N/ÓSZTALGIA
The cultural memories of the socialism, and the culture of transforming.
We documented a special and characteristic type of display windows in Budapest. These windows are interesting in this Bipolar project (N/ÓSZTALGIA) because they are (look like) small inclusions of the socialist period. Small bubbles, witch are not artificially new phenomens, or not the renassiance of cult objects from the socialist period, but places of a living history.
Have you ever had a preconception about a houseplant? We realised that these plants (and the culture of growing these indoor tropical plants ) are strongly connected to this socialist period in peoples mind. It looks like the time stopped in these store-windows around 1970-80, and nothing's changed in these small communal-private spaces.
Normally, a display window has a function to offer products for sale, advertise companies etc. At the other hand buildings with social functions like post offices, libraries, pharmacies also could have large display windows. And they face to the question of an empty window.
These spaces lose their commercial functions, and transformed into peoples private (personal) spaces, but they are still display windows on busy streets of Budapest. Seems like nobody's interested about these weird and aesthetic spaces, these private urban glasshouses, with their popular "post-socialist" houseplants.
After they lost there commercial function probably many years ago, owners or occupants started to use these windows as growing glasshouses for house plants. These special display windows are absolutely capable for plants, with huge glass surfaces and plenty of sunshine. "Our library was opened in 1961. I consider this is important to relate because the building and its inner forming is totally reflect that period. The library was originally built with hugh glass surfaces, so there were diverse plants in the library from the beginning." (Entrusted Leader of the Children’s Library of Terézváros, Budapest.)
The personal reason could be similar to the socialist period. An office full of austere houseplants, makes the workers feel better, creates a more livable environment. "By the other hand, the salon looks much better like this. More people stop and look inside since we have plants and not pictures in the shop-window, especially when this red one starting to blossom." (Lady from a Hair Saloon in Budapest)
Our research contains the documentation of these private-communal spaces (collected photographs in edition, together with essays about the exploration), because of their high aesthetic quality, and introduce the people behind these windows, and the personal stories behind these spaces. This research could show the contingent connections and analogies between the different situations of the evolution of these places. For us it's an important detail to look behind these windows, and collect the personal motivations and histories and memories. "We can say, every plant has a personal story. For example we have a plant witch reminds us of our collague, (who died two years ago), because it was her present to the library." (Entrusted Leader of the Children’s Library of Terézváros, Budapest.)
Of course the aesthetic aspect is also very important, because this was the first and strongest effect that made us deal with this phenomenon deeper. But we think this phenomenon takes us over the aesthetical dimension forward social, political and nostalgical dimensions.
"Partly they have pedagogical aim, and also an aesthetic function. It is necessary for the children to get used to take care of the plants in their lifespaces (Umwelt) and acquaint with the indoor plants.
The other aim is the aesthetic view of the library from outside. Many people stop and look at the plants, come in and ask questions about them. They ask for information and advices about the keeping of these house plants.
The children look after these plants like their own. We have many plants as a present from readers." (Entrusted Leader of the Children’s Library of Terézváros, Budapest.)
We think these tough symptoms are telling a story more about constancy and permanency, and maybe about transformation, but not about revolution. A partly metamorphosis.
This research analyse the nostalgia from a different side because doesn't interesting only in the everyday objects (design, advertising, packing), but shows a phenomenon groups, which are not sensitive for the political, social and economical changes but constant phenomenas. It concentrate more on our preconceptions about objects and also about living creatures.
"I see this phenomenon at the post offices too, where they used to have many plants, but sadly there are less and less plants in the display windows. Of course you can have your own camel on the internet (you can feed it, and play with it as a real one), but it would be more important to take care about the living creatures around you. Throw these activities, you can learn more about life. And also it's a very good surface of communication with the children and the readers. Also with the shy ones." (Entrusted Leader of the Children’s Library of Terézváros, Budapest.)
We would like to connect to this project another research too about the history of houseplant-keeping culture. About the tipical houseplants of a socialist era in East-Europe and the reasons why are these plants the most tipical ones. Why are these plants left strong marks in our memories with the connection of this period. The absurdity of living between stranger tropical plants in our homes and our workplaces which are changing time to time. For example a plant (Sansevieria trifasciata) called mother-in-law tongue in the rustic speech is ideal for officies. It stands well the office conditions like cigarette smoke and don't need any special care, said a hungarian houseplant lexicon from the eighties. And in the spirit of the Retro, it became popular again in Hungary. So you can find these nostalgic plants in the windows of fashionable cafes.
Keeping plants in researched display windows mostly connected to the ladies of the shops who would like to work in a more familiar space. At the other hand it lend variety to their work-time and when they taking care of their plants is a meditative pursuit. "Firs of all we are girls. We love flowers and plants! We have flowers and plants in the window since ten years. I took this red one from home." (Lady from the Hair Saloon in Budapest)
We documented these shop-windows and the people behind them, and collected these documents in an edition together with essays from urbanists, antropologist and aesthetes connected to the urban theories of the research.