Infinity According to Florian review - mission to save Ukraine’s extraordinary modernist masterpiece
Oleksiy Radynski chronicles the visionary architect Florian Yuriev’s drive to rescue Kyiv’s Institute of Information from destruction after he was given weeks to live The extraordinary mind of Florian Yuriev, a visionary Ukrainian architect and artist, visualises an astonishingly holistic view of the world. His abstract paintings brim with geometric colourful shapes and patterns that also carry a sonic component, as each shade has their own tonality. On his piano, whose keys are marked with their designated colours, Yuriev played out his painterly compositions, breaking down the barrier between sound and vision. Shot towards the end of Yuriev’s life, Oleksiy Radynski’s passionate documentary follows the architect’s tireless efforts to save one of his modernist masterpieces from destruction.Once deemed impossible to build, his design for a cultural centre that later became Kyiv’s Institute of Information reflects the utopian optimism of the space age. Nicknamed the “Flying Saucer” building for its futuristic look, the structure features a disc-shaped theatre perched on a horizontal glass-and-steel hall. With their high ceilings and cavernous curves, the interior of the auditorium evokes a sense of calm and openness. The equilibrium, however, is interrupted by construction noises coming from outside: an intrusive shopping mall might soon merge into Yuriev’s design. Continue reading...
Oleksiy Radynski chronicles the visionary architect Florian Yuriev’s drive to rescue Kyiv’s Institute of Information from destruction after he was given weeks to live
The extraordinary mind of Florian Yuriev, a visionary Ukrainian architect and artist, visualises an astonishingly holistic view of the world. His abstract paintings brim with geometric colourful shapes and patterns that also carry a sonic component, as each shade has their own tonality. On his piano, whose keys are marked with their designated colours, Yuriev played out his painterly compositions, breaking down the barrier between sound and vision. Shot towards the end of Yuriev’s life, Oleksiy Radynski’s passionate documentary follows the architect’s tireless efforts to save one of his modernist masterpieces from destruction.
Once deemed impossible to build, his design for a cultural centre that later became Kyiv’s Institute of Information reflects the utopian optimism of the space age. Nicknamed the “Flying Saucer” building for its futuristic look, the structure features a disc-shaped theatre perched on a horizontal glass-and-steel hall. With their high ceilings and cavernous curves, the interior of the auditorium evokes a sense of calm and openness. The equilibrium, however, is interrupted by construction noises coming from outside: an intrusive shopping mall might soon merge into Yuriev’s design. Continue reading...
