Eric Lusito has travelled throughout the former Soviet empire from East Germany to Mongolia, from Poland to Kazakhstan, in search of these military bases, relics of the ambition and power of the USSR. "After the Wall Traces of the Soviet Empire" published by Dewi Lewis is a photographic record of the land and architecture — haunted by the symbols and history of a once powerful Empire. Visit www.ericlusito.com for more information.
For almost fifty years the world lived under the shadow of the Cold War, and the fear of an apocalyptic confrontation between the West and the Soviet Union. But after the rise of Mikhail Gorbachev to the Soviet leadership there followed a series of tumultuous events that would eventually culminate in the fall of the regime founded by Lenin and Stalin.
Once the Soviet Empire had seemed inviolable. At its heart had been a military system, exerting huge control and influence which extended throughout the Soviet bloc.
There were military bases in every country.
Eric Lusito has travelled throughout the former Soviet empire from East Germany to Mongolia, from Poland to Kazakhstan, in search of these military bases, relics of the ambition and power of the Soviet Union. As the USSR crumbled many bases were simply abandoned. A few still remain – traces of a once powerful Empire – yet over time they too are beginning to disappear. The military departed but much else was just left behind.
The book includes photographs not only of the military bases but also of the murals, posters, books, instruction manuals etc. that Lusito found abandoned. It is a rich collection of work and illuminates the once hidden military world of the Soviet Union, last testimonies left by a modern civilisation which is no longer familiar to us, ruins that invite us to construct our own stories.