Soviet Bus Stops

Who in their right mind would spend years traveling around Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Estonia and the various other former Soviet Socialist Republics of the old USSR, taking photograps of bus stops? Christopher Herwig, that's who, and here are the fruits of his labours. The result is one of the most endearing and eye-opening photo projects you'll ever see.Designing a bus stop really is architecture on its humblest scale. And yet, and yet.. time and again, Herwig's photos reveal the envelope-pushing, genre-defying imagination and brio that Soviet architects devoted to this most mundane of tasks in the 1970s and 1980s. The range and diversity of design approaches here is little short of breathtaking, from the modernist to the brutalist to the vernacular to the stark staring bonkers. It's clear that, for architects at least, freedom of expression was alive and well and flourishing in the USSR during the grim years of Leonid Brezhnev.Equally bizarre is the location of these extraordinary creations, many of which appear to have been plonked down onto the most desolate steppes by passing flying saucers, and then abandoned to the elements. The loneliness and dilapidation of these structures only adds to the note of melancholy that pervades this book, undercutting the initial laugh-out-loud impact some of the photos.If you loved Frederic Chaubin's magisterial CCCP: Cosmic Communist Constructions Photographed, this would be a wonderful companion piece which you will unreservedly enjoy. Otherwise, it would make a mavellous Christmas present for any leftward-leaning, design-savvy hipster with a nose for the bizarre. Warmly recommended.

Beautiful collection of stark striking variation. Interesting subtexts and feels like an adventure. Great value for money in terms of artwork per pound £

You need to be interested in the topic, but if you are it's a book rich of details

Beautifully produced little book and very well priced. The photos are timeless. If you are looking for a low price, novelty conversation piece as a present for a friend or relative, you should look no further than this. And there's a second volume in the same format.

All constructions say something about the times in which they are made. Imperialism tends to make its public statements in its art and buildings; its private statements in its gulags and collectives. It's how empires work. This is a fascinating book, because every picture shows how 'official' Soviet culture could work with local or national cultures to embed visible reminders of Soviet power on the roadside. Back in the middle ages, cathedrals dominated European cities as a reminder of the power of the church; the Soviets took this principle and extended it to the everyday business of getting from A to B. You couldn't escape the visible power of the (then) prevailing authority.Who's the book for? Historians of one kind or another; people who lived during the Soviet era and want a peek behind the Iron Curtain; and anyone who likes to wander off the main road to explore life's quirky bits.Reservations? The images are so fascinating that the page size - approx. 6.5 x 8in (165 x 203mm) - could have been at least doubled. I would not be able to afford the book then, but some of the images merited a larger format and maybe glossier paper. I am less fussed about the introductory text as I don't think this sets out to be a history of the topic. It's more a photo-notebook of these extraordinary artefacts before they crumble away. I seem vaguely to remember reading that the pyramids were denuded of their stones over centuries to provide the locals with building materials. With cattle being parked in some of the bus stops, you can see something similar occurring today. Perhaps the meek will inherit after all ...*About 164 pages of photos, with 22 pages of background/introductory text and 'the making of' photos. All numbers and page sizes approximate!

Very good for anyone who knew the old Soviet Union and travelled extensively through it. A very good sampling of that specific architecture which the Soviet regime developed, strongly connected to its ideology and to its need to appear modernistic. The book also shows abundantly the attempts at local and "ethnic" designs, which were so typical of Soviet architecture in the provinces, desperate as they were to maintain the illusion of a multicultural society and of the дружба народов, the "friendship between the peoples". The book makes no attempt at hiding the sorry state all these little street monuments are in, a reminder of the disastrous quality of construction in the Soviet Union.

Every single person I showed this book to was like, "Why would I want to read that? a book on bus stops? really?" But then they all spent at least 30 minutes flipping through the pages going, "What? seriously? look at this, it's nuts!"Worthwhile coffee table book. I bought three copies as Christmas gifts. After the initial bafflement, all of the recipients enjoyed their books and spent quite a while looking through it.You definitely get a sense of wonder and amazement while looking at these bus stops. Thanks to the photographer for cataloging these unusual architectural features for us.

Beautiful images that bring a past era to life, while documenting current existence in the former Soviet countries. Does anyone need this book? Probably not but if you have an interest in the photography, the Soviet bloc and/or alien landscapes it's worth a look. That's assuming you don't live there - in which case you might just want to check out your country and its neighbours viewed with an outsider's perspective.