Longing for order: on the post-Soviet architectural discourse in Lithuania

• Žurnalo archyvas: straipsnio tekstas

LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Lietuva; Architektūra; XXI a.; Architektūros kritika. Keywords: Lithuania; Architecture; 21th c.; Architectural criticism.Reikšminiai žodžiai: Architektūra; Pastatai; Diskursas; Architecture; Buildings; Discourse.

ENArchitectural discourse is as suitable for reflecting upon two and the half decades of Lithuanian independence as any other discourse. Clearly, there were profound changes. While the signs of the Soviet past are slowly being erased (firstly by the disappearance of monuments), large portions of buildings, even though crumbling, remain visibly intact. In fact, more than half of the population still lives in Sovietera housing. Soviet architecture in general, and mass-produced apartment blocks in particular, serve not only as a constant reminder of the historical period, but also as a certain critique of attempts to create uniform humanity devoid of individuality. Yet today’s built environment, as spectacular and individualized as it might appear, is still largely unexplored. While it is not difficult to ask (and answer) what Soviet architecture did and what kinds of functions it served, it is much more difficult to ask the same question about contemporary architecture. When the oppressor is a clearly identifiable authoritarian regime, at least in retrospect, the signs of that regime are relatively simple to recognize and criticize. When the power shifts and disperses itself into numerous locations and relations, architectural critique becomes a more difficult task, at least within its more socially oriented mode. The catchwords of today’s Lithuanian architectural discourse, especially in its “critical” mode, deal with architectural debates of craft versus art, the roles of the capital and the state, national character and authenticity, globalization and democracy, and morality and responsibility. [Extract, p. 17]