Between Limit and Limitation - Architecture as a Witness to the Communist Political Project

Authors’ Comment

I chose Casa Radio as the setting for the Museum of Communism because of the direct relationship between the building and the period explored by the project. Conceived in the 1980s as part of a monumental project of the communist regime and left unfinished after its collapse, Casa Radio preserves within its structure the traces of a time when architecture became an instrument of power and ideological representation. For me, the building represents more than a container for the museum. It becomes the first object of the exhibition, a witness to a period in which the built environment and everyday life were deeply shaped by the political system.

The concept “Between Limit and Limitation” explores the relationship between the individual and the boundaries imposed on personal existence. A limit can define a space, a freedom or a choice, while limitation emerges when that boundary is imposed from outside. During communism, control extended into housing, work, education, information and private life. I translated this idea into architecture through a sequence of spaces that close and open, compress and release, conceal and reveal. Light, darkness, transparency, materiality and the relationship with the city contribute to an experience through which visitors can perceive different forms of limitation.

The museum narrative is organized around three perspectives: the Citizen, the Nomenklatura and the Dissident. The Citizen follows everyday life, from propaganda and surveillance to shortages, standardized housing and the gradual loss of individuality. The Nomenklatura explores mechanisms of power, ideology, the construction of the “New Man” and monumental projects through which the regime asserted its authority. The Dissident introduces opposition, protest and repression, turning the limit into a point of confrontation and a possibility for overcoming it. The three routes intersect at shared points, where different perspectives overlap and create a more complex reading of the same reality. A space dedicated to those “born under communism” brings childhood, education and everyday objects into focus, exploring the ways in which ideology was transmitted to younger generations.

The intervention preserves the massive character of Casa Radio and transforms it into an essential part of the museum experience. The journey begins within the public realm and continues through exhibition, educational and performance spaces, each contributing to the narrative. The route gradually reaches more open areas, where natural light and views towards the city create a moment of distance and reflection. Casa Radio thus becomes part of the exhibition itself. The building’s past and the memory of communism meet in a space where architecture acts as witness, as a carrier of memory and as a tool for understanding.