Platbands as cultural heritage: theoretical framework for study

The article deals with the commonality of platband designs in wooden and stone architecture of Russia. It is proved that in the epoch of industrial revolution the platband acquires new aesthetic functions: to visually mask what is going on behind the window, to change the habits of optics, to strengthen the photogenic nature of the building, to realize the idea of an opening, gate, arch by complicating the contours of the building. The platband should therefore be considered not just as an ornamental decoration, but as a part of the organization of space, where the building turns out to be something like a theatrical backdrop, and the space becomes more complex in the era of traffic networking. Parallels are drawn between platbands and various ways of disguising the face: the Pavlovo-Posad shawl, dark or disco glasses, and the affordances of contemporary virtual reality. Particular attention is given to the monastic analabos and its relation to the discovery of Old Russian spirituality in the early twentieth century, as well as the association between the fashion for platbands at that time and the appeal to the achievements of Old Russian architecture. It is shown that preservation and study of platbands is unattainable in detachment from the study of forms and customs of public self-presentation of people, both in the field of spiritual asceticism and in the field of everyday life.