In the project "Plan P" at the Narkomfin Building, artist Asia Zaslavskaia engages with the theoretical and practical explorations of Moisei Ginzburg, summarized in his book "The Dwelling: Five Years of Work on the Problem of the Dwelling" (1934), and interprets them in a minimalist architectural composition on the floor of Unit P.
The installation is dedicated to the ghostly occupant of the unit — the janitor, about whom almost nothing is known. In literature, he is sometimes referred to as the commandant, which gives a general idea of his occupation, but there is no detailed information about the specific individuals in this position, their duties, or their workplace. The unit itself is also ghostly: it is absent from Moisei Ginzburg's original blueprints, does not correspond to any of the apartment types he proposed, and by the time the restoration of the Narkomfin Building began in 2017, it had completely lost its integral double-height layout — having been subdivided and split into two separate, unconnected rooms.
The interior, which combines a bedroom, study, living room, and kitchen within a single space, restores not only the unit's former unity but also its inhabitant — with their needs for security, comfort, and rest. In this way, a unit not originally intended for living becomes a dwelling. By placing steel sculptures — outlines of furniture pieces — on two levels, the artist offers the visitor two points of view: from above, as if looking at a 1:1 scale blueprint, and from within the imagined setting.
The installation is dedicated to the ghostly occupant of the unit — the janitor, about whom almost nothing is known. In literature, he is sometimes referred to as the commandant, which gives a general idea of his occupation, but there is no detailed information about the specific individuals in this position, their duties, or their workplace. The unit itself is also ghostly: it is absent from Moisei Ginzburg's original blueprints, does not correspond to any of the apartment types he proposed, and by the time the restoration of the Narkomfin Building began in 2017, it had completely lost its integral double-height layout — having been subdivided and split into two separate, unconnected rooms.
The interior, which combines a bedroom, study, living room, and kitchen within a single space, restores not only the unit's former unity but also its inhabitant — with their needs for security, comfort, and rest. In this way, a unit not originally intended for living becomes a dwelling. By placing steel sculptures — outlines of furniture pieces — on two levels, the artist offers the visitor two points of view: from above, as if looking at a 1:1 scale blueprint, and from within the imagined setting.
Plan P
Installation, 2025
Steel
Curator: Elmira Minkina
Photos: Varvara Toplennikova
Steel
Curator: Elmira Minkina
Photos: Varvara Toplennikova
