The Image of the City

 Artwork by Aleksandra Zhuikova

Kevin Lynch in the book describing how people perceive the city and what are the crucial elements for it. Although in the text he refers to 3 American cities I decided to illustrate his ideas through my personal urban experience. The quotes which I liked the most were converted into pictures with references to Russian narratives which can be reflected in the city life.

In the Soviet residential districts, even commuters are struggling with finding their destination due to the similarities of urban settlement. Here it's likely to enter into the wrong building and realise the mistake only when the key won't suit the door. This phenomenon was shown in the popular Soviet movie Irony of Fate(1976) when the protagonist didn't realise that he even not in the right city. Living in this grey urban forest is not just being lost inside it but a constant feeling of uncertainty.

City is a bunch of different layers and communities which are connected together. In Russian  fairytale Tsarevna Frog, the magical ball of yarn showed Ivan-Tsarevitch the way to his beloved.  The yarn metaphorically keeps two places together and clearly shown where the person starts and what is his final destination.

In the famous painting Knight at the Crossroads by Viktor Vasnetsov (1882) the moment of the 

decision was pictured. In a less dramatic way, this illustration refers to it and highlights the 

importance of the decision points in choosing the right path.