Russian Utopia: a depository

Missing Monuments
Boym K. Missing Monuments 1996

Property of the author

Missing Monuments is a result of my long time fascination with souvenirs. In spite of souvenirs` universal popularity, their entire product genre is ignored by professional design opinion. I see out to create new souvenirs "by design", in a sincere belie that designers can and should work in this product field – if they care about broadening the cultural boundaries of the profession.
Missing Monuments belong to the well-known typology of miniature souvenir buildings. My miniatures are different in one fundamental respect – they are replicas of famous buildings that do not exist. These structures might have been destroyed earlier, or they might have never been built: much of visionary architecture has exerted a profound influence on the public imagination of it`s time. A great many buildings belong to this fascinating category – from the ruined Seven Wonders of the World, to the inspiring utopian architecture of the Russian avant-garde, to the lost pavilions of the world's Fairs. An entire alternative architectural history could be seen through the prism of these small objects.

Utopia Foundation, Moscow




		`Boym K. Missing Monuments 1996` Property of the author Missing Monuments is a result of my long time fascination with souvenirs. In spite of souvenirs` universal popularity, their entire product genre is ignored by professional design opinion. I see out to create new souvenirs "by design", in a sincere belie that designers can and should work in this product field – if they care about broadening the cultural boundaries of the profession. Missing Monuments belong to the well-known typology of miniature souvenir buildings. My miniatures are different in one fundamental respect – they are replicas of famous buildings that do not exist. These structures might have been destroyed earlier, or they might have never been built: much of visionary architecture has exerted a profound influence on the public imagination of it`s time. A great many buildings belong to this fascinating category – from the ruined Seven Wonders of the World, to the inspiring utopian architecture of the Russian avant-garde, to the lost pavilions of the world's Fairs. An entire alternative architectural history could be seen through the prism of these small objects.