Monday, April 30, 2012

Forgotten futuristic monuments





Every once and again, I come across a link that keeps me daydreaming for hours.

This is one of those links.

Check these things out!  They are a series of monuments in the former Yugoslavia.  Josip Tito, who was president of Yugoslavia for like…ever, commissioned the solid concrete sculptures to serve as monuments to World War II battlefields.  Later Yugoslavia fell apart and the monuments languished into disrepair as the citizens had greater things to concern themselves with…such as war and not getting shot while trying to get their next sandwich.   The monuments remain, however, as the accompanying text in the link demonstrates: “…their physical dilapidated condition and institutional neglect reflect a more general social historical fracturing. And on the other hand, they are still of stunning beauty without any symbolic significances.”

I just dig their futuristic style, what with all the sharp angles and the broken edges.  As one astute observer pointed out, a few of the monuments look like the structures you come across while playing Halo.  A few of them even look like buildings one could live in.  Case in point being the one labeled Krusevo (pictured above).  Look, it’s even got a ramp leading up into it and nifty, almost stained glass-looking windows and skylights. 

Then there’s Ptrova Gora.  It’s like the secret headquarters of a James Bond villain.  Look, you can even see what looks like a communication tower jutting up from the top.  I can imagine the black helicopters landing there now.  And Podgaric, the first photo in the series, looks just plain aphotic.  

So I've got these things going for me if nothing else.  I can't imagine the locals being to upset with me moving in nor can I imagine that the properties would go for all that much.  All I need is a fast internet connection, my books, access to computer gear, and maybe a pizza place that delivers.

On second thought, maybe ML needs a wealthy benefactor who will pay to bring one of these bad boys over to the good ol' US of A, concrete slab by concrete slab.


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