The document discusses the emergence of DIY culture in Russia during the post-Soviet era as a response to scarcity, highlighting the work of artist Vladimir Arkhipov in documenting everyday design solutions. It emphasizes the need for a people-centered approach to urban living, advocating for a greener, more accessible Moscow through community-driven initiatives and critiques of official plans. Additionally, it explores the intersection of politics, aesthetics, and urban development in Moscow and St. Petersburg, posing significant questions about power and ownership in city spaces.

1. ДЕЛАЙ САМ: SOCIAL ACTIVISM &
CONTEMPORARY ART IN A DIY
URBANISM FESTIVAL IN RUSSIA
ADEOLA
ENIGBOKAN,
PhD
QUEENS
COLLEGE
DEPARTMENTS
OF
ART
&
URBAN
STUDIES
CITY
UNIVERSITY
OF
NEW
YORK

2. ДЕЛАЙ САМ/
DO-IT-YOURSELF
A BRIEF AND RECENT HISTORY

3. The last years of
perestroika, and the first
years of the Post-Soviet
era(1980s – 90s) were
characterized by extreme
scarcity of common goods,
and services.
Russian people responded to
scarcity with a strong
practical intelligence,
expressed in Delai Sam (DIY)
projects.
Artist Vladimir Arkhipov has
conducted a long-term
project to document the
people’s everyday design
solutions.

4. Remember, there was nothing at
all then—everything had just
suddenly disappeared. It was
called perestroika. There
wasn’t any point in making an
extra trip to the shop, so
when we needed a ballpoint
pen, I went and made one.

5. After we had our
daughter, Asya, she
slept in a room, but the
ceiling light was very
bright, so we had to
make it dimmer somehow.
There was a dress
leftover from some
costume, so I took it
and sewed it to the hat.
It did the job—little
Asya doesn’t screw her
eyes up any more.

6. It might look like it’s
good for nothing, but
when I started clearing
snow, I really
appreciated it. It
turned out to be really
useful.
We were in Kutuzovsky
Prospect, everyone
zooming past in their
big Mercs. They couldn’t
give a damn that you’re
working, scraping up the
snow. I got fed up with
it and started holding
up the face of the spade
to them, vertical, so
they could see the sign.

7. DIY CULTURAL PRINCIPLES
• To meet the needs of everyday life
• To combine practical, artistic and
scientific know-how
• To modify, or intervene into,
systematic infrastructures with a
personalized aesthetic
• To quietly assert one’s own life
values against the official
conditions
• To fill gaps in official system
designs
• To create a sense of “home” and
comfort for oneself and one’s family

8. DELAI SAM FESTIVALS
(2010 – PRESENT)

9. “Moscow: not the most comfortable
city for living. Last year the
Moscow [municipal] authorities
presented a master plan for the
city, which ignores a lot of its
current problems. We want to live
in a green city with convenient
public transport, bicycle lanes,
beautiful old and new buildings,
tolerant mayor, authorities and
residents. We must begin to build
for ourselves a city in which we
want to live.”
“MOSCOW 2020”
October, 2010

11. Lamppost
clothesline
Courtyard
theater &
meeting space

12. Really free
market
Neighborhood
lunch

14. MOSCOW 2020, A MANIFESTO
• Critique of Moscow 2020 Official
Master Plan
• Promotes “people-centered” approach
to design & planning
• Promotes “green” transport
solutions, including improving
public transportation, support for
cycling, making Moscow a pedestrian
city
• Promotes preservation of historic
buildings from both pre-
revolutionary & Soviet eras
• Encourages citizens to take direct
action through DIY approach

15. POLITICS & AESTHETICS IN
THE RUSSIAN CITY

16. BIENNALE MAP
ART
IS
GLOB
AL
BUSI
NESS

17. Sportswoman
Oleg Kulik
beyond questions
of urban beauty
and architectural
style to a deeper
confrontation over
power—over who has
the power to
define and dictate
what this city is,
how it looks, for
whom it exists,
and who can
benefit from
living in it—in
short, who owns
the city.
--ALEXEI YURCHAK
DESIGN COMPETITIONS
& DEBATES GO FAR…

18. HOW DOES DELAI SAM (DIY) ART
& DESIGN CULTURE FIT INTO
THIS PICTURE?
HOW DO DELAI SAM ACTIONS
NAVIGATE BETWEEN THE NEEDS
OF EVERYDAY LIFE AND THE
POWERS THAT SHAPE THE CITY?
HOW ARE POLITICS AND URBAN
AESTHETICS LINKED IN THE
RISE OF MOSCOW AND SAINT
PETERSBURG TO WORLD CITY
STATUS?
BIG QUESTIONS

19. LET’S STAY IN TOUCH!
Adeola Enigbokan
base: New York City
enigbokan@gmail.com
http://archivingthecity.com