99% Invisible - 99% Invisible-25- Unsung Icons of Soviet Design

Episode Date: May 13, 2011

There’s something that links most of the everyday objects presented in “Made in Russia: Unsung Icons of Soviet Design.” But it’s hard to tell exactly what that is just by looking at this collection of wobbly dolls, drinking glasses, primitive … Continue reading →

We get support from UC Davis, a globally ranked university, working to solve the world's most pressing problems in food, energy, health, education, and the environment. UC Davis researchers collaborate and innovate in California and around the globe to find transformational solutions. It's all part of the university's mission to promote quality of life for all living things. Find out more at 21stCentry.ucdavis.edu. This is 99% Invisible. I'm Roman Mars. My friend Julia Barton, that's me, is in a New York City apartment with Michael Eidov. My name is Michael Eidov,

and I'm the editor of Made in Russia, unsung icons of Soviet design. And Florence, a parrot that sounds exactly like the building's door buzzer. And no matter how hard we try, WAHHA! THE NORN! To cut out Lawrence. His door buzzer imitation cannot be denied. But maybe that's okay, because Adolf's new book on Soviet design is an homage

to the stuff of ordinary Soviet life. Cigarettes, drinking glasses, subway token machines, Soviet design is an homage to the stuff of ordinary Soviet life. Cigarettes, drinking glasses, subway token machines, and it might be hard for outsiders to see what this seemingly random collection of Soviet consumer goods have in common. But I don't believe there's something that unites them all. To define this aesthetic, you first need to realize that most of these items were rip offs of Western sources, you know, ovarian qualities. They are imitations. Like the way Lawrence the parrot is imitating the door

buzzer. Shut up, Lawrence. One look at the items in this book, even though they are shameless imitations, you'll see that the Soviet stuff is unmistakably Soviet. Take your Soviet soda machine. In those, carbonated drinks came not in bottles, but straight into a communal drinking glass, something chained to the machine. And the excruciating Soviet arcade games were designed by the Committee on Amusement. Most Americans haven't even seen these artifacts, but in a way, we're responsible for them.

Basically, it all goes back to the kitchen debates. In 1959, there was this wildly successful American exhibit in Moscow. It's the official opening of the American Exposition, counterpart of the Soviet trade show in New York, and dedicated to showcasing the highest candidate of life in our country. Vice President Nixon showed Soviet premier Nikita Krushcheva

around the exhibit and they stopped in front of a model suburban home to address an audience before new American color TV cameras. There are some instances where you may be ahead of us. For example, in the development of your of the thrust of your rockets for the investigation about our space. There may be some instances, for example, color television, where we're ahead of you. But in order for both of us, for both of us, you, for both of us, that better.

You never could see it any better. Michael Aydov says that despite Krushchev's bombast and the recent success of Sputnik, the Soviets were humiliated by all of America's stuff. Krishov decided the Soviet people needed stuff too, but it was a huge struggle for the Communist Party to switch Soviet factories from producing tanks and rockets to cassette decks and hair dryers. Usually the way it worked was, you know, some party guy would come back from a foreign trip and bring in a German radio and give it to the

engineers and say make one like it. And then they would just reverse engineer it and then they would look around for the guy who draws well and they're like, all right, well, can you draw? Okay, you do the logo and that would be the logo that would last for the next 40 years. The system produced a lot of strange stuff, but sometimes the Soviets did better than the original. Take the unbelievably cool magazine, Krugerzor. No, everybody should just bow down to further glory of Krugerzor. It was supposedly based on something Krugerzshev saw while in the United States, a magazine with a record in it.

I'd of course, it it the original podcast. It actually sounds like public radio. There would be an article in the magazine and then the contents of the vinyl disk would somehow illustrate the article. You know, there would be the sounds of the forest or something like that, or folk songs of some far-flung tribe. Or this. What started happening over time was, you know, since the people who made this magazine had access to something, you know, unbelievably awesome for the Civic Union, which is, you know, since the people who made this magazine had access to something, you know, unbelievably awesome for the Civic Union, which is, you know, a vinyl of press.

They started slipping in a little pop music in there. It was the round tearout discs in Kruvazor that gave Russians their first non-bootleg recordings of everyone from Barbra Streisand to Pink Floyd to Michael Jackson. The main thing that unites the designs in Made in Russia is that they're often the only designs. Michael I'd often pick from shelf loads of, say, different cassette recorders. Most Soviets had one, the Vistina.

In the BK Electronic Up Personal Computer, probably made Russian speaking hackers the best in the world through its sheer awfulness. Nobody had any other choice. Farbeid for me to suggest that this is actually a good thing, but it certainly simplifies getting to know one another because if you grew up in the Soviet Union and you're my age or older, I already know so much about you. Including the song that put you to bed at night. You know if you grew up in the Soviet Union, it's just seared into your brain. I can sing it for you if you want. How does it go?

I think it goes. This theme from a children's puppet show aired every night at 815 on Soviet television. You can't really call the crude animal puppets, icons of Soviet design, but I don't put them in his book anyway. Because with their bright eyes and worn out for, Krusha the Pig and Stepashka the Bunny represent a lost universe. 11 time zones, closed off from the rest of the world, making their own stuff in their own way. The tired toys are sleeping now.

That's how the song goes. Good night, Roman. 99% Invisible was produced this week by Julia Barton, one of the great radio reporters and editors. She's also part of the Oberlin College public radio conspiracy. She edited a few of my pieces when I did some stuff for a week in America and I swear every single piece I've done since then has been better because of my contact with her. No kidding. You can find her at juliabarton.com.

It was also produced by me, Roman Mars. You can find me right here all the time. Tell my kids I love them. This program is made possible with support from Lunar, making a difference with creativity. It's a project of KALW 91.7 local public radio in San Francisco, the American Institute of Architect San Francisco in the Center for Architecture and Design. To find a link to Michael Eidoff's made in Russia, unsung icons of Soviet design are very fine book if I do say so myself,

or just if you want to look at some pics of cool Soviet catch, go to 99%invisible.org. Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Бай, Bye, you boy.