Type Case
2023
This unique object, bearing a striking resemblance to a type case in its form, is a dedicated tribute to one of our esteemed projects. This particular venture, hailing from St. Petersburg, holds great significance for us, Moscow-based architects, primarily for its role in introducing us to the architectural discourse of St. Petersburg. This discourse, with its venerable history and distinctive structure of space and time (assuming the potential absence of the latter even permits us to reference it), has left an indelible mark on our sensibilities.
Designed by none other than Karl Ivanovich Rossi, the building we had the privilege to work on harbours within its walls a well-preserved ruin, though its exterior remains impeccably maintained. Interestingly, its core, essence, and substance share a common fate with many other structures dating back to the Eighteenth and early Nineteenth century, all creatively ravaged at the hands of the illustrious St. Petersburg architect. Our approach was profoundly influenced by this fact, and we found it most fitting to align ourselves with these "ruin-makers" to avoid disrupting the stringent order of things.
To a significant extent, this seemingly ordinary type case, in stark contrast to the project, represents an attempt to deconstruct and, simultaneously, de-ruin the reality described above. The case houses the "elements" of this ruin, not just as a mere artisanal experience but rather as an intellectually-poetic one.
Authors: Oyat Shukurov, Mikheil Mikadze, Sofya Balykina, Anna Utts, Elizaveta Lartseva, Ekaterina Retinskaya
Production: Stroganini