Design Map · Eindhoven
Soul Kiosk
Graduation project by Elizaveta Sokolova at Design Academy Eindhoven, 2026. Shown during Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven on Design Map, location F5.
Decay is a process that shapes both societies and individual lives. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, millions of people found themselves between two systems, as the familiar world disappeared before a new one had taken shape. In ‘Soul Kiosk: Interactive Installation About Hope in Decay’, visitors assume the role of a kiosk merchant in 1990s Russia, encountering people whose lives have been profoundly altered by this period of transition. The choices that participants make influence how the stories unfold.
Elizaveta Sokolova’s research considers decay not only as a destructive force but also as a condition in which hope can emerge and endure. The project explores hope as something sustained through community rather than individual action alone. It invites reflection on empathy, human connection and the ways people support one another through uncertainty and change.