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Kulturis sakhli (Eng. House of Culture / Рус. Дом Культуры)
A project about Soviet culture houses stuck in timelessness after the collapse of Soviet Union.
Houses of Culture in the USSR were founded in the 1920s, based on the People's Houses of the Russian Empire, whose main purpose was to improve literacy among the population. The Soviet authorities took total ideological control over all aspects of public life, and the system of culture houses became one of the main channels for spreading Marxist-Leninist ideas. Film screenings, theatrical performances, activity clubs, and educational work in the interests of the Communist Party were regularly held there.
The architecture and interior design of culture houses were also forms of monumental propaganda, aimed at projecting the image of a powerful state and a utopian vision for the Soviet people. The peak of architectural excesses in construction occurred in the late 1940s and early 1950s. During this time, grand palaces of culture could even appear in small villages.
With Perestroika and the subsequent collapse of the USSR, the system of culture houses started to dramatically degrade. According to researchers, currently only about 20% of culture houses still operate. Many buildings were either demolished or converted for commercial use. The rest are fully or semi-abandoned.
This project explores the system of culture houses in Georgia
, which was one of the republics of the Soviet Union. The photographs were taken in 39 culture houses, mostly located in small towns and rural areas.
