×

Warning

JUser: :_load: Unable to load user with ID: 19112
 Print this page
Thursday, 05 December 2019

Scandinavian "islands" in Ukrainian Shostka

Written by 
Rate this item
(1 Vote)
Shostka City Center for Aesthetic Education. Shostka City Center for Aesthetic Education. Photo: Liudmyla Elanska.

In one of the northernmost cities of Ukraine, old buildings are turned into bright objects by means of bright colors.

Bright facades with geometric shapes – this is not English Blackpool, not Filipino Mindanao and not even Turkish Istanbul. This is Ukrainian Shostka – one of the northernmost cities in the country, located in the Sumy region. For several years, a program has been implemented here to decorate building facades in an unusual style. The combination of rich colors and geometric patterns is not only pleasing to the eye, but it also provides a beneficial psychological effect.

School Lyceum of Shostka Sumy region Ukraine photo Liudmyla Elanska

The grammar school in the city of Shostka.

More color!

The unusual experience of painting high-rise buildings was invented by residents of the Scandinavian countries known for long winters. A prolonged absence of heat and sun negatively affects the psychological well-being of the Scandinavians, but savvy Scandinavians found a way out – they brought brightness to the outside world on their own. Over time, the ripe for bright facades is spread throughout the world.

Shostka Pryvokzalna street 21 Sumy region Ukraine photo Liudmyla Elanska

Pryvokzalna street 21 in the city of Shostka.

Shostka's experience

Shostka did not confine itself to life-affirming colorite, but boldly experimented with geometric ornaments and a combination of colors. In addition to houses, original murals adorn the facades of several local schools. In one of them you can see a reproduction of the famous painting by Malevich, in another school the dining room is decorated with a copy of the famous work by Kandinsky (Russian painter and art theorist who headed abstract art, ed.).

Shostka building Sumy region Ukraine photo Liudmyla Elanska

Another of the Shostka buildings.

Now the main focus is on old residential buildings with no pronounced architectural features. Light and rich colors are chosen for the facades, by means of which the gray "cottages of the 1950s" become art objects in the style of abstractionism, and at the same time insulation of the walls is done. The experiment iss initiated by local authorities.

House number 14 on Robocha streetShostka Sumy region Ukraine photo Liudmyla Elanska

House number 14 on Robocha street.

Translation by Jørgen Deleuran

 

Read 1034 times