I've been having a lot of fun doing the whole Aerochrome film emulation thing lately. Especially in areas with quite a few trees. One thing I really noticed though was that the colours really pull out that Soviet aesthetic on within the concrete jungle side of things. I figured I'd have some fun testing that out. Starting with a fun Soviet era monument in a park nearby. And following up with some large panelka high rise buildings from the Soviet 70s. There's something to these buildings which has a bit of charm to me, I find them aesthetically pleasing despite how others tend to view the Soviet aesthetic as a bit more depressive.
I think some of it comes from my love for the cyberpunk genre growing up, fascinated in the unique architecture the genre would bring in film and television, even games. The style of buildings which tower around all else and have that design that feels like it really has something to say. There's an atmosphere within such areas that feels old, but otherworldly. Where time and decay, much like within the cyberpunk genre, have reclaimed some of the surroundings with overgrowth despite the strong concrete tones and structures sitting around. Courtyards feel much that way too, where signs of the previous world remain in the form of old bins, park benches and playgrounds. Sometimes even paintings of old Soviet cartoon characters.
The density of these high rises can sometimes be a bit much. You often wonder how people get any sunlight at all in the lower apartments. Sometimes I walk through these areas and question it, seeing how dark they are even in the daytime. I often wonder how people live in them with that lack of light, how low their energy must be to be surrounded by shadow at all times, how the chaos of the city life right outside the windows can influence their comfort; did they get their apartments during the Soviet Union and just generationally cling to them? Did they buy these places and just don't really care? In some instances you see how people have illegally added extra rooms to these lower floors. Though here you can't really see that, which I suppose is a good thing after all given the sheer danger of such illegal structures.
I saved this last one because I think it's my favourite. The shape of this panelka is really different to the typical one. I think it's a little older than the 70s ones, these tend to be much wider buildings. You can see how people have covered up their balconies over the years, where the original ones remain open. The design of shapes is really interesting, where the building was basically placed together like a game of Tetris that got a bit out of hand. I plan to photograph architecture a bit more in the future with the wider lenses I now have. Though I shot these with the Sony A6000 on the 35mm lens, which equates to about a 50mm on full frame. So still a bit tight!