Human House - Tashkent's Coolest Design Space

Come on in! Even children's accessories and toys are available at Human House
Image: Ekaterina Kozlova

Good news for Tashkent residents and visitors: the city's coolest store for clothing, accessories, textiles, ceramics etc, has moved location and morphed into a fully-fledged design space.

For 17 years Human Wear was the capital's hub for fashion, accessories and home decor. It was a place, before jumping on a flight back home, you could visit and scoop up armfuls of gorgeous items and special souvenirs.

Owner and designer, Lola Saifi, sensed the zeitgeist of rapidly changing Uzbekistan.

She wanted to continue to be the premier place to showcase  traditional and contemporary Uzbek design.

And she also wanted to create a space for master classes, fashion shows, knowledge exchange among artisans as well as a cosy place to just drop by and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee.

Last November, Human House launched at 43 Ivlieva Street, in the premises of a former restaurant. The space is perfect for Lola's needs: it is a big house, lots of light, lots of rooms, a garden and even a log fireplace. Sipping tea, listening to the crackle of the fire and being surrounded by beautiful items is a special way to spend a winter's afternoon. On warmer days, the courtyard is a lovely space to hang out.

Since opening, there has been a range of interesting activities including a graphic design course, master classes on basket weaving and felting, workshops for children on making teddy bears (of course the bears are dressed in ikat fabric), fashion marketing and children's photo shoots with photographer Ekaterina Kozlova.

Beautiful Uzbek ceramics placed on a woolen, ikat-patterned carpet

Fashion shows are on the program. The first, in January 2018, was Khafiz Khan's dazzling new collection.

Cinema screenings and musical evenings are planned from spring.

A carefully-curated, small selection of contemporary artworks hang in Human House.

(Official documentation is required to export art and Human House can arrange this on your behalf, though please be aware that it may take a little time).

There is a small cafe. While sipping local herbal teas or French press coffee - with delicious Uzbek sweets - you can admire the gorgeous suzanis decorating the walls, the swathes of ikat fabric and the shelves of ceramics and accessories.

Despite the many talented creatives in Uzbekistan, tracking down how to buy their products is extremely difficult. That problem is now solved - simply visit Human House.

All the practical details are below as well as images of items from the store, many of which you won't find anywhere else. Prices are surprisingly reasonable.

Address: 43 Ivlieva Street, Tashkent (about a 10 - 15 minute walk from metro is Oybek/Ming Orik interchange stations).

Look out for the red door and turquoise windows of Human House

This is a well-known street in Tashkent and taxi drivers know it. Look out for the yellow Human House sign, a red door and turquoise windows.

Contacts: telephone: +998 90 937 83 73; email: humanhouseuz@mail.ru

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/humanhuman.net/  (In Russian - just run it through Google Translate).

Website: an e-commerce website will be launched later this year and Uzbek Journeys will update this post to reflect the new information.
 
Opening hours: Monday - Saturday from 10:00 - 19:00; Sunday 10:00 - 17:00

Payment: Good news - you can now pay via Visa card. And of course cash in Uzbek soum.  ATM machines for cash withdrawals are available at the nearby Grand Mir Hotel or Kapital Bank in Nukus street.

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A selection of gorgeous shoes available at Human House, Tashkent. Image: Ekaterina Kozlova

 Human House's owner Lola Saifi, 3rd from left, and designer Hafiz Khan, far right - after his fashion show at Human House

There is a beautiful selection of suzanis and embroideries at Human House. Image: Ekaterina Kozlova

Gorgeous felted fashion from the winter collection at Human House. Image: Ekaterina Kozlova

And of course men are not forgotten at Human House, Tashkent. Image: Lilia Zainulina

Cosy vest from Human House, Tashkent. Image: Lilia Zainulina

Exquisite ceramic sitting on a beautiful woolen, ikat-patterned carpet. Image: Ekaterina Kozlova

Look at these adorable toys available at Human House, Tashkent

Kyrgyz Space Program: Creating the First Kyrgyz Satellite Ever & It Will be Built by Girls

Leading online Kyrgyz media group, Kloop, staffed mainly with young, fearless Kyrgyz, is launching this exciting satellite project on 5 March.

If you have visited Kyrgyzstan, please consider supporting it. (Details below).
Even if you haven't visited Kyrgyzstan (yet) please consider a contribution to the project.

It is planned to build the satellite in the Kloop office in downtown Bishkek!

It will be the smallest and cheapest satellite possible - the so-called cubesat, the smallest class of satellites. The total budget for the construction and launch of such a satellite is about US$100,000 - US$150,000.

Girls who want to make a career in robotics, engineering, space exploration, the development of artificial intelligence and all other related fields, would have an excellent start if they participated in this project.

Why is this project only for girls? Kloop is tired of the discrimination and injustice women and girls face in Kyrgyzstan. It wants to create an environment in which a group of girls would truly create a story. And at the same time it would break all possible stereotypes and clichés, inspire other girls in Kyrgyzstan (and maybe the whole world) to fulfil their most fantastic dreams.

The program will begin with basic engineering skills, taught by the Kloop team. This team has already produced a drone and assembled a system for video broadcasts.

 Most likely the satellite will look something like this

By mid-to-late 2018, Nano Avionics, a Lithuanian company that launched the first Lithuanian satellite, will take over the more complex training related directly to satellite construction. Nano Avionics produces cubesats.

What the satellite will do, will be determined  by the girls themselves during the course of the project. However, to keep costs low, it will not be too complicated.

The launch of the first satellite will greatly facilitate the launch of the second and subsequent satellites, which would be more complicated.

The satellite will be sent on a transport ship to the International Space Station, and from there launched into orbit. The cost of transporting the satellite is included in its budget.

How was this project born? Kloop co-founder Bektur Iskender met NASA employee Alex McDonald, who travels around the world inspiring people to create local, amateur space programs. Learning about Kloop Media projects, McDonald proposed launching a Kyrgyz space program. To Iskender it was too good a chance to pass up.

NASA does not provide funding, but helps Kloop with connections, advice and knowledge. For example, thanks to MacDonald, the Kloop team has already met with the Lithuanian satellite makers.

How can you contribute to this inspiring project and help bright girls in one of the world's poorest countries?

There is a crowd funding program - it's in English and you can make a monthly commitment for as little as $2 per month. The crowd funding website also has more information about the project. Of course, please share this post on your social media networks.

Update 17 March 2020: 

Aljazeera has posted a 20-minute video that updates this project. View Women Make Science: Kyrgyzstan's Space School

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