The end of utopia [Utopias Art & Architecture]

SURELY ONLY THE most visionary of designers ever anticipated that the Letatlin could fly? This colossal wooden machine, its wings spread across the ceiling of the Gallery for Russian Arts and Design (GRAD) in London at the end of 2013, was just one example in an exhibition showcasing the utopian architecture from the constructivist movement of the Soviet Union. So, was this utopia realised? Could the flying machine (the name of which merges letat - 'to fly' - and the name of its designer, Vladimir Tatlin) take to the sky? "No, it could not," says gallery director Elena Sudakova, "though there have been multiple attempts over the years."