Edward Lin
Curiously enough, even within one’s personal space, one could not necessarily count on privacy. Proximity of neighbors and lack of personal space made kommunalka’s environment transparent to the views of cohabitants and altered the sense of personal confidentiality. The communal spaces, however, were true manifestations of the individual within the realm of national and social.Accompanied by rules, public settings carried a sense of the impersonal and ownerlessness. Here the theatre of life, so often despised for its lack of humanity, was played out by common Soviet people.Although each family owned part of a stove, a table and a cabinet, the kitchen was often in a state of war for territory.This was not a space for a peaceful dinner or other functions associated with a home, but a place where one would line up to wash the dishes, argue about the electricity bills or discuss communal matters.The bathroom had its own schedule as well. Imagine numerous washing machines and drying clothes illuminated by a steamy, stifling incandescent lamp. Inhabiting shared environments tested the extent of human compassion and defined one’s consciousness within the society. Living with strangers was not an easy task, considering that it could potentially last a lifetime. Especially in the first years of USSR, individual idiosyncrasies, those that distinguished persons from each other, were not only judged and discouraged within the public atmosphere, but most significantly, scrutinised within one’s home. During this time the meaning of the word ‘private’ gained a negative connotation. Being exposed to the eyes of the state and neighbours resulted in a lost sense of personal identity within the greater Soviet population.The living conditions during these years depicted a simple truth – what was humane and personal was replaced in favour of the national. Perhaps the picture described above will seem gloomy to most, but that is not my intention. This sketch is an attempt to show the distinction and, most importantly, the coexistence of a national consciousness and conditions of individual identity within the structure of communal living. Of course, the aspects of collective life were not limited to negative insights, where war and argument constantly preoccupied tenants. On the contrary, the kommunalka was, and still remains, a diverse and fascinating environment, where endless personal stories are intertwined with the stories of old and new generations and both the past and present histories of Russia. g
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