Futures of Yesterday

Overview

Against the prevailing urban narrative of Soviet architectural modernities, this project looks to interpret the architectural and territorial histories of collective and state farms across the Georgian geography. Like crystalline carapaces of Soviet spatial planning, these totalizing projects explicitly link regional, infrastructural, landscape, urban, architectural, and institutional registers through a well-defined set of typologies and agricultural formats. But far from purely historical in significance, these spatial artifacts are today being re-inhabited by a range of new state and extra-state actors. From Internally Displaced Persons from the civil war of the 1990's, to the nouveau riche who capitalized on the vast privatization of land in the late 90's, to the more recent first wave of climate refugees resettled in these anticipatory village forms.

Contributors

Project Leads

Dimitri Eristavi

Lado Shonia

Jesse Vogler

Project Collaborators

Klaus Neuburg

Moritz Winkler

Julian Knigge

Project Research Assistant

Dea Trapaidze

2025 Fieldschool Participants

Tornike Kikonishvili

Ketevan Kvaratskhelia

Natali Mukhiguli

Davit Chkhaidze

Nikoloz Koiava

Giorgi Zarandia

Felix Warsawa

Raphael Stajer

Natalie Christin Wygas

Emily Pauline Buch

Melissa Esenyel-Merse

Nele Schmidt

Luise Meerheim

Titus Samuel Hübner

Angelina Sandvoß

Julien-Cedrik Mette

Jutta Tränkle

2025 VA[A]DS Students

Ana Bazerashvili

Shota Baramashvili

Elene Batsikadze

Nika Geldiashvili

Giorgi Gvaramadze

Gvantsa Darakhvelidze

Lali Katsitadze

Ketevan Kvaratskhelia

Tornike Kikonishvili

Teona Labuchidze

Bachana Lortkipanidze

Ana-Maria Mzareulashvili

Mariam Mukbaniani

Andranik Mkhitariani

Anano Nozadze

Malkhaz Sukhishvili

Ana Tughushi

Salome Shengelaia

David Shermadini

Nodar Chagiashvili

Elene Chikvaidze

Kristine Tsnobiladze

Lizi Khurtsia

Ana Jabakhidze

2024 VA[A]DS Students

Ana Barsonidze

Mariam Bitsadze

Lizi Bolkvadze

Giorgi Zarandia

Luka Tavkelishvili

Nikoloz Todua

Mariam Kvantaliani

Elene Koncelidze

Giorgi Kotorashvili

Elene Kutalia

Mariam Mazanashvili

Giorgi Mikava

Ketevan Nibladze

David Samkharadze

Mariam Sujashvili

Nikoloz Kvachrelishvili

Nikoloz Koiava

Giorgi Chitadze

Saba Chubinidze

David Chkhaidze

Lisa Karazishvili

Nino Jabidze

Lela Tartarashvili

Lali Katsitadze

Saba Dzidzikashvili