Silence Behind the Facades

This series explores the atmosphere of Sotsmisto, where intimate, human life emerges within the monumental forms of Constructivist architecture, preserving a unique cultural layer of the city.

Sotsmisto is a district of Zaporizhzhia, built between 1929 and 1932 as a model Soviet socialist city for the workers of the Dnipro Hydroelectric Station. Its architecture impresses with the monumentality of Constructivism, wide avenues, and large-scale residential blocks. Yet behind this grandeur lie intimate, personal stories of its residents — their everyday lives and the quiet details of daily routine.

This series is the result of my first encounter with the Sotsmisto district in Zaporizhzhia. As I explored this space, my attention was drawn to what usually remains outside the frame: backyards, aging facades, traces of time on walls and windows. Sotsmisto is not only architecture, but also the living memory of the city — its rhythm, its silence, and the voices of its inhabitants echoing in every crack of concrete.

I am fascinated by the coexistence of urban austerity and an unexpected tenderness revealed in small details: faded curtains, a solitary plant on a windowsill, thin clotheslines cutting through space. Behind the monumental Constructivist facades are hidden small stories, warmth, and the quiet comfort of everyday life — elements that have become the main protagonists of this series.

This project is an attempt to document and rethink a space that shapes the identity of the city and its inhabitants.