this structure was to be the constructivist masterpiece-- vladimir tatlin's tower, designed as a monument to celebrate the third anniversary of the revolution. it would have been the communist party's headquarters. the sphere at the top was to be a broadcasting station the cylinder-- an information center, the pyramid-- to house the secretariat the cube-- a debating chamber. the structure was to spring from the ground, standing twice as high as the empire state building. but in 1919, there wasn't enough steel in russia to build tatlin's tower. many other constructivist projects were never realized because of lack of resources. between 1914 and the early 1920s, russia was isolated from the rest of europe and, rather like a closed laboratory, developed their own unique theories about the role of art in the modern environment. and then from 1921 onwards, when the allies lifted their blockade of russia after their attempt to crush the young revolution, many western artists were simply inspired by what they saw of the boldness of the russian artistic experiment. then russian avant-garde ideas