The project of the monument to victims of political repression at the intersection of Academician Sakharov Avenue and the Garden Ring road

Architects: Aleksei Goriainov, Mikhail Krymov, Irina Cociuc, Mikhail Ivliev

Design: 2015

 

VARIANT 1. "Camp watchtower": A. Goriainov, M. Krymov, I. Cociuc, M.Ivliev

In our opinion the most accurate, recognizable and distinctive symbol of repression is a camp watchtower. All the people around it are either prisoners or guards. Tower in the city blurs the boundaries of the memorial, distributing symbolic and psychological impact on all around. The tower is a stylized sculpture 15 m in a height, painted in black. This will make it the dominant in the adjacent space.

The main element of the memorial is a 15-meter sculpture created by the sculptor Igor Shelkovsky. It’s called "Camp watchtower" and made of black metal. Within a radius of visibility, it creates a zone of discomfort where the observer becomes observed . Thus, the boundary of the memorial is eroded, it is not limited by the sculpture-  it includes a viewer and the whole area around. At night the area of ​​the sculpture can be illuminated with floodlights from the tower.

 

VARIANT 2. "The head": A. Goriainov, M. Krymov, I. Cociuc, M.Ivliev in collaboration with sculrtor I. Shelkovsky

For us the symbol of the victims of repression is the silhouette of a human head, lined with bricks. In the head there are several big gaping holes. Brick masonry is severely damaged and symbolizes the firing wall. Bricks in the masonry are symbols of the fate of each person, creating shared  tragedy. The head casts a black shadow on the area forming a pit of 1 m depth. Pines symbolize those who have served that criminal system. The head is situated between two thick blue-green lines, which create a dramatic image of despair.

Behind the square there is a massive bank building, which becomes the background for the monument. This means that the monument itself and the area around it should not be seen as an accomplishment in front of the business center. Therefore, we put a monument close to the Garden Ring road, moving it aside of the building. We made the scale of the monument so that it is dominated in the area and is not overwhelmed by the building.