Soviet urban fabric in post-Soviet Armenia
蘇維埃都市肌理在後蘇亞美尼亞
2024
Handmade photo zine 手造攝影小誌
Armenia was once a Soviet republic from 1922 to 1991. Many urban spaces, buildings, and various types of facilities built during the Soviet era remain after Armenia became independent.
The images in this small handmade photobook were selected from photos I took during my four trips to the country during 2014-2024.
There were debates about whether Soviet-era buildings and sites should be demolished to make room for new projects while many of those remaining are like unmanned, abandoned structures—such as the abandoned cable car station on Koryun St. in Armenia’s capital Yerevan.
More lucky ones such as the round structure (originally a science education center and then a restaurant) in Tumanyan Park (Yerevan) has been revamped to become a tech education center. And some have undergone continuous changes despite retaining the same functions and even the same names.
For instance, the ferris wheel and many rides in the amusement park inside Victory Park (Yerevan) have been replaced by more modern-looking ones though the park stays on its original site.
In addition, some sites have stopped their original features. One example is the gigantic, symmetrical fountain near Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concerts Complex (Yerevan). It’s been a drained fountain for a long time.
This zine presents photos of parts of Soviet urban fabric that were less mentioned rather than more well-known ones such as the Yerevan Train Station and the defunct Zvartnots Airport.
Through this zine I revisit what intrigued me (they still do) in Armenia and also share with people who have a chance to browse this copy the curious Soviet urban fabric in this post-Soviet country.
這本手造小書中的影像,是選自我在 2014 年至 2024 年期間四次到亞美尼亞拍下的照片。
亞美尼亞曾是蘇聯加盟共和國一員 (1922-1991),獨立以後,蘇共時期建造的許多城市空間、建築物和設施仍然保留。
人們對應否拆除該時期的建築和場域,為新項目騰出空間有過討論, 但留下來的許多舊建築和場域彷如沒人打理及被棄置般, 如位於首都埃里溫,在鄰近市中心Koryun街上的纜車站,多年來處於被棄置狀
態。
有些比較幸運的,如同樣在埃里溫的Tumanyan公園內的一個圓形結構(最初爲科學教育中心,後變成一間餐廳),已被改造成科技教育中心。
另有一些結構則保留了相同的功能甚至同樣的名稱,但仍在不斷變化。例如, 位於埃里溫的Victory Park內遊樂場的摩天輪和許多遊樂設施已被換成外觀現代化的機動遊戲,儘管公園與遊樂場仍在原址。
此外,有些場域則已停止了原有功能。位於埃里溫之KarenDemirchyan 體育與音樂大樓附近的巨型對稱噴水池就是一個例子。它已多年沒水在其中流動與噴出。
這小誌展示了自蘇共時期已有的城市肌理的影像;而這些城市肌理部份,相對於知名度較高的埃里溫火車站和已被棄置的Zvartnots機場, 都是較少人提及的。
透過此小誌,我再次回望亞美尼亞讓我覺得有趣的地方,並與有機會瀏覽這書的你分享令人好奇的城市肌理。