In the second half of the 20th century, “brutalism and the shall-we-call-it ‘marketplace modernism’…when it appeared in the East, was always about spectacle,” Zupagrafika founders David Navarro and Martyna Sobecka say in a blog post about Eastern Bloc suburbia.

Brutalist housing estates and public buildings of the post-war Soviet era were built on a massive scale, often from concrete and prefabricated panels, to accommodate growing populations and to demonstrate power, socialist values, and modernity. Sometimes blocked in color or complemented by murals, these hulking structures largely emphasized monolithic forms, an unmissable PR message about communist ideology.

Brutalism is a study in contrasts—heaviness juxtaposed with balance; concrete set into the natural landscape. Eastern Blocks II, Navarro and Sobecka’s new book, captures some of these stark scenes, with expansive residential units rising above bucolic meadows or framed by nothing but snow. Functionality takes precedence over aesthetics.

Navarro and Sobecka have traveled the width and breadth of Eastern Europe, photographing the region’s unique architecture and expanding on the first volume published in 2019. Along with local photographers Alexander Veryovkin and Kseniya Lokotko, who captured views of Kaliningrad and Minsk, the authors chronicle a total of ten cities from Chișinău to Riga to Prague in more than 180 photos.

Find your copy on the publisher’s website. You might also enjoy Zupagrafika’s Kiosk, a survey of Eastern Europe’s disappearing tiny shops.

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article More than 180 Photographs Chronicle Brutalist Suburbs and Public Buildings in ‘Eastern Blocks II’ appeared first on Colossal.

Bauhaus

In zijn autobiografie ‘Inside Outsider’ schrijft rapper Rudeboy (Patrick Tilon) over de gloriedagen in de legendarische band Urban Dance Squad, zijn dwarse karakter en zijn taaie jeugd

WAREGEM (ANP) - Wielrenster Elisa Longo Borghini heeft Dwars door Vlaanderen op haar naam geschreven. De Italiaanse wielrenster van UAE Team ADQ kwam na 128,5 kilometer solo aan in Waregem. De Belgische wereldkampioene Lotte Kopecky werd op ongeveer een halve minuut tweede en Elisa Balsamo uit Italië derde. Puck Pieterse eindigde als vierde voor landgenote Mischa Bredewold.

Voor Longo Borghini is het de derde zege sinds haar overstap naar UAE afgelopen najaar. De 33-jarige Italiaanse won eerder een rit en het eindklassement van de Ronde van de Verenigde Arabische Emiraten.

With the Nintendo Switch 2 launching on June 5th 2025, one of the day one titles is Mario Kart World, where you can play as a cow. There's also an Elden Ring game, some GameCube ports e.g. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (and the GameCube controller), a 3D Donkey Kong, a wheelchair basketball game, and a bundle of other titles, new and refreshed and ported. There's no word on the price, or a price adjustment for the original Switch for which new games include Tomodachi Life (the last 20 seconds is intriguing) in 2026.

In the time of climate change, the fragile ice roads that link Northern communities are under threat. (slTheGuardian)

Disgracefully, no Canadian government has addressed all the very pressing issues of First Nations communities with consistent actions. (Lack of clean drinking water, housing, food insecurity because food costs a ridiculous amount in places where incomes are low.)

Get ready for even more White Lotus water cooler convo, because the stars of HBO’s smash hit have officially spilled the tea!

“HBO begged me to set this season in Gary, Indiana for budgetary reasons. They found this abandoned Best Western in downtown Gary that they insisted on shooting in. This one executive was leaving me voicemails, literally screaming at me. ‘Gary, Indiana is the same thing as Thailand. I’ve been to both places. Same fucking shit. You’re not being a team player, Mike. It’s so unfair you won’t give Gary a chance. You’re being a diva, Mike. I already got HBO to buy the Best Western. Deal’s done. It’s ours. And once you buy a Best Western, you can’t fucking ‘return’ it. There’s no going back. I put my job on the line to do that. I risked everything. Mike, I will ruin you if you push back on this.’ We compromised and agreed to do Thailand on the condition that I set the next season in Gary.” – Mike White, on the third season of The White Lotus taking place in Thailand

“Mike [White] originally wrote that monologue about being an Asian girl for his School of Rock script—and apparently they shot it too, but all the kid actors started crying before Jack Black could finish the monologue, so they dropped it.” – Sam Rockwell, on his viral monologue from episode 5

“I was nervous because I’d never done motion-capture performance before, and I was so uncomfortable wearing that mo-cap suit in 100℉ weather for 12 hours at a time, but Mike [White] was utterly trusting and supportive. He always encouraged me to go off script and try new things every take.” – Alec Baldwin, on portraying Saxon’s protein shakes 

“One time a monitor lizard wandered into the middle of a shot, so Mike [White] yelled ‘Tạd!’—that’s Thai for ‘Cut!’—and then he beheaded the lizard with a clapperboard. He is a genius.” – Lalisa Manobal, on working with Mike White

“I was competing with Paula Deen to play Victoria Ratliff. I remember sitting across from her in the audition waiting room. I said hello. She didn’t smile or say anything. Just ignored me, eyes down on her script. A minute later, Paula glances up and whispers, ‘Bitch.’ I say, ‘Excuse me?’ She ignores me again, acts like nothing happened, keeps underlining random scene headings in the script and nodding as if she’s deep in thought. A few minutes later, she whispers again. ‘Hey you. Bitch. Paula’s going to Thailand. She ‘bout to rock this audition. Brought her A-game today. You outta luck, little girl. Run along now!’ I think she was trying to get in my head…but, yeah, apparently she bombed the audition so badly she had a nervous breakdown and got put in a mental asylum.” – Parker Posey, on the audition process

“Spending six months under the sovereignty of King Maha Vajiralongkorn was the greatest honor of my life. I am now raising my children to love and respect His Majesty, and to recognize King Maha Vajiralongkorn as their one true ruler.” – Carrie Coon, on how living in Thailand for half a year changed her

“So Buddhism is like…it’s like jazz. It’s got its own rhythm and swagger, I think—I’ll be honest with you, I don’t think about religions. Any of them. I’m sorry. The food was very good in Thailand.” – Walton Goggins, on Buddhism’s influence on The White Lotus season 3 

“It was so hot in Thailand that I had to use deodorant!” – Aimee Lou Wood, on shooting in Thailand’s climate

“Every morning I wake up to messages from Sam Nivola saying stuff like, ‘Patrick, remember when we were brothers and I gave you a handjob? Wasn’t that so cool?’ At first I texted back, ‘Haha, yeah that was a fun gig, man,’ but he texted me again later, at like 4 a.m., “’Patrick, it was so fun when we were brothers and I gave you a handjob. So, so fun. That was the best! Miss you ma brotha (ha!)’ Didn’t reply to that one. Next day, another text from Sam: ‘Still thinking about how we were brothers and I gave you that handjob, Patrick. Classic. So, so awesome. My family and I keep rewatching that scene over and over together. What does your family think?’ Next day, another one. And it hasn’t stopped. This has been going on for six months.” – Patrick Schwarzenegger, on him and Sam Nivola playing brothers

“There was this one scene where I was playing Patrick Schwarzenegger’s brother and I gave him a handjob. It was the best. My family and I are always rewatching it. I ought to reach out to Patrick about it. I hope he remembers he was my brother and I gave him a handjob. Because I remember about it all the time. It was seriously the best.” – Sam Nivola, on him and Patrick Schwarzenegger playing brothers

“We haven’t received any specific applications on this issue yet,” Deputy Finance Minister Ivan Chebeskov told Russian media.

This ProPublica story about ICE deportation flights, with intel from flight attendants who work them, is horrific. “Don’t talk to the detainees. Don’t feed them. Don’t make eye contact.” The Trump admin is treating these people like animals.

De politie heeft drie minderjarige jongens aangehouden vanwege een mishandeling tijdens de kermis in Numansdorp. Het gaat om een 17-jarige, 16-jarige en 15-jarige jongen, allemaal uit Hoeksche Waard.