Parthenons of the Future
June 29, 2011 5:53 PM Subscribe
Spomeniks are eerie, abandoned monuments to Communism in the former Eastern Bloc, once visited by millions. A belgian photographer, Jan Kempenaers, put together a series asking whether they can be viewed as pure sculpture. (Via pitchfork, oddly enough)
A member of the band Unknown Moral Orchestra found an image of one on a random image search site. After admiring it during the recording of their album, he used reverse image search to find out what it was, unaware of the collection of them.
A member of the band Unknown Moral Orchestra found an image of one on a random image search site. After admiring it during the recording of their album, he used reverse image search to find out what it was, unaware of the collection of them.
This post was deleted for the following reason: Yeah, it's neat but we've seen it at least once before. -- cortex
This is very cool, but something of a double, I'm afraid.
posted by [expletive deleted] at 6:04 PM on June 29, 2011
posted by [expletive deleted] at 6:04 PM on June 29, 2011
What's "pure sculpture"?
posted by ethnomethodologist at 6:09 PM on June 29, 2011
posted by ethnomethodologist at 6:09 PM on June 29, 2011
I don't care if it's a double. Let's talk about it some more. Like how we could write a science fiction script around these things, and how we would go about procuring a young Michael York to star in it.
posted by fleetmouse at 6:13 PM on June 29, 2011
posted by fleetmouse at 6:13 PM on June 29, 2011
Presumably, sculpture without the encumbrance of history or context. (Good luck with that.)
posted by kaibutsu at 6:14 PM on June 29, 2011
posted by kaibutsu at 6:14 PM on June 29, 2011
Well, they're abstract at least. It's not like they're giant Titos or anything.
posted by Sys Rq at 6:20 PM on June 29, 2011
posted by Sys Rq at 6:20 PM on June 29, 2011
Since the post makes it clear that they commemorate WWII battles or concentration camps, the history they mark is still important and valuable, even if they were erected by government that is now despised.
And they are remarkable sculptures, in many cases.
posted by jrochest at 6:20 PM on June 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
And they are remarkable sculptures, in many cases.
posted by jrochest at 6:20 PM on June 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
Boy, my wife took me to a park outside of Budapest that had a lot of this kind of art, and some of it on a pretty massive scale. (I keep telling myself I'm going to make a Picasa page for the photos I took, but never seem to get around it.) But if you're ever in Hungary, definitely it's not to be missed.
posted by newdaddy at 6:37 PM on June 29, 2011
posted by newdaddy at 6:37 PM on June 29, 2011
OK, on review, the park in Budapest is much more socialist-realist than Spomeniks, apparently. But still -
posted by newdaddy at 6:38 PM on June 29, 2011
posted by newdaddy at 6:38 PM on June 29, 2011
Man, most of them are something right out of a set from Zardoz. All we need is Sean Connery in red leather shorts being molested by immortals in some weird science cult.
posted by loquacious at 6:44 PM on June 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by loquacious at 6:44 PM on June 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
Some of these remind me of public art around Canberra, except competently executed.
posted by A Thousand Baited Hooks at 6:50 PM on June 29, 2011
posted by A Thousand Baited Hooks at 6:50 PM on June 29, 2011
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posted by kittensofthenight at 5:57 PM on June 29, 2011