public space

So what should these look like, these spaces ‘for our conditions’, as described by a 1956 Yugoslav home exhibition? Public spaces enabling the emergence of new communities? Spaces showcasing the advantages of the socialist order, or at least pointing the way forward? This was a task not only for urban planners and architects. Designers of all types were involved in the outfitting of locations, buildings, situations, and events. They often worked with artists and artisans on complex projects, collaborating on a vision of modernity that was open, progressive, humane, and environmentally friendly.
The works presented here are examples of exceptional design practice, inspired aesthetic vision, and unfulfilled participatory ideals. They span an era that seems bygone and yet lingers into the present day. For example, a workers’ cultural centre in Slovenia, still extant, stands for the mood of development and new beginnings in the 1950s. Meanwhile, large stained-glass installations from Soviet Ukraine now lie shattered with today’s war of destruction.