an industrial city: one can discern street lines and repeating structures assembled from similar elements — so-called residential complexes.

"Yakov Chernikhov is the grandfather of Andrei Alexandrovich Chernikhov, curator and creator of our exposition. He called his system of teaching graphic and later architectural disciplines the 'Method of Compositional Writing,'" explained Yevgeny Artemenkov, tour guide of the National Centre RUSSIA.

The main features of this method are the development of spatial thinking, imagination and the embodiment of fantasy in material form.

Dmitry Lesnykh, author of the exposition tour, emphasised: "Chernikhov was convinced that applied graphics is a means of communication within human culture. He said: 'Always and everywhere replace words with graphics, the language of graphics is international, it needs to be known and developed everywhere.'"

Yakov Chernikhov's works influenced the further development of national architecture.

The architectural exposition "The Birth of Scale" at the National Centre presents both realised project as well as those that remained only as ideas and plans. The exposition includes both items from the National Centre RUSSIA’s own collection and those provided by museums and private collectors across the country.

Watch the series of the National Centre RUSSIA’s educational lectures on architecture with Yelizaveta Likhacheva and learn more about theRussian architecture.

Partners of "The Birth of Scale" exposition include DOM.RF, the Ministry of Construction of Russia, Gazprom, the State Research Museum of Architecture named after A. V. Shchusev, the Russian State Archive of Literature and Art, the Architectural Charitable Foundation named after Yakov Chernikhov, and the HSE School of Design.