On the „aesthetics of the socialist apartment” ten years later: A Research Biography

Abstract

In this paper, I present findings from my research on the characteristics of domestic housing interiors during the socialist period and the role of consumption in shaping these environments, conducted for my BA thesis project in 2014. The focus is on the aesthetics of apartment interiors in the 1960s and 1970s, using a residential building in Belgrade, constructed in 1963, as a case study. In my research, I employed a method that included in-depth interviews with respondents using a standardized questionnaire, along with informal conversations. The photographs provided by the interlocutors further enriched the representation of their memories. The goal of this work is to identify and describe the aesthetic characteristics of domestic spaces during socialism, situated within the theoretical framework of consumption, material culture, and socialism studies. It also emphasizes the substantial transformations occurring in the urban landscape of this area, which is undergoing significant gentrification as a result of the „Belgrade Waterfront” project. This development risks gradually diminishing and erasing the surrounding urban space, including toponyms that are vital to local identity and have shaped the aesthetics of the residents’ living environment since the building’s construction.