History of Russian Temporary Architecture

Alla Aronova, Alexander Ortenberg

This book is a collection of 12 essays that address important episodes in the history of Russian festival and exposition architecture. Chronologically, they cover a span of 300 years, from the royal festivals during the times of Peter the Great up to the most recent venues including the Sochi Winter Olympics. While the architectural forms and the circumstances of their design and execution were drastically different, most of the building projects and events discussed in the book share a common feature: they have been instrumental in the construction of Russian national identity. The book offers a complex and multidirectional history of relationships between diplomacy, propaganda, and architecture.