Elizaveta Likhacheva, director of the Shchusev State Museum of Architecture, will give an online lecture on the theme of “Architectural Utopias” on December 15. The talk will focus on the history of utopia and how it has been reflected in various art forms.

The idea of utopia proposed by Thomas More was a common topic in the literature and philosophical writings of the Renaissance. We also see a description of ideal communities in works by Plato, Tommaso Campanella, Charles Fourier, H. G. Wells, and Ray Bradbury. The idea of designing perfect structures and even entire cities often occupied the thoughts of architects, even giving rise to an entire genre – “paper architecture”. However, in the modern material world, the ideal is never the goal, nor does it even define it. It only points in the general direction. In the lecture we will discuss utopian architectural projects and how utopian ideas influenced actual, completed works of architecture.

This meeting is part of Manege’s supplementary programme to “Utopia Saved”.

The online lecture will begin at 19:00 and last for 1.5 hours.

The discussion will be conducted over Zoom. Participation is free, but you must first register and install the Zoom platform. An hour before the meeting, you will receive a link by e-mail (sent to the address indicated at registration) through which you can join the conference. You will be able to address questions to Elizaveta throughout the conversation.

You can watch this lecture on our YouTube channel.