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Korpus 18

Uta Beyer, July 2011



As everywhere in Europe afterWorld War II, also in the USSR urban housing was in short supply throughout nearly all countries.Intensive industrialization and urbanization put enormous pressure on the existing housingstock. Large-scale housing

construction was begun at the end of the 1950s, when social housing projects, known as Microrayon, orMicrodistrict, started beingdeveloped throughout the entireSoviet Union. For many Sovietfamilies, receiving a room in a communal apartment represented a step up in their housing. Housing in cities belonged to the government; itwas distributed by municipal authorities or by governmentdepartments based on an established number of square meters per person. As a rule, tenants had nochoice in the housing they wereoffered. Up to the early 1980s, thelimit of 9 square meters per person held, after which it began toincrease.

The former 'Georgian SovietSocialist Republic' - since its

independence in 1991 the 'Republic of Georgia' – played an important role in supplying food products to thecentralized Soviet economy sincethe 1960s/70s. Georgia's capital Tbilisi became the centre forvarious agricultural production lines, followed by an urgent need for housing expansion.

A rather typical Soviet Microrayon is the district of Varketili in theEastern part of Tbilisi, today, in its 30th year after construction.Varketili is home to approximately 40,000 people, inhabiting less than 4 square kilometres, in approximately 10,000 apartments in

120 either 9-, 12- or 16-floorbuildings. Buildings can have up to10 entrances. There areapproximately 15 schools and kindergartens in Varketili, 500shops, 1 hospital, 1 police station,and 1 metro station, which connects the suburb to the city - via 6stations, in 10 minutes. The nameVarketili – meaning: “I am kind” –was given to the district during thetime of its construction, and was meant as a good omen. Before its construction, Varketili was a lakedistrict and pasture land, and since1955 also home of “The Industry of Varketili”, with grape and fruitfactories. Varketili's architecturefollows almost identical patterns used for almost all former Sovietcities, be it Riga, Moscow, Berlin,or Tbilisi. The calculated squaremeter limit per person in Varketili

was 12.

Today, Varketili is inhabited by a mixof different social and ethnic groups from the middle, lowermiddle or lower class, many of them newcomers during the past 10 years, not originally from Varketili or Tbilisi. Apart from Georgians

from other regions of the country,Varketili is also home torefugees/internally displaced fromGeorgia's autonomous regions Abkhasia and South Ossetia, toAzeris, Armenians, Kurdish,Russians, and Ukrainians. As everywhere in Georgia, unemployment

is extremely high in Varketili, and generating income is the dominatingtopic in almost all families. Likemany former Soviet countries,Georg ia is struggl ing with transforming its economy into a globally competitive marketeconomy, resulting in high unemployment rates. The aftermath of the civil war as well as theunsolved regional conflicts arecontributing to Georgia's economicdifficulties.

This photo essay looks closely atone Varketili building: Korpus 18.Korpus 18 was the first building tobe completed in Varketili in 1981. Itis home to 112 families; a 9-floorconcrete housing complex with 7staircases, two entrance doors and one elevator each, each staircaseleading to 16 apartments.

The aim of this essay is to look beyond the decaying facades, theconcrete anonymity, and neglected public spaces of korpus 18, of Varketili, or any Soviet housing project as such, and to explore theinsides, interiors, the privatespaces, the hidden. In a broader

sense, the essay aims atinvestigating the existential and universal human concepts of living,home, habitat, and belonging, and searches for the elements thatmake 'a home' and are recognisableas 'home' beyond culture and history.

The essay Korpus 18 consists of portraits of six korpus-18-homes in 2011 and their inhabitants, each homebeing represented as a 3-picture-story within the story, accompanied by brief facts about the families -names, ages, professions, theirhistories of living in Varketili. A setof questions was used, to gatherstatements from the family members about their homes, theirhopes, dreams, or outlook on life.

This essay is work-in-progress. Thefinal, longer term aim of “Korpus 18” essay is to create portraits of 18families and their homes in Korpus 18.

Issues that need to be addressed in future - and are not solved for this essay - are: Having more continuity in the photos; identifying connecting

items between the portrayed families;finding a more philosophical,conceptual, and/or artistic approach;having stronger interviews and quotes and more continuity in them; makingthe story more sensual; finding a presentation format, that visualizes the square character of Korpus 18still more.



View of Varketili, May 2011.



Entrance 5, Apartment 1

Khatuna, 34, and her husband Shota, 48, moved to Varketili from a

village seven years ago, in order to ensure good school education fortheir children. Both are unemployed. In the meantime, Shota lives in their home village about 100 km away from Varketili most of the year.Khatuna says: “I don't like the men drinking alcohol all the time.When my husband comes home, he drinks with the others.” Thechildren Ani, 13, Gocha, 9, and Makiami, 14, all attend school in Varketili.



“We sold our cows in the village to be able to buy this apartment. Varketili was like paradise for me. I took my children here out of the dark forest that ourvillage was,” says Khatuna. The family bought the apartment for 5,000 USDollars - it is worth 30,000 today; the average monthly income in Georgia is 200USDollars. In the photo frame on the wall: Shota's younger brother, who died at an early age in an accident in the village.



Antonina, 70, her son-in-law, Zura, 45, and herdaughter Nana, 46. Thefamily moved to Varketili four years ago, when they had the chance to buy this apartment. Antonina says: "We moved here from thecity centre, and I like itso much better here. It's

a cosy place, it's got fresh air, and I can walk to theshops. I am an old woman and I want to die here in Varketili." Nana's and Zura's son Irakli, 21, also lives in the two-bedroom-apartment; he is an actorand works in a Tbilisi theatre. Nana earns 8 Lari (approx. 5 Dollars) per day from her work in a local shop. Antonina works as a nurse in a hospital, Zura is unemployed. Nana's ambition is to buy a house for herson, so that he can marry and set up a separatefamily.




Anelia, 73, pensioner, with her cat Bagira and the dog Lola. Both, Anelia and her husband Iuri, 73, have worked as laboratory technicians in a Tbilisi flour factory for 30 years until the collapse of the economy due to the fall of the Soviet Union. The couple had received the four-bedroom-apartment in 1981 for their merits in the factory. Anelia says: “The building was just finished, it was the first in Varketili, and we were so proud. The

apartment was huge and very modern compared to what we had before.” Today, she does not like the people in Varketili and spends most of her time at home. “Many people hereare from villages, there are foreigners, they are too loud, have a different culture, and little education. They shout out the windows all the time.”

Anelia and Iuri share the apartment with their daughter Nina, 50, unemployed, Nina's husband Alexander, 50, a sports teacher, and Nina's and Alexander's son Iuri, 29, a dentist. Anelia and Iuri together receive a monthly state pension of 200 Lari (approx. 130 Dollars). Anelia mends their income by cleaning two Korpus-18-shops on a daily basis,she gets 100 Lari for this every month. Anelia's biggest wish is a higher pension, to

cover everyday costs. “I want to be able to pay taxes and utilities, to buy food. I amtired of having to sell our objects of value to finance normal purchases, like my new glasses I had to buy three months ago. I have not bought anything important for thelast 20 years.”



Anelia's husband Iuri in the couple's bedroom, taking a mid-day nap.




“People must be busy. It's not good if people have nowork. Especially the men. Women have things to do in thehouse, cooking, knitting, keeping the house. What can themen do? Watch television and wait for the phone to ring.There are no jobs. Whoever can, leaves the country. I only have one friend left.”

Malkhazi



Nato, 49, her husband Malkhazi, 57, and their sons Konstantine, 16, and Giorgi, 15. Nato and Malkhazi are both English teachers. Today, Nato is a housewife and receives a modest government allowance as a refugee from Georgia's separatist region Abkhasia. Malkhazi gives private English lessons.The family survives from day to day. Malkhazi says: “Here in Varketili people only think of how to have money to go to the market. In the city, peoplethink of going to the theatre and opera.” The family bought the apartment ten years ago. They had already lived in Varketili before.



Ia, 43, Tea's daughter Nugo, 13, and Ia's sister in law Tea, 32. Tea's husband, Ia's brother, died one year agoof a heart attack. Ia and Tea are both lawyers, Ia works, Tea is unemployed. The apartment belongs tothe family since 1986. Ia's parents Nugzari and Nana, both 66 years old and retired, live in a village most of

the year, and only visit occasionally.

When Tea is bored, she listens to music or chats on the internet. “I dream of being somewhere else, I want to go to Paipai, in Indonesia. I dream of changing my life.”



Previous page: Mariam 34, and her mother Nani, 55. They share the apartment with Nani's son Giorgi, 37 (Mariam's brother), and Mari, 13, Giorgi's daughter.The apartment was given to Nani's husband Ushangi (previous page, left photo, in the picture on top of the piano, he died in 1994) in 1985, for merits in his work life. Nani's work in a bakery is the only source of income for the family. Mariam spends most of her time at home. She last left the apartment twodays ago to go to church. “If I had one wish for free, I would love to meet the Patriarch.”



Korpus 18, July 2011.

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