Blog
The Ekranoplan - The Colossal Soviet-era Aquatic Plane that Never Was
With its short wingspan, the top-secret Soviet naval vessel would look more at home beneath the waves than above them. Classified as a ship by the International Maritime Organization, the 350-ton Lun-class Ekranoplan flew at speeds of 550 kilometres per hour, just a few metres above the waves. But just one was ever built.
Soviet Intourist Travel Posters - How the USSR Used Art & 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
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
Along the southern border of Issyk-Kul lake, Kyrgyzstan, two shining golden gates and 1,500 metre long wall shield a giant hundred hectare complex. I scaled the wall and on the other side, I discovered hundreds of abandoned yurts, an outdoor theatre and a handful of colourful peeling murals. ‘Aalam-Ordo’, which translates as ‘the centre of the universe’, now sits abandoned.
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
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
On September 15, 1974, a group of twenty Soviet nonconformist artists gathered in a vacant lot in an urban forest on the outskirts of Moscow. But the authorities were ready. Almost immediately, more than 100 policemen armed with batons, three bulldozers, and a truck with a water cannon began to break up the exhibition. It was mayhem. Artists desperately tried to save their artworks as they were chased by authorities.
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
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
Men locking lips in public is a rare site today in Putin’s homophobic Russia. But, it was once a gesture that symbolised the height of fraternal friendship. The socialist fraternal kiss was a special form of greeting between the leaders of Communist countries.
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
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
Tying a red handkerchief around your neck was a source of pride in the USSR. On public holidays, millions of Soviet children would march in sprawling parades, singing patriotic songs and saluting banners of Lenin. Young Pioneers were the Soviet’s answer to the Boy Scouts, but they were much more political.
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
Cyrk: The Posters that Take us Inside the Soviet Circus
Behind the Poster: Propagandising the Healthy in the USSR
The Ethics Behind Art: Our Commitment to Freedom and Equality
The X-ray Records of the USSR
Behind the Propaganda Poster: Environmental Policy in the USSR
Photo Essay: Finding Beauty in Chernobyl’s Decay
Cosmonauts and Communism: Soviet Space Propaganda Posters During the Cold War
The Cold War was a long time coming. Western fear of Communism had been growing since the Russian revolution, and by the close of World War 2, the uneasy peace between the Western superpowers and the USSR was faltering. As tensions escalated in the late 50s, both sides were building nuclear arsenals.