Open Lectures

17.sept 16:00-21:00 @ TAB-Club, Kultuurikatel, Põhja pst 27a
As part of Tallinn Architecture Biennale (TAB), the seminar aims to discuss the architecture as a process and as an outcome of complex and multilayered economic, social, cultural and political dialogue due to the impact of different regulations and restrictions, as well as other important circumstances.
The seminar will end with an informal part accompanying sound perfomance by Rachael Melanson (UK).
Participation is free of charge.
See more information below, on Facebook or TAB webpage.
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The cities within the Baltic Sea Region are currently undergoing large scale changes, which are mainly related to economic growth, immigration and emigration, ecological and environmental issues, mass tourism, threat of war and economic sanctions among neighboring counties, etc. It is important to ascertain how contemporary architecture and built environment can help us to facilitate and accommodate these changes and how these changes affect historical urban environment and architecture.
Cultural, economic and social ‘regeneration’ have become key words, especially after the global financial crisis, which severely affected the economy of the Baltic States. Due to the financial crisis, the transformation of urban environment and architecture has experienced various new trends. When it comes to Riga, after the financial crisis a large number of residential buildings, office complexes and former factories remain vacant. These are the main conditions which determine the need of contemporary architects to shift from the construction of new buildings to the adaption of existing buildings and complexes of the urban environment, taking into account the new functions of the buildings, as well as the needs of the users.
It is exactly the work on historical development and cultural heritage which has helped contemporary Latvian and Estonian architects to earn recognition on a regional level. The large number of projects carried out counts as proof that new architecture can be combined with old architecture in very different ways. Such projects reveal the differences between the Estonian and Latvian attitude and approach towards both the historical and contemporary substance.
Both – Riga and Tallinn – share a lot in common. For example, the same geopolitical situation, political history or the status of a small-nation capital, etc. At the same time when it comes to their mentality, building traditions or even the origins of foreign investment, these capitals can be considered as very different.
The main aim of the seminar is to outline the different approaches in the design of contemporary architecture and the diverse attitudes towards the architectural heritage in Riga and Tallinn, as well as to distinguish the causes and preconditions of such differences. The discussion will attempt to reveal the connection between the contemporary architecture and the historic urban environment. Special emphasis will be put on the policy of the conservation of cultural heritage as well as building regulations which determine the formation and development of contemporary architecture.
SPEAKERS
Inga Karlštrēma (Latvian Academy of Fine Arts, “New urban typologies- Unesco World heritage zone- Riga city centre” (Exhibition 9 Conditions of Riga))
Viesturs Celmiņš (social anthropologist, Department of Social Anthropology, University of Latvia), “Modernist Architecture and Imaginative Presencing.”
Jaanus Juss (“Transformation of former industrial sites- Telliskivi Creative City”)
Maroš Krivy (Urban Studies at the Faculty of Architecture, Estonian Academy of Arts)- “From factory to culture factory (and back):demolition, preservation, regeneration, maintenance.”)
Artis Zvirgzdiņš (architecture blog a4d.lv “Upcycling in Riga”)
Dagmar Jäger (Tallinn University of Technology, “Reuse of Difficult Heritage sites. Modernist heritage in former GDR”)
CURATOR
Oskars Redbergs is a Latvian architect, educator and curator. His main research focus is on the transformations of urban landscape of post socialist cities. He studied Architecture and Urban planning at the Riga Technical University (Latvia), Danish Institute for Study Abroad (DIS), The Royal Danish Academy of Fine arts – School of Architecture (Denmark), The Staatliche Hochschule der bildenden Künste (Staedelschule) Frankfurt’s Architecture Class (Germany).
Oskars Redbergs is a founder of The Riga School of Architecture and for the last 5 years he has been a Dean and a Lecturer of Faculty of Architecture and Design at RISEBA University in Riga.
Since 2009 he has been closely collaborating with the Swedish Institute and Fargfabriken in Stockholm. Currently he is working on his doctoral research at Brandenburgische Technische Universität, Germany.
He is a member of the board of the Latvian Association of Architects, MT15 forum and Megaphone Publishers. He is a curator of European Cultural Days of the European Central Bank (ECB) – Latvia, 2013. He is an author of various articles as well as editor of books “Mūsdienu kultūras stāvokļi / Conditions for Contemporary Culture. Riga” and “9 Conditions of Riga: Regeneration and Transformation of the City – Urban Environment and Architecture”.
SUPPORTERS
Embassy of Latvia in Estonia; State Culture Capital Foundation (SCCF); LIVE RIGA (The Riga Tourism Development Bureau Foundation); Riga Municipal Agency “Riga City Architect’s Office”; The Association of Culture Institutions of Riga City Council; Megaphone Publishers; mT15. Foundation for Interdisciplinary Cooperation
ORGANIZERS
Curator: Oskars Redbergs
Project coordinator: Inga Karlštrēma
Concept: mT15. Foundation for Interdisciplinary Cooperation
Implementation: Megaphone Publishers
The seminar is jointly organized by the mT15. Foundation for Interdisciplinary Cooperation and Riga City Architect’s Office. For more information please contact Inga Karlštrēma (inga.karlstrema(at)inbox.lv), + 371 26364044 and Oskars Redbergs (redbergs(at)hotmail.com), + 371 29581841
WITH SPECIAL THANKS TO
His Excellency ambassador Juris Bone (Embassy of Latvia in Estonia); Zenta Ļakša (DHM, Counsellor); Agita Ikauniece (Latvian Cultural days of ECB); Zanda Ķergalve (The Association of Culture Institutions of Riga City Council); Marten Kaevats (TAB15); Rebecca Kontus (TAB15); Maria Derlõš (TAB CLUB15); Solveig Jahnke (Estonian Academy of Arts); Tauri Tuvikene (Tallinn University)
The discussion forum “RIGA TALKS” is an integral part of the exhibition „9 Conditions of Riga” and along with the exhibition offers a series of seminars that brings together thinkers and makers in order to discuss challenges and opportunities, which the cities of the Baltic Sea Region are facing today. Earlier in 2013, two seminars were organized in Frankfurt am Main: “Re-industrialization and Urban Regeneration in Europe between Riga, Frankfurt and Warsaw” (Deutsches Architekturmuseum (DAM)) and “Riga until 1914 as a Role Model for the Contemporary European Urban Culture of 21st Century” (Goethe University, House of Finance).
The contribution for this year’s Tallinn’s Architecture Biennale (TAB CLUB) programme is a seminar “Architecture as a Dialogue. New Approaches towards Transformation of the Architectural Heritage between Riga and Tallinn”.

Lúdmila Žoldáková will deliver her talk “The Current Situation in Fashion in Slovakia and Slavic Mythology as a Source of Inspiration” on Monday, 21 September at 5 p.m at Estonian Academy of Arts (Estonia pst 7, IV floor, room 440a). The talk will be held in English. Q&A session after the screening.
In the beginning of March Tallinn Creative Hub announced with K.A.I.R – Košice Artist in Residence an exchange project for creative professionals for staying two months in Estonia and Slovakia. Since August an Estonian product designer Johanna Tammsalu has been in Košice and since the beginning of September a Slovakian fashion designer Lúdmila Žoldáková has been in Tallinn.
Talk “The Current Situation in Fashion in Slovakia and Slavic Mythology as a Source of Inspiration”
Many have been focused on paganism and European mythologies in the past few years. People try to dig deep in their roots and see what was there before Christianity took over. With some cultures it is easy to find information, while some are almost unknown. Lúdmila has been interested in Slavic mythology and this interest has taken forms also in her design.
Currently she is working on her fabric design patterns inspired by Slavic mythology and its female figures. The talk will give a short introduction to Slavic belief system — Lúdmila will talk more in detail about the seven mythical figures she has chosen for her project. Also, she will talk about her visual approaches to the topic and plans for the future. The talk will also cover current situation in fashion in Slovakia — the most interesting creative professionals, facts and ongoing trends.
Lúdmila Žoldáková is a Slovak illustrator and fashion designer. Since 2008 she has been running her own fashion brand LU:KA known for her feminine and colourful style. Lúdmila’s recent fashion projects has been inspired by history, traditions, mythology, books and fairy tales. Lúdmila is committed to ethical business values such as animal rights, local production, recycling and up-cycling. In the creative process Lúdmila is looking for freedom – “I love to be creative in the process of creation, not planning every single detail. I want to be carried away by colors, stories, materials and different techniques.” Lúdmila will stay in Estonia till 30 October.
Free entrance. All are welcome!
The talk is organised in collaboration with Tallinn Creative Hub and Estonian Academy of Arts.
The exchange project is supported by Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic.
Lisainfo:
Tallinna Kultuurikatla Loovharidusprogrammi projektijuht Dagmar Kase / dagmar.kase@kultuurikatel.ee /+372 58 874 921 / www.kultuurikatel.ee
Eesti Kunstiakadeemia moedisaini osakonna dotsent Marit Ahven / marit.ahven@artun.ee / www.artun.ee

21.05 Sam Jacob_Strange Harvest (London)
Sam Jacob is principal of Sam Jacob Studio for architecture and design and was one of the co-founding directors of FAT Architecture. He has been responsible for a range of internationally acclaimed and award winning projects ranging from the large scale — such as the master plan and design of the Heerlijkheid park and cultural centre in Rotterdam — to the cultural, including co-curating the British Pavilion at the 2014 Venice Biennale. Jacob is also a writer and critic, acting as contributing editor for Icon magazine and columnist for both Art Review and Dezeen. His book “Make It Real: Architecture as Enactment” was recently published by Strelka Press. He is currently working on projects across a range of scales including a masterplan for 300 homes near Cambridge, a social hub for a business park and a house in London’s Hoxton. Jacob is Professor of Architecture at the University of Illinois at Chicago, visiting Professor at Yale School of Architecture and Director of Night School at the Architectural Association.
Quite a few well-known architects, theoreticians, critics and urbanists have given talks at this lecture series since the end of 2011, to offer fresh perspectives on architecture, design, urban development and critical thought from around the globe.
www.samjacob.com
www.fat.co.uk
www.strangeharvest.com
Well-known architects, theoreticians, critics and urbanists have given talks at this lecture series, to offer fresh perspectives on architecture, design, urban development and critical thought from around the globe. The lectures are open to all students and professionals in the fields of architecture, urbanism and other spatial studies, as well as to the broader circle of those interested in the future of our living environment. The lectures are in English and they are free of charge.

The previous talks can be found at https://www.artun.ee/avatudloengud
The lecture series is supported by the Estonian Cultural Endowment.

Estonian Academy of Arts Faculty of Architecture Public Guest Speaker Series

7.05 Kunlé Adeyemi_NLÉ (Amsterdam/Lagos)
NLÉ is led by Kunlé Adeyemi, an architect, designer and urbanist. His recent work includes “Makoko Floating School”, an innovative, prototype, floating structure located on the lagoon heart of Nigeria’s largest city, Lagos. This acclaimed project is part of an extensive research project – “African Water Cities”. NLÉ is currently developing a number of urban, research and architectural projects in Africa; one of which is Chicoco Radio Media Center; the amphibious building in Delta city of Port Harcourt in Nigeria. Kunlé Adeyemi is 2014 Baird Distinguished Visiting Critic of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, teaching and researching “Water & The City”. Previously he was the 2011 Callison Distinguished Visiting Lecturer of the University of Washington, teaching and researching “The Modern City in the Age of Globalization” in Chandigarh – India’s first planned modern city. His main area of academic interest is in developing cities of the global south.
www.nleworks.com

On Monday, May 4, Irina Bokova, the Director-General of UNESCO will give a lecture at the Estonian Academy of Arts, Kiriku plats 1, main hall. The lecture is titled “Protection of Cultural Heritage” and will be held in English. All who are interested are most welcome. The lecture is open to the public.
Irina Bokova
Biography​
Irina Bokova, born on 12 July 1952 in Sofia (Bulgaria) has been the Director-General of UNESCO since 15 November 2009, and reelected for a second term in 2013. She is the first woman to lead the Organization.
Having graduated from Moscow State Institute of International Relations, and studied at the University of Maryland (Washington) and the John F. Kennedy School of Government (Harvard University), Irina Bokova joined the United Nations Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria in 1977. Appointed in charge of political and legal affairs at the Permanent Mission of Bulgaria to the United Nations in New York, she was also a member of the Bulgarian Delegation at the United Nations conferences on the equality of women in Copenhagen (1980), Nairobi (1985) and Beijing (1995). As Member of Parliament (1990-1991 and 2001-2005), she participated in the drafting of Bulgaria’s new Constitution, which contributed significantly to the country’s accession to the European Union.
Irina Bokova was Minister for Foreign Affairs, Coordinator of Bulgaria-European Union relations and Ambassador of Bulgaria to France, Monaco and UNESCO and Personal Representative of the President of the Republic of Bulgaria to the “Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie” (OIF). As Secretary of State for European integration and as Foreign Minister, Irina Bokova has always advocated for European integration. Active member of many international experts networks, active in civil society and especially President and founding member of the European Policy Forum, she has worked to overcome European divisions and to foster the values of dialogue, diversity, human dignity and human rights.
As Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova is actively engaged in international efforts to advance quality education for all, gender equality, cultural dialogue and scientific cooperation for sustainable development and is leading UNESCO as a global advocate for safety of journalists and freedom of expression.
Irina Bokova is Executive Secretary of the Steering Committee of the UN Secretary-General’s Global Education First Initiative (GEFI) and co-Vice-Chair of the Broadband Commission.
Irina Bokova has received state distinctions from countries across the world and is Doctor honoris causa of leading universities.
In addition to her mother tongue, she speaks English, French, Spanish and Russian.

Estonian Academy of Arts Faculty of Architecture Public Guest Speaker Series

30.04 Åsmund Izaki_Woods Bagot
Åsmund Izaki is a senior designer at Woods Bagot, the seventh largest architecture firm in the world. He has developed computational models for urban planning, architecture and furniture through code, in the form of interactive tools. Projects have included an interactive interface for the VITA shelving system (with Aedas R&D CDR), and visibility analysis for the National September 11th Memorial Museum to research modelling perceptual and experiential aspects of architecture. He holds an MArch from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), where he specialised in architecture and adaptive systems, before sharpening his expertise with graduate studies in art and technology at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg. He has led a number of courses on topics related to design and technology at Konstfack University College of Arts, Crafts and Design and at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm.
www.woodsbagot.com

Quite a few well-known architects, theoreticians, critics and urbanists have given talks at this lecture series, to offer fresh perspectives on architecture, design, urban development and critical thought from around the globe. The lectures are open to all students and professionals in the fields of architecture, urbanism and other spatial studies, as well as to the broader circle of those interested in the future of our living environment. The lectures are in English and they are free of charge.

The previous talks can be found at https://www.artun.ee/avatudloengud
The lecture series is supported by the Estonian Cultural Endowment.

Thursday, April 23 at 5.30 pm, Tamar Eres, Producer and Executive Administrator of Bezalel Academy of Art and Design will give a lecture at Kiriku plats 1, rm 201. The lecture is titled “MFA is the new MBA” and it will focus on Bezalel Academy’s MFA program – history, academic profile, students, studios, art activities and ventures and international collaborations.
Attached please find the biography and CV of Tamar Eres.
All are welcome. In case of further interest, Tamar will remain in Tallinn until May 5 and is willing to discuss any collaboration ideas and projects or share information about study opportunities in Israel.

Tamar Eres

Family & friends, art, running, travel, culture, people

18 years’ experience in executive administration and culture productions;
Working at Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design since the opening of the Master of Fine Arts program and the Tel Aviv branch in 2001. Holding a position in art management and production of exhibitions and culture events; academic administration; promoting and carrying out international collaborations and projects, production of academic publications and catalogues and management of Academy facilities and personnel of the Bezalel Tel Aviv branch.
Gained professional experience in the cultural scene while working as a producer of international touring of Israeli performing artists. Maintaining expertise in marketing, financial and logistical management of leading Israeli performing artists.
Master degree M.Sc. in Urban and Regional Planning
Value social involvement and participation. Took part over the years in various projects amongst them working with UNICEF Israel, art development project in Uganda.

26.03 Siv Helene Stangeland_Helen&Hard (Stavanger)
Helen & Hard was founded in 1996 in Stavanger on the west coast of Norway by Norwegian architect Siv Helene Stangeland and Austrian architect Reinhard Kropf. Today, the company has a youthful staff of 20, drawn from 8 different countries, with offices in both Stavanger and Oslo. They design in different scales and scopes, on a wide spectrum of projects ranging from single family houses to large public buildings, from offices and multi-family housing projects to master planning. They aim to creatively engage with sustainability, not only in the design of spaces, but also in the conception and organization of the design process, including construction and fabrication. Their goal is move away from a solely technical and anthropocentric view, allowing the project to unfold in relation to its physical, social, cultural and economic context. Helen&Hard has won a number of awards and prizes, as well as exhibited and published their work internationally.
http://www.hha.no

Estonian Academy of Arts Faculty of Architecture Public Guest Speaker Series

Quite a few well-known architects, theoreticians, critics and urbanists have given talks at this lecture series, to offer fresh perspectives on architecture, design, urban development and critical thought from around the globe. The lectures are open to all students and professionals in the fields of architecture, urbanism and other spatial studies, as well as to the broader circle of those interested in the future of our living environment. The lectures are in English and they are free of charge.

The previous talks can be found at https://www.artun.ee/avatudloengud
The lecture series is supported by the Estonian Cultural Endowment.

Creative industries, creativity and entrepreneurship.