The sun finally came out for a brief time yesterday afternoon! I went for a 9-kilometer run along the Anhor Canal while Nadia was swimming. I love walking and running through the city of Tashkent. I took a few photos from my exploration yesterday. I am a big fan of preserving the Soviet Modernist Architectural Buildings and noticed the old Tashkent Television Center facade, designed by E. Ablin. I hope to go inside and get some nice photos with better light, but as with many government buildings in the city, access is restricted. I think it is cool that an architect and construction company would go to the extra efforts to adding an artistic touch to a facade instead of saving money and going with functionality over art. There is a movement here to preserve these architectural gems. The city is rapidly developing and I hope leaders preserve this legacy of their history. It differentiates Tashkent from other cities through the world and it will always be one of the attractions or charms of the city for future generations. I am afraid that the character of the city will be lost with all of these huge building projects being built.
Another example of Soviet Brutalism/Modernist Architecture is the Summer Concert Hall of the Turkestan Palace of Arts.
A typical example of brutalism in Tashkent is the summer concert hall of the Turkeston Palace of Arts, whose architectural feature is a futuristic canopy with lighting equipment placed directly above the auditorium. The arena, designed by architects V. and Y. Hakobjanyan, opened next to the Palace of Arts in 1993 and was originally designed for 1600 seats. However, in the final project the auditorium was expanded to 3200 seats. The boxes wrap around the wide stage on its circumference.
A technical structure overhanging part of the stands and the stage is designed to house spotlights and other lighting equipment. The structure is supported in the air by four metal columns. During the summer season, the arena hosts dozens of productions, concerts and festivals.
I listened to the latest episode of the Sam Harris podcast while running. It was his New Year’s message and he said two things that resonated with me. His New Year’s resolution was to live 2025 like it was his last year on earth and he gave the example of NOT watching a bad movie, but watching a bad movie with his children was OK. That is how I am feeling as well as I am entering the last third of my life. I don’t want to spend time doing things that are not meaningful or pleasurable and I will not sweat the small stuff. I will focus what is important to me and what brings me satisfaction. I feel so fortunate to have a beautiful family and a rewarding career. Last night we watched the 1989 movie, Dead Poets Society together. It gave our family a good discussion. Nadia cooked a delicious cauliflower pasta. A beautiful night with my family!
Bill's Blog 