TURKSIB

With the spread of socialism, modernity also gains a foothold in even the most far-flung corners of the newly founded Soviet Union. As with the previous annexation of the North American continent, the railroad stands here as well as a symbol for the encroachment of technological progress. Viktor Turin documents the construction of the Turksib railroad, which stretches from Tashkent in Uzbekistan over Almaty to Novosibirsk in Siberia. The steppe here is the polar opposite of the propulsive machine, embodying the concept of wilderness as a sort of dialectical foil to modernisation.