Category: Design

Veiko Tammjärv’s pictographic short story „Paradise Club“, an ironic take on the circumstances of Adam and Eve’s banishment from the paradise, a story familiar from the Bible, was published in the new magazine „Scratches” dedicated to author’s comics.

Veiko Tammjärv is the internationally best known comic artist and graphic designer from Estonia. The first edition of the new magazine was presented at Frankfurt book fair this autumn and it is planned to be published once a year.

The magazine is compiled by legendary Dutch comic artist and graphic designer Joost Swarte. According to his vision, „Scratches” will mainly consist of the works of contemporary Dutch and Belgian comic artists, but also a selection of the international best.

Swarte specifically highlighted Tammjärv’s comic in the interview given to the magazine „The Comics Journal“ (https://www.tcj.com/joost-swarte-scratching-the-surface/). In addition to Tammjärv’s, the first edition includes the works of Robert Crumb, Art Spiegelman, Chris Ware, David B, and a number of other avant-garde comic superstars.

TASE ’16 at the Rauaniidi building,
Kotzebue 1 / Põhja pst 7 in Tallinn

The main exhibition of TASE ’16, the annual graduation works festival of the Estonian Academy of Arts, has been extended until Saturday, June 18. Don’t be conspicuous by your absence!

True, real, fake or imagined? Does reality exist outside of our imagination and ability to perceive it? Do photos reflect the past better than our memories? These are all questions posed by the work of photographer Sohvi Viik, one of the many talented young artists whose work will remain on display now for a couple of more days.

Her answer seems to be simple: what is real is imagined.

But is it really so simple? Or is this simplicity merely an imagination? Well, I think you should see it by yourself.

Philosophical questions as such, however, are not the only things that concern the people involved. There are many practical applications of art as well that arise from the deeper understanding of the daily reality we are all living in.

What do you make of, just by example, the biodegradable materials from coffee? Is it a great idea? Or should we just skip to tea? I think it’s fancy, but not in an unrealistic way. We should recycle coffee as much as we can.

This is not a question to be taken lightly. So I am very grateful to Annika Kaldoja for opening a new frontier in the investigation and solution of one of the core problems of our modern coffee-addicted society: what to do with the waste?

“There are many problems in the world, and one of the few tools people possess to make a change is activism,” stresses Sandra Kosorotova, a young fashion designer. “Fashion activism can’t solve the world’s problems, but it can focus on solving one – hyper-consumerism.”

This kind on realistic idealism is precisely what the Estonian society needs and wants from the graduates of the Estonian Academy of Arts. It is so good to see that they are living up to our great expectations.

 
Estonian Museum of Applied Art and Design
“Kitchen. Changing room, design and applied art in Estonia”
Exhibition is open until 15.05.2016. 

While a unique canonical history is already emerging in Estonian visual arts due to the decades-long work by Estonian Art Museum and numerous researchers, the conceptualization of the local material culture is still an ongoing process – the number of themes, authors and problems is endless and the field itself is still relatively young. The exhibition in question, “Kitchen. Changing room, design and applied art in Estonia”, steps onto uncharted territory as well, exploring the emergence and development of modern kitchen in Estonia. The journey through the exhibition hall starts in the 1930s, continues through the Soviet period into modern times, and runs, on the other end of the hall, symbolically back into the past, to the beginning. The wooden constructions and light tones used in the design create an association with general local Nordic space language.

The choice of exhibits unites several different aspects: in addition to the actual situation of Estonian kitchen through the history, there are also the ideals and layouts of the kitchen. Due to this, many less-known individual items or prototypes, which never made it to production, are displayed to the public, for example, Silvia Raudvee’s beautiful sets of glass, which offer an exciting contrast to the familiar objects of Tarbeklaas. In addition to objects, a large amount of archive materials and publications is displayed. As many other exhibitions of material culture, “Kitchen” offers plenty of moments of recognition. How many visitors would remember, for example, the series of Estonian Television, “Look in the Kitchen” (1971-92)? Although the focus is on the development of the kitchen in the local Estonian context, there are references to global tendencies to provide background. A symbolic model of the Frankfurt kitchen is represented as the basis of the idea of modern kitchen.

It is precisely through the changing of the medium that makes it interesting to follow the paradigms of Estonian kitchen through different eras. The period of the first republic is characterised, in addition to the objects, by layouts and designs, demonstrating the discussions revolving around the kitchen of the era and the indistinctness of practical solutions. Reaching the Soviet era, the conflicts between mass production, prototypes and ideal blueprints, discord and harmony, become the central theme of the exhibition. In modern times, the mass production practically disappears, and objects of art, experiments by the younger generation of designers, and brave prototypes like the outdoor kitchen by Raul Tiitus and Kaido Kivi from 2013 start to dominate.

A reminder for future visitors: you must definitely climb up the stairs as well, as in the Stair Gallery you will find a mini-exhibition-installation of the design of Norma’s kitchen jars throughout the history. The exhibition can be viewed as the development of graphic design in Soviet Estonia, presented in three-dimensional form, how social-realistic city views evolved into the pop-style red-and-white dotted pattern that has assumed a status of a design icon by today. I believe many will be surprised, how many different designs made it into production: the general impression is best summed up by an accidentally overheard sentence uttered by two ladies: “My lord, how many there are!”.

The exhibition also includes a small interactive part: every visitor can send a photo of their kitchen at the e-mail address pilt@etdm.ee and thereby help to conceptualization the modern kitchen in all its nuances and variations.

Photo: Paul Kuimet

In the yellow light of lanterns, the cold autumn nights and the Old Town of Tallinn seem completely different from that cheerful medieval Tallinn of the summer. To complement such a romantic atmosphere at the city centre, audiences are invited to a magical cultural experience – the Light Festival Lux Matrix. The festival brings together 21 artists from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany and Italy and unites them under the concept of the Boutique Light Festival to enjoy the Latin Quarter at its best. The festival is also a part of the Baltic Light chain from Tallinn to Gdansk via Riga and Vilnius.

Lux Matrix highlights the probably most mystical part of the Old Town – the Latin Quarter – a place that is so charming that you feel like a hero of Umberto Eco’s novel The Name of the Rose. During the festival, the city wall, St. Catherine’s passage and the Dominican Monastery are enriched by new lighting forms and light installations. Combining the genuine and rigid beauty of medieval buildings with the gentleness and originality of modern art, Lux Matrix makes for a very unique cultural experience. The art of light brings a new dimension to old things. As a counter-reaction to mass-tourism and unlike the recent light festival in Kadriorg Park, Lux Matrix holds no place for big crowds. This festival allows you to enjoy Tallinn and the diverse light forms in a more intimate atmosphere.

The starting point of the festival is located in the garden of the Dominican Monastery. The monastery was the centre of cultural life of the Dominicans throughout the history of Tallinn. At the light exhibitions there, you can take a flashlight and play or walk on a mirror surface and enjoy the ceiling. Another main venue of the festival is the old city wall, which features several interactive light exhibitions. You also have the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful view of the Old Town from the city wall. Perhaps the most notable light installations can be found in the silent and sometimes even unnoticeable backyard of the Old Town College. The minimalism of the straight geometric form and the brightness of colors stand in an amazing contrast with the old grey walls and huge trees of the backyard. In addition to these light installations, there are also several hidden ones in the yards and homes of the Latin Quarter, not visible at first glance.

The festival runs from 18 September until 27 September, however, only selected pieces will be available from 21 September until 27 September.

For those who still haven’t been to the premises of the old Helios Cinema, the design exhibitions on display there give a great opportunity to do that until 27 September. The old and a bit messy cinema is a great place for all design objects. It seems that they were meant to be together and they even encourage us to fall in love with the unusually beautiful place. However, I do not want to emphasize only this compatibility of both elements, I must mention the atmosphere in the Helios Cinema as such – it completely disconnects everyone from their other thoughts, and invites one to concentrate on the curators’ ideas, which, to be honest are pretty interesting to say the least.

There are 13 different exhibitions at the cinema in total. You can find everything; starting with unusual jewellery sets and ending with everyday objects in their most common forms that might even not be seen as design objects at first. Moreover, the exhibitions offer an opportunity to become acquainted with the works of Estonian design students, and also take a look at the designers and exhibitions that have already gained international recognition. One of these well-known exhibitions is the one set up by Belgian curator Oscar Lhermitte. His exhibition No Randomness is displayed in the great hall, and most probably it is not only the best-known, but also the biggest and most interesting exhibition of all. It presents a collection of 19 types of objects, some of which are much older than the oldest guest, but most of them widely known and used. However, the story behind the exhibition tells the exact reasons why they look the way they look. For example, have you ever noticed that all glass bottles have metal caps with exactly 21 grooves on them? Have you thought why it is so? Is that a matter of a designer’s will? The exhibition will answer this question by indicating how small and almost invisible details are given to objects to perfect their functionality. I learned and saw a lot, but the most important thing that I took with me was a different perception of the field of design – I no longer associate design only with a beautiful approach to prettify the environment around us, instead, I also see it as a scientific approach to things, where design elements complement the applicability of the object.

Even though No Randomness captured my heart immediately and definitely occupied a lot of my thoughts afterwards, the other 12 exhibitions are equally worth seeing. Once the guests are done with the big exhibition in the audience hall, they are invited to discover smaller rooms, which most probably were closed to the guests of the Helios Cinema while it still operated. Some of the exhibitions proceed with the popular recycling topic in design, some display traditional Estonian designs, and some come back to design as an element in the production process that renders objects more accessible and comfortable for the entire society. All very interesting! However, when leaving the venue, don’t miss the small staircase leading to a room that probably used to be located behind the screen. In that room, one can see works of well-known Nordic designers, most of whom seem to be inspired by nature.

In conclusion, it’s a must see! Where else can you discover 13 design exhibitions in a perfectly fitting and unobtrusive environment for free?

This autumn, the Design Night is held for the tenth time already and this time it introduces the ideas behind future design and meditates on the changes that cause shifts in the field of design. Although officially the festival runs from 17-20 September, some events are held earlier and several exhibitions are open until the end of the month. The Design Night offers events for both specialists as well as enthusiasts, you can get to know professional Estonian design in its rapidly developing versatility, but also see some selected picks of design from abroad. Culture.ee has compiled a list of ten recommendations to make it easier to navigate among all the seminars, workshops, exhibitions, fashion shows and other events.
Documentary: Alles Moet Nieuw – Piet Zwart
Kumu Auditorium, 16.09. at 18:00
A fascinating documentary about Piet Zwart (1885-1977), an idiosyncratic and stubborn designer, who lived for innovation and prepared the way for the international success that is now known as Dutch Design. The film is also screened at the Tallinn Creative Hub on 19 and 20 September at 13.00.

Film premiere: Out of Fashion
Tallinn Creative Hub, 16.09. at 19:00
Almost at the same time as the previous film, the documentary film Out of Fashion is screened. It follows Reet Aus’ journey from Tallinn, through the catwalks of Europe and the cotton plantations of South America, and right into the epicentre of mass production in Bangladesh. The film is also screened at the Tallinn Creative Hub on 20 September at 15.00.
Seminar Future Design. Design Future.
Tallinn Creative Hub, 17.09. at 10:00
This year’s theme is design’s future and future design with speakers from both Estonia and abroad. The keynote speaker Charles Landry, the author of the concept of Creative Cities (UK), introduces the developments of future cities.
The DBA Design Effectiveness Awards exhibition (UK)
Tallinn Creative Hub, opens 17.09. at 17:00
The Design Effectiveness Awards were established in 1989 to recognise the best design that has had a tangible and measurable effect on business. The recipients of the award prove that design is an economic force and a source of global influence.
HELIODESIGN design exhibitions
Former Helios Cinema, 17.09. at 20:00
The former cinema Helios is full of local and foreign design during the Tallinn Design Festival. Local design schools and designers but also exhibitions from Sweden, Portugal and Israel are presented. There is also a pop-up shop offering Estonian design and a café is open on the opening night.

Lecture: Me, Designer. Me, Architect.
Tallinn Creative Hub, 18.09. at 14:30
The Estonian Association of Designers in cooperation with the Tallinn Architecture Biennale is organising a talk session to go behind the scenes of the creative process. Designers Monika Järg, Andres Labi, Tarmo Luisk, Kairi Kuuskor, Markus Marks and Maile Grünberg and architects Silver Liiberg and Mari Rass will share their experiences.
Exhibition Project Living Room 
Design and Architecture Gallery, opens 18.09. at 18:00
The exhibition includes a number of everyday objects from our living space made by Estonian designers. The exhibition also functions as an educational space where you can discuss design issues and analyse objects right next to them, as if in a stylised living space.
Design Excursion
Tallinn Creative Hub, 19.09. at 12:00
The guided tour will take participants to creative businesses to have a closer look at the design process and meet the people who create the products that make our everyday life better or more comfortable.
Fundraising Design Auction
Tallinn Creative Hub, 19.09. at 20:00
The event offers design enthusiasts and collectors a chance to buy unique items with a story to tell. The money raised at the auction will be given to a charity fund that supports Estonian design students’ studies abroad.
Internation exhibition New Nordic Fashion Illustration II
Estonian Museum of Applied Art and Design, open until 27.09.
The last recommendation is for those who have been preparing the whole summer to visit the Internation exhibition New Nordic Fashion Illustration II .It is worth a visit in the bustle of the Design Night, because it will close before the end of the month. The Museum of Applied Art and Design is aslo showing an exhibition of bookbindings by Lennart Mänd.