Archi.ru:
The project "Pitsunda - 50: Quality Now" is timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Soviet resort. What and how do you plan to tell about this city within the framework of the Zodchestvo festival?
Dmitry Mikheikin:
- The exposition will be composed of eleven tablets with my photographs of the resort city, taken in 2012 and 2016. Nine of them represent the entire palette of the main images of architecture of the late 1950s and 1960s. One image - one image - one "text". In total, there are nine “texts” that make up a single “fabric” of architecture of the 1960s, which has a decisive influence on modern architecture and, by and large, is hardly distinguishable from it. At the same time, I will focus the viewer's attention on little-known buildings and structures that did not fall into the field of view of the review albums on Pitsunda. There will be no "copy" of the photo report of the late 1960s, 1970s: towers in a row, towers in medium and close-ups, there will be no known foreshortenings - nothing like that. I will propose to look at Pitsunda as if you are there for the first time and do not really know anything about the background and details. Do you know that there are towers in the forest, that this is M. V. Posokhin, V. A. Svirsky, M. A. Mdoyants and others … The way Pitsunda opened up to me. And this is important - to remove the context of the "famous history", which, at times, erases the perception of the main thing - the idea that is actually destined to remain in memory forever, since behind it is a "volumetric" experience experienced in the space-time environment created by the authors rather than an illusion of projection.
What is the value and uniqueness of this city?
- The fact that Pitsunda was created in "one breath", as a single entity, which developed and flourished in the 1970s in line with the original concept. Although it could have been completely different: if you remember the story of the storm in 1969, which washed out the embankment, or the project of a new coastal overpass, which could cross out the concept of the city. This project was seriously lobbied up to fraud with estimates when comparing project proposals for protection from strong waves. But the city has survived almost in its original form to this day: the preservation is extremely high, right up to the original interiors, although, of course, there are serious losses. But taking into account what has been preserved and is being used to this day for its intended purpose, we can say for sure: the initial ideas laid down in the general plan and architecture of the city are not only alive, they work and they are relevant. And their relevance is only growing every year, as indicated by the name of the project "Pitsunda - 50: Quality Now". I borrowed the curatorial manifesto "quality now" to update the project and indicate: the exhibition is not just dedicated to the anniversary, but demonstrates that the quality that was laid down more than 50 years ago is not just not lost, both at the functional and ideological levels, this quality is relevant now more than ever in the context of the development of modern architecture. Therefore, there is an acute issue of preserving the architectural values of Pitsunda and their integrity.
Does the project offer its own scenarios for the preservation of the architectural heritage of Pitsunda and its further development?
- While the project involves the revision and identification of all existing architectural, historical and cultural values. It is quite clear that the conceptual core of the city is in the plane of the architecture of the 1960s. Ultimately, as far as I know, the ancient monuments of Pitsunda are already objects of protection of the historical and cultural heritage of the Republic of Abkhazia. Now there is a proposal to create an extensive security zone, including all city-forming buildings and objects, as well as various small forms. These issues will be devoted to my related event at Zodchestvo-2017 - the round table "Preservation of the historical and cultural heritage of the resort town of Pitsunda", which will be held on October 5 from 13:00 to 14:15. The guest of honor will be the Deputy Minister of Culture and Protection of Historical and Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Abkhazia, Head of the Department of Cultural Heritage Batal Samsonovich Kobakhia, who will talk about the challenges and prospects of preserving the architectural heritage of Pitsunda.
How do you define the main task and mission of this project?
- I hope that the project will help to see the real value of the unique architectural environment of Pitsunda, which can and should be preserved for the sake of the future of the city itself. About 60 years ago, the new city was designed and built by some of the best architects and builders in the country. To put their priceless fruits under the bucket of a bulldozer is complete nonsense. What will we get in return: firstly, an ecological disaster (after all, a relict pine grove is integrated into the city), and secondly, a copy, relatively speaking, of the usual resort coast of other countries of the Black Sea basin, often devoid of a holistic architectural appearance, especially such high and fairly modern level. And why, if such a "usual" coast already exists? And the second Pitsunda is nowhere and never will be. Thus, Pitsunda may lose both its competitive advantage and the highest potential for development. It is necessary to preserve the uniqueness and identity of the resort, which has its own and already implemented strategy, laid down in the late 1950s and 1960s. It needs to be supported, thoughtfully and carefully developed. Only in this case it will be possible to hope that the city has a future.
