Blog
Tetris: The Game That Challenged Soviet Control and Conquered the World
The state controlled almost all aspects of daily life in the USSR, including entertainment. However, everything changed in 1985 when Alexey Pajitnov created an unapproved computer game based on a puzzle game from his childhood. The game consisted of random pieces that players would rotate to fill rows, and when each row was completed, it was deleted. He named it "Tetris," combining "tetra," the Greek word for four, and "tennis."
East vs West: A Comparison of Soviet & American Cold War Posters
The Buran: The Soviet Response to NASAs Space Shuttle
Not Lovin' It: The Rise and Fall of McDonald's Diplomacy
Soviet Propaganda Posters are Undervalued. Here's Why
Decoding the Most Common Symbols Found in Soviet Propaganda
The Ekranoplan - The Colossal Soviet-era Aquatic Plane that Never Was
Where to Buy Original Soviet Art
Intourist Travel Posters - How the USSR Used Propaganda to Drive Tourism
The Definitive History of the Soviet Propaganda Poster
Art Factory: The Rise of Soviet Safety Posters in the Workplace
The OG of Photoshop: The Fabrication of Photographs in Stalin’s Soviet Surveillance State
It’s 1922, and a photograph of Stalin and Lenin sitting side-by-side appears in every newspaper across the Soviet Union. But everything wasn’t as it seemed. The photograph was a fake. It’s thought this photograph was the first time that Stalin used photo technicians to create a new reality, his version of reality.
The Trans-Siberian Railroad - The Railroad that Changed the World and Started a War
A Top 10 Guide to Georgia’s Best Soviet & Modern Architecture
Exploring Budapest’s Dystopian Underground Water Reservoir
Z is for Sorrow: How a Letter Became the Symbol for Russia's Invasion of Ukraine
Russia’s Vulnerability can be Shown with a Map
The Enduring Legacy of the Lada
Abandoned Kyrgyzstan: Aalam-Ordo, the Centre of the Universe
Final Frontier: The Road of a Million Bones
The Eagle has Landed: Hunting with the Last Eagle Hunters in Kyrgyzstan
What's in a Name? Comrade Kiev becomes Comrade Kyiv
Castles & Controversy: Inside Turkey's $200m Abandoned Town
A few hours drive from Istanbul is a remote valley with soft rolling slopes that is surrounded by woodland. What sets it apart from other valleys in the area, is the hundreds of identical chateaus. More than 500 palatial homes sit abandoned on a 250 acre site. I have a deep interest in the Soviet Union and abandoned places. While this town isn’t Soviet, it’s too bizarre to not write about.
The Land of Fire: The Do’s and Don'ts in Azerbaijan
60 Years in the Making: The Domestication of the Siberian Silver Fox
Soviet Sanatoriums: The Crumbling Remains of Tskaltubo, Georgia
A Top 10 Guide to Armenia’s Best Brutalist & Modernist Buildings
Knocking on Heaven's Door: Armenia's Abandoned Orgov Telescope
Armenia’s Modernist Masterpiece: Lake Sevan Writers Retreat
Bulldozer Exhibition: The Degenerate Art of the USSR
Memory Palace: Inside the Abandoned Shymkent Palace of Culture
Samantha Smith: The 10 Year Old Girl Who Became an Icon for Peace
Soviet Status Symbols: The Unique Balconies of the USSR
In Conversation with a Soviet Propaganda Poster Artist: Vladimir Tverdokhlebov
Art runs in my family. My father Sergey Grigoryevish Tverdokhlebov was an artist and spent most of his life working as an art teacher. My uncle Ivan Grigoryevich Tverdokhlebov was a prominent artist in Russia and Chechnya.
Murder, Money and Michael J Fox: Ice Hockey in the Wild, Wild East
Celebrating 60 Years of Humans in Space with a New Tour
Announcing Sustainable, Ethical, Design-led Tours to the Former USSR
Photo Essay: Inside Tashkent's Space-aged Subway Station
Behind the Propaganda Poster: The Story of International Women's Day
Fonts & Freedom: Using Typography to Chart the Course of the USSR
The Fraternal Kiss - Behind the Famous Photo
Creativity vs Communism: The Polish School of Propaganda, CYRK and Art Posters
Missing Murals: The Legacy of Soviet Mosaics
Must Read Books on Soviet Art, Design and Culture
Welcome to Bulunkul, Central Asia's Coldest Town
Nestled in the center of the Pamir Mountains of Tajikistan, more than 12,000ft (3,700m) above sea level, there is a small plateau with 45 houses at the end of the road. These houses, home to 306 people, are in the village of Bulunkul, more affectionately known as Central Asia’s coldest town.
Soviet Logos: The Lost Logos of a Socialist Utopia
How We're Building a Purpose Led Business
We’ve Integrated with Klarna to Make Art More Accessible
Photo Essay: Turkmenistan's Shining Marble City, Ashgabat
How the CIA Stole a Sunken Soviet Submarine from the Sea Floor
Photo Essay: The Unworldly Photos of Industrial Waste Landscapes in Russia
Behind the Poster: The Young Pioneers of the USSR
A Conversation about Conservation: How to Store, Frame and Protect your Artwork
Behind the Propaganda Poster: Political Games at the Soviet Olympic Games
How We’re Building a Carbon Neutral Business
Photo Essay: An Empty and Endless Kazakhstan
It’s 20 degrees below zero, and our Lada doesn’t give a damn. Our driver & guide, Igor, has a picture of Mary and Jesus stuck to his dashboard, just above the steering wheel. Welcome to winter in Kazakhstan. Equivalent to the size of Western Europe, Kazakhstan is empty, endless, and mostly covered in snow.