On 11 October 11.30-13.00, the public review of the first creative project of Merike Rehepapp doctoral thesis “Educational design, why and how” will take place in EKA, room A202. The event is in Estonian.
The focus of the thesis is to find the reasons and ways to implement design in educational practice, through a design process and methodology created for this purpose. The practical part of the creative research has been carried out with a variety of collaborators over the last three years.
In her first creative project, Merike seeks to answer the question: what function do educational design process and methodology play in the educational landscape? What does it evoke, both visible and hidden? What kind of work does it actually do?
Supervisor: Dr. Anu Sarv, University of Tartu
Reviewers:
Dr. Kaire Uiboleht, University of Tartu
Martin Pärn, EKA and TalTech
Thanks are due to:
The supervisor and curriculum leaders for their patience and the reviewers for their willingness to contribute. A humble bow goes to Helen Arov, my faithful work partner, and my family support staff.
On 11 October 11.30-13.00, the public review of the first creative project of Merike Rehepapp doctoral thesis “Educational design, why and how” will take place in EKA, room A202. The event is in Estonian.
The focus of the thesis is to find the reasons and ways to implement design in educational practice, through a design process and methodology created for this purpose. The practical part of the creative research has been carried out with a variety of collaborators over the last three years.
In her first creative project, Merike seeks to answer the question: what function do educational design process and methodology play in the educational landscape? What does it evoke, both visible and hidden? What kind of work does it actually do?
Supervisor: Dr. Anu Sarv, University of Tartu
Reviewers:
Dr. Kaire Uiboleht, University of Tartu
Martin Pärn, EKA and TalTech
Thanks are due to:
The supervisor and curriculum leaders for their patience and the reviewers for their willingness to contribute. A humble bow goes to Helen Arov, my faithful work partner, and my family support staff.
On 26 September at 09.30-11.00 the peer review of Taavi Varm’s doctoral project will take place. Taavi Varm is a PhD student in Art and Design programme. The project “Erasmus Workshop 2024: Integrating participatory learning, video game design and psychological well-being” is the 1st artistic research project of his doctoral studies at the Estonian Academy of Arts.
Taavi’s artistic doctoral thesis entitled “Designing video games for young adults to improve mental health and psychological well-being” at the Estonian Academy of Arts explores the integration of participatory learning, co-creation and experimental video game design to develop innovative methods and find new perspectives for improving psychological well-being of young adults.
Supervisors:
Dr. Varvara Guljajeva (HUSK)
Dr. Helen Uusberg (University of Tartu)
Project reviewers:
Dr. Liina Unt (University of Tartu, Viljandi Culture Academy)
Dr. Ásthildur Jónsdóttir (Iceland University of the Arts)
Peer review event will take place in Zoom:
https://zoom.us/j/95865149077?pwd=dOJbppC0isCyq2QoKPZmxhSgm3xv0d.1
Meeting ID: 958 6514 9077
Passcode: 817972
Mental health issues are a major global concern, especially among young adults. According to the World Health Organization, depression and anxiety are leading causes of disability worldwide. Especially in Estonia, nearly half of young adults report mental health challenges. Addressing these issues is vital for creating a healthier and more productive future generation.
The workshop, which took place at Tallinna Saksa Gümnaasium, was an artistic educational initiative that aimed to combine video game design with participatory learning and psychological well-being.
The workshop explored the potential positive impact of participatory creative methods on the psychological well-being of young adults. The workshop focused on artistic and experimental game design in a supportive environment. The main methods used were specially developed design toolboxes, the psychological concept of flow theory and participatory design principles.
The aim of this research is to offer creative approaches to addressing mental health issues through an artistic research framework. Emphasizing co-creation, the goal is to foster meaningful dialogue and creative synergy among young adults, artists, and professionals, generating evidence-based solutions in both the creative process and the final game projects.
I would like to thank the partners and supporters:
My supervisors Helen Uusberg and Varvara Guljajeva for continuous support.
Erik Joasaare from Tallinna Saksa Gümnaasium, Lisbon German School, Erasmus+ Art Bridge project, Andero Uusberg from University of Tartu and the Doctoral School of the Estonian Academy of Arts.
On 26 September at 09.30-11.00 the peer review of Taavi Varm’s doctoral project will take place. Taavi Varm is a PhD student in Art and Design programme. The project “Erasmus Workshop 2024: Integrating participatory learning, video game design and psychological well-being” is the 1st artistic research project of his doctoral studies at the Estonian Academy of Arts.
Taavi’s artistic doctoral thesis entitled “Designing video games for young adults to improve mental health and psychological well-being” at the Estonian Academy of Arts explores the integration of participatory learning, co-creation and experimental video game design to develop innovative methods and find new perspectives for improving psychological well-being of young adults.
Supervisors:
Dr. Varvara Guljajeva (HUSK)
Dr. Helen Uusberg (University of Tartu)
Project reviewers:
Dr. Liina Unt (University of Tartu, Viljandi Culture Academy)
Dr. Ásthildur Jónsdóttir (Iceland University of the Arts)
Peer review event will take place in Zoom:
https://zoom.us/j/95865149077?pwd=dOJbppC0isCyq2QoKPZmxhSgm3xv0d.1
Meeting ID: 958 6514 9077
Passcode: 817972
Mental health issues are a major global concern, especially among young adults. According to the World Health Organization, depression and anxiety are leading causes of disability worldwide. Especially in Estonia, nearly half of young adults report mental health challenges. Addressing these issues is vital for creating a healthier and more productive future generation.
The workshop, which took place at Tallinna Saksa Gümnaasium, was an artistic educational initiative that aimed to combine video game design with participatory learning and psychological well-being.
The workshop explored the potential positive impact of participatory creative methods on the psychological well-being of young adults. The workshop focused on artistic and experimental game design in a supportive environment. The main methods used were specially developed design toolboxes, the psychological concept of flow theory and participatory design principles.
The aim of this research is to offer creative approaches to addressing mental health issues through an artistic research framework. Emphasizing co-creation, the goal is to foster meaningful dialogue and creative synergy among young adults, artists, and professionals, generating evidence-based solutions in both the creative process and the final game projects.
I would like to thank the partners and supporters:
My supervisors Helen Uusberg and Varvara Guljajeva for continuous support.
Erik Joasaare from Tallinna Saksa Gümnaasium, Lisbon German School, Erasmus+ Art Bridge project, Andero Uusberg from University of Tartu and the Doctoral School of the Estonian Academy of Arts.
The peer-review of Joanna Kalm’s artistic project “Kohtkeha. Kehaks olemise ruum” will take place on September 20 12.30–14.00 in Tallinn Art Hall gallery. “Kohtkeha” is the 1st artistic research project of Joanna Kalm’s practice-based doctoral studies at the Estonian Academy of Arts.
The thesis is supervised by Dr. Liina Unt (Tartu University)
The peer-reviewers of the project are Leena Rouhianen (University of the Arts Helsinki) and Madli Teller.
Kohtkeha is open from 17th–21st of September at 15:00–20:00 at Tallinn Kunstihoone Galerii, enter and exit as desired.
Koht – place; keha – body; olemise – being; ruum – room, space.
Following, I would propose the English translation as (although falling short of the sense found in Estonian): Bodyplace. A room for being a body.
It is a room where four people gather to be a body. Unconditionally, without knowing what the practice of being a body entails in its ever evolving entirety. They enter to land within themselves (where were they before?), to perceive their inner spaces. They find themselves in a pressure-free environment where the body, with a tendency to become excessively condensed and accelerated, can find the organicity of its flow. To body is to be in experience. Here, they are guided by the dynamic process, desires and needs of their living matter, and their individual embodiments act as evolving and changing scores of the now. To body is to create and hold space. Experiencing creates a field that fills the seemingly empty room with a felt enmindedness, which can be entered into and joined with.
You are invited within.
The modality of participation is flexible – you may witness, be and feel with, self-experience, be on your own, together. The space is held by dance artists Joanna Kalm, Laura Kvelstein, Nele Suisalu and Tatjana Romanova. They have been meeting since the fall of 2022, sporadically and periodically intensively. Kohtkeha is a practice and/or an extended performance and/or a generator of body-based thinking, almost invisibly formed over time.
Kohtkeha is the 1st artistic research project of Joanna Kalm’s doctoral studies at the Estonian Academy of Arts. Joanna’s research deals with education of attention and perception in the context of somatic movement practice and creative works. The main focus of her doctoral studies is to observe the possible ways of being and expressing the body when sensitive self-listening and self-regulation are allowed. At the same time, Joanna is interested in the effect of somatic practice and works on how bodies start to materialise themselves in given frameworks: how they relax, hold themselves, and transform. She asks: What kind of self-materialisation, meaningfulness and value base does somatic approach facilitate?
The more prominent thematic thread in her work is negotiation of agency: Who and what is and can be considered enminded and capable of self-action? She is interested in de-centering the discursive understandings and experiences further from nervous system agency and application of “willpower”, towards the whole organism as a bundle of mindful matter – one of many “minds”. She researches how the expansion of bodily awareness affects which parts of us “think, move and speak along”. The latter, in her view, makes for an education of attention, which involves movement, relationality and engagement within oneself and the world – thus is based on practice.
I would like to thank the dialogue partners and supporters thanks to whom the project is realized:
the creative team, Liina Unt – my supervisor, Kai Valtna – consultant for the creative project, doctoral school of the Estonian Academy of Arts, Cultural Endowment of Estonia and Tallinn Art Hall. Thank you!
The peer-review of Joanna Kalm’s artistic project “Kohtkeha. Kehaks olemise ruum” will take place on September 20 12.30–14.00 in Tallinn Art Hall gallery. “Kohtkeha” is the 1st artistic research project of Joanna Kalm’s practice-based doctoral studies at the Estonian Academy of Arts.
The thesis is supervised by Dr. Liina Unt (Tartu University)
The peer-reviewers of the project are Leena Rouhianen (University of the Arts Helsinki) and Madli Teller.
Kohtkeha is open from 17th–21st of September at 15:00–20:00 at Tallinn Kunstihoone Galerii, enter and exit as desired.
Koht – place; keha – body; olemise – being; ruum – room, space.
Following, I would propose the English translation as (although falling short of the sense found in Estonian): Bodyplace. A room for being a body.
It is a room where four people gather to be a body. Unconditionally, without knowing what the practice of being a body entails in its ever evolving entirety. They enter to land within themselves (where were they before?), to perceive their inner spaces. They find themselves in a pressure-free environment where the body, with a tendency to become excessively condensed and accelerated, can find the organicity of its flow. To body is to be in experience. Here, they are guided by the dynamic process, desires and needs of their living matter, and their individual embodiments act as evolving and changing scores of the now. To body is to create and hold space. Experiencing creates a field that fills the seemingly empty room with a felt enmindedness, which can be entered into and joined with.
You are invited within.
The modality of participation is flexible – you may witness, be and feel with, self-experience, be on your own, together. The space is held by dance artists Joanna Kalm, Laura Kvelstein, Nele Suisalu and Tatjana Romanova. They have been meeting since the fall of 2022, sporadically and periodically intensively. Kohtkeha is a practice and/or an extended performance and/or a generator of body-based thinking, almost invisibly formed over time.
Kohtkeha is the 1st artistic research project of Joanna Kalm’s doctoral studies at the Estonian Academy of Arts. Joanna’s research deals with education of attention and perception in the context of somatic movement practice and creative works. The main focus of her doctoral studies is to observe the possible ways of being and expressing the body when sensitive self-listening and self-regulation are allowed. At the same time, Joanna is interested in the effect of somatic practice and works on how bodies start to materialise themselves in given frameworks: how they relax, hold themselves, and transform. She asks: What kind of self-materialisation, meaningfulness and value base does somatic approach facilitate?
The more prominent thematic thread in her work is negotiation of agency: Who and what is and can be considered enminded and capable of self-action? She is interested in de-centering the discursive understandings and experiences further from nervous system agency and application of “willpower”, towards the whole organism as a bundle of mindful matter – one of many “minds”. She researches how the expansion of bodily awareness affects which parts of us “think, move and speak along”. The latter, in her view, makes for an education of attention, which involves movement, relationality and engagement within oneself and the world – thus is based on practice.
I would like to thank the dialogue partners and supporters thanks to whom the project is realized:
the creative team, Liina Unt – my supervisor, Kai Valtna – consultant for the creative project, doctoral school of the Estonian Academy of Arts, Cultural Endowment of Estonia and Tallinn Art Hall. Thank you!
With the exhibition of Jane Remm’s creative research project “Interspecies Social Sculpture”, the doctoral student pays homage to Joseph Beuys, the creator of the world’s first green party, and invites you to participate in a nature walk at the opening of the exhibition.
On August 25, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., there will be a tour of the opening of the exhibition of Jane Remm’s artistic research project “Interspecies Social Sculpture”, which conceptualizes the garden and the forest as a multi-perspective creative environment. Expanding Joseph Beuys’ concept of social sculpture into a multifaceted context, the artist explores what it means to harness everyone’s creative potential in a modern age, when the world in an ecological crisis needs to adapt to degrowth.
“Interspecies social sculpture” combines the ecological dimension in the form of increasing biodiversity, the dimension of interspecies co-creation and the social dimension through public events. The experiential exhibition tour opens up different perspectives on the garden and forest through active participation. “It’s an attempt to co-create with other species and thereby think about the role of art in the long term,” says Jane Remm and continues: “This is a garden diary where drawings and writings have accumulated over the course of a year. It is a multi-perspective composition that is constantly changing through the cooperation of different actors. I act as an equal among other beings. It is an attempt to act in art locally, slowly and on a small scale. At the same time, this is a provocation through which I am investigating whether growing food, hay or firewood can be positive activism in today’s world, and in the context of Estonia. It is an attempt to give the everyday garden and forest a creative and artistic conditionality, and the suspicion that in competitive capitalism local peripheral actions have little value. It is the hesitation that co-creation with other species will not succeed. It is the uncertainty that less is not better. Let’s get entangled into that uncertainty and vulnerability.”
“Interspecies Social Sculpture” is the second peer-reviewed project of Jane Remm’s artistic
research doctoral thesis.
The “Interspecies Social Sculpture” exhibition is open during tours on August 25, September 15 and 22, and October 4.
The tour starts at 17:00 from the Mähkli bus stop: https://maps.app.goo.gl/fidsotPcnY2HtJgc9, passes through points in the forest and garden and leads to the common dinner table. Public transport to the place is poor, those coming from further away could share a car, while those coming closer could travel by bike or on foot. Weather conditions must be taken into account when it comes to clothing. The trip is free.
Registration: https://forms.gle/vytS5ybUy8L9h98F8
More information about the project.
Jane Remm is an artist, art teacher and artistic researcher, doctoral student at EKA and art didactics lecturer at Tallinn University BFM. Jane Remm’s work focuses on the representation of the experience of nature, co-creation and communication with different life forms. She is interested in what are the possibilities to understand and interpret the life experience of other species and communicate with them as equal dialogue partners using the means of art. She values manual working and co-creation with other species as a way of perceiving herself as part of nature.
CV: https://www.etis.ee/CV/Jane_Remm/, creative portfolio: www.janeremm.ee
Events previously held in the project: 06.08.24 “Determining, noticing, drawing and thinking walk” within the nature observation marathon led by Liina Remm, Indrek Hiiesalu, Jane Remm, Riin Magnus and Tiit Remm, 16.06.24 “Omailmatalgud” led by Timo Maran; 15.07.24 “Bat walk” led by Jaanus and Piret Remm. The review of the project will take place as part of the 4th trip. Reviewers: prof. Linda Kaljundi (Estonian Academy of Arts) and Taru Elfving (CAA Contemporary Art Archipelago, Finland).
The artist thanks dialogue partner Marta Konovalov, EKA Doctoral School, Remmik, all human and non-human neighbours of Karula.
“Interspecies Social Sculpture” is partly related to the project “Artists and designers as researchers, rethinkers, and partners of nature in the context of degrowth” (01.07.2023–31.12.2024), PR02049, which is funded by the Ministry of Culture.
With the exhibition of Jane Remm’s creative research project “Interspecies Social Sculpture”, the doctoral student pays homage to Joseph Beuys, the creator of the world’s first green party, and invites you to participate in a nature walk at the opening of the exhibition.
On August 25, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., there will be a tour of the opening of the exhibition of Jane Remm’s artistic research project “Interspecies Social Sculpture”, which conceptualizes the garden and the forest as a multi-perspective creative environment. Expanding Joseph Beuys’ concept of social sculpture into a multifaceted context, the artist explores what it means to harness everyone’s creative potential in a modern age, when the world in an ecological crisis needs to adapt to degrowth.
“Interspecies social sculpture” combines the ecological dimension in the form of increasing biodiversity, the dimension of interspecies co-creation and the social dimension through public events. The experiential exhibition tour opens up different perspectives on the garden and forest through active participation. “It’s an attempt to co-create with other species and thereby think about the role of art in the long term,” says Jane Remm and continues: “This is a garden diary where drawings and writings have accumulated over the course of a year. It is a multi-perspective composition that is constantly changing through the cooperation of different actors. I act as an equal among other beings. It is an attempt to act in art locally, slowly and on a small scale. At the same time, this is a provocation through which I am investigating whether growing food, hay or firewood can be positive activism in today’s world, and in the context of Estonia. It is an attempt to give the everyday garden and forest a creative and artistic conditionality, and the suspicion that in competitive capitalism local peripheral actions have little value. It is the hesitation that co-creation with other species will not succeed. It is the uncertainty that less is not better. Let’s get entangled into that uncertainty and vulnerability.”
“Interspecies Social Sculpture” is the second peer-reviewed project of Jane Remm’s artistic
research doctoral thesis.
The “Interspecies Social Sculpture” exhibition is open during tours on August 25, September 15 and 22, and October 4.
The tour starts at 17:00 from the Mähkli bus stop: https://maps.app.goo.gl/fidsotPcnY2HtJgc9, passes through points in the forest and garden and leads to the common dinner table. Public transport to the place is poor, those coming from further away could share a car, while those coming closer could travel by bike or on foot. Weather conditions must be taken into account when it comes to clothing. The trip is free.
Registration: https://forms.gle/vytS5ybUy8L9h98F8
More information about the project.
Jane Remm is an artist, art teacher and artistic researcher, doctoral student at EKA and art didactics lecturer at Tallinn University BFM. Jane Remm’s work focuses on the representation of the experience of nature, co-creation and communication with different life forms. She is interested in what are the possibilities to understand and interpret the life experience of other species and communicate with them as equal dialogue partners using the means of art. She values manual working and co-creation with other species as a way of perceiving herself as part of nature.
CV: https://www.etis.ee/CV/Jane_Remm/, creative portfolio: www.janeremm.ee
Events previously held in the project: 06.08.24 “Determining, noticing, drawing and thinking walk” within the nature observation marathon led by Liina Remm, Indrek Hiiesalu, Jane Remm, Riin Magnus and Tiit Remm, 16.06.24 “Omailmatalgud” led by Timo Maran; 15.07.24 “Bat walk” led by Jaanus and Piret Remm. The review of the project will take place as part of the 4th trip. Reviewers: prof. Linda Kaljundi (Estonian Academy of Arts) and Taru Elfving (CAA Contemporary Art Archipelago, Finland).
The artist thanks dialogue partner Marta Konovalov, EKA Doctoral School, Remmik, all human and non-human neighbours of Karula.
“Interspecies Social Sculpture” is partly related to the project “Artists and designers as researchers, rethinkers, and partners of nature in the context of degrowth” (01.07.2023–31.12.2024), PR02049, which is funded by the Ministry of Culture.
On 12 September at 12:00 Nesli Hazal Oktay will defend her thesis „Far-away bodies: Co-creating design(s) in and for remote intimacy“ ( „Koosolemine distantsilt: läheduse kogemine ühisloomelise disaini abil“).
The public defence will be held in EKA (Põhja pst 7), room A101.
The defence will be broadcast on EKA TV.
The defence is in English.
Supervisor: Dr. Kristi Kuusk (Estonian Academy of Arts), Prof. Danielle Wilde (Umeå University, University of Southern Denmark)
External reviewers: Dr. Verena Fuchsberger-Staufer (University of Salzburg), Dr. Vasiliki Tsaknaki (IT University of Copenhagen)
Opponent: Dr. Verena Fuchsberger-Staufer (University of Salzburg)
The doctoral thesis can be found HERE
This dissertation delves into the role of interaction design in fostering non-sexual intimacy across distances through an embodied approach. By designing for intimate, yet distant, bodies, it offers the research programme co-creating design(s) in and for remote intimacy. Derived from the main research question – How can a close-to-body experience be designed to support intimacy between people across distances? – this research programme explores the design of a remote, close-to-body experience for individuals who are emotionally close but physically apart. The designed experience aims to invite far-away loved ones to reflect on, disrupt, and reinvent their habitual ways of building and experiencing intimacy across distances. Within this programmatic framework, the dissertation offers three key contributions to interaction designers and design researchers: methodological, designerly, and theoretical. Methodologically, it proposes new approaches for co-designing remote intimacy. Designerly, it presents commitments to consider when designing in the realm of remote intimacy. Theoretically, it provides situated knowledge that highlights the multifaceted nature of remote intimacy, emphasising its individual, collective, bodily, virtual, and material dimensions.
In conclusion, this dissertation challenges conventional methods and advocates for embodied design practices and approaches, opening new design spaces for supporting intimacy across distances. It invites interaction designers and design researchers to rethink and reimagine how humans experience and build intimacy in an increasingly digital world.
Defence committee: Dr. Jaana Päeva, Dr. Anu Allas, Ruth-Helene Melioranski, Prof. Indrek Ibrus, Dr. Liina Unt, Dr. Claudia Nunez-Pacheco
On 12 September at 12:00 Nesli Hazal Oktay will defend her thesis „Far-away bodies: Co-creating design(s) in and for remote intimacy“ ( „Koosolemine distantsilt: läheduse kogemine ühisloomelise disaini abil“).
The public defence will be held in EKA (Põhja pst 7), room A101.
The defence will be broadcast on EKA TV.
The defence is in English.
Supervisor: Dr. Kristi Kuusk (Estonian Academy of Arts), Prof. Danielle Wilde (Umeå University, University of Southern Denmark)
External reviewers: Dr. Verena Fuchsberger-Staufer (University of Salzburg), Dr. Vasiliki Tsaknaki (IT University of Copenhagen)
Opponent: Dr. Verena Fuchsberger-Staufer (University of Salzburg)
The doctoral thesis can be found HERE
This dissertation delves into the role of interaction design in fostering non-sexual intimacy across distances through an embodied approach. By designing for intimate, yet distant, bodies, it offers the research programme co-creating design(s) in and for remote intimacy. Derived from the main research question – How can a close-to-body experience be designed to support intimacy between people across distances? – this research programme explores the design of a remote, close-to-body experience for individuals who are emotionally close but physically apart. The designed experience aims to invite far-away loved ones to reflect on, disrupt, and reinvent their habitual ways of building and experiencing intimacy across distances. Within this programmatic framework, the dissertation offers three key contributions to interaction designers and design researchers: methodological, designerly, and theoretical. Methodologically, it proposes new approaches for co-designing remote intimacy. Designerly, it presents commitments to consider when designing in the realm of remote intimacy. Theoretically, it provides situated knowledge that highlights the multifaceted nature of remote intimacy, emphasising its individual, collective, bodily, virtual, and material dimensions.
In conclusion, this dissertation challenges conventional methods and advocates for embodied design practices and approaches, opening new design spaces for supporting intimacy across distances. It invites interaction designers and design researchers to rethink and reimagine how humans experience and build intimacy in an increasingly digital world.
Defence committee: Dr. Jaana Päeva, Dr. Anu Allas, Ruth-Helene Melioranski, Prof. Indrek Ibrus, Dr. Liina Unt, Dr. Claudia Nunez-Pacheco
Read more: https://www.artun.ee/en/curricula/architecture-and-urban-design/research/conference-2024-building-systems/
Read more: https://www.artun.ee/en/curricula/architecture-and-urban-design/research/conference-2024-building-systems/
On 1 July at 11:00 Gregor Taul will defend his thesis “Monumentality Trouble. Monumental-Decorative Art in Late Soviet Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania” (“Sekeldused monumentaalsusega. Monumentaal-dekoratiivkunst hilisnõukogude Eestis, Lätis ja Leedus”)
The public defence will be held in EKA (Põhja pst 7), room A501.
The defense will be broadcast on EKA TV.
The defence is in English.
Supervisor: Dr. Anu Allas (Estonian Academy of Arts)
External reviewers: Dr. Lolita Jablonskienė (Vilnius Academy of Arts), Dr. Liisa Kaljula (Art Museum of Estonia)
Opponent: Dr. Lolita Jablonskienė
The thesis examines the theme of public art in late Soviet Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. From its early days, the Soviet Union considered monumental art to be an important part of its ideological propaganda and, more broadly, of the modernisation of society. The concept of monumental-decorative art became commonplace in the Thaw era when Nikita Khrushchev deplored the excesses of Stalinist neoclassical architecture and paved the way for the construction of industrially produced apartment buildings. In the process of mechanising the construction of micro-neighbourhoods, Soviet urban planners and architects developed a methodology for synthesising the arts in new neighbourhoods: standard-design apartment buildings created a backdrop against which public buildings of more unique architecture stood out. These landmark buildings were embellished by a synthesis of the arts in the form of monumental-decorative art – using mural painting, ceramics, textiles, stained glass and metalwork.
To a certain extent, monumental decorative art embodied the authoritarian position of state power, linked to top officials who had the power to semioticise reality. On the other hand, monumental decorative art also offered artists the opportunity to distance themselves from ideological messages and focus on aesthetic and architectural details. Several were associated with the more critical practitioners of the art field, and some artists succeeded in conveying messages directly critical of power in their monumental works. In most cases, however, it was commissioning officials who succeeded in freeing art from direct ideological demands and giving artists access to the wide range of possibilities offered by monumental art. Thus, monumental-decorative art is an interesting phenomenon against the background of which to discuss the blurred boundaries between the official politics of the late Soviets and a somewhat transgressive artistic culture.
In the thesis, the author discusses how monumental-decorative art contributed to the creation of a period-specific socialist spatial atmosphere. To what extent did this aesthetic phenomenon express the ideals and realities of socialism? What visual and spatial aspirations did artists invest in this monumental urge? The thesis concludes that the Baltic artists’ contacts with the rest of the Soviet Union were stronger than previously thought. In addition to opening up the institutional background, the dissertation speaks about the artists’ choices and individual practices of adaptation during the Soviet period. The final chapter of the thesis focuses on the question of the agency of works of art in their valorisation and preservation. Taul seeks answers to the questions of what aspects have contributed to the preservation and conservation of Soviet-era public artworks, what is the meaning of this heritage, and how do these works contribute to making sense of the Soviet period in the Baltic States.
The thesis is available HERE.
Defence Committee: Prof. Andres Kurg (Head of the Committee), Prof. Virve Sarapik, Dr. Anneli Randla, Prof. Krista Kodres, Prof. Marek Tamm, Prof. Eneken Laanes
On 1 July at 11:00 Gregor Taul will defend his thesis “Monumentality Trouble. Monumental-Decorative Art in Late Soviet Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania” (“Sekeldused monumentaalsusega. Monumentaal-dekoratiivkunst hilisnõukogude Eestis, Lätis ja Leedus”)
The public defence will be held in EKA (Põhja pst 7), room A501.
The defense will be broadcast on EKA TV.
The defence is in English.
Supervisor: Dr. Anu Allas (Estonian Academy of Arts)
External reviewers: Dr. Lolita Jablonskienė (Vilnius Academy of Arts), Dr. Liisa Kaljula (Art Museum of Estonia)
Opponent: Dr. Lolita Jablonskienė
The thesis examines the theme of public art in late Soviet Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. From its early days, the Soviet Union considered monumental art to be an important part of its ideological propaganda and, more broadly, of the modernisation of society. The concept of monumental-decorative art became commonplace in the Thaw era when Nikita Khrushchev deplored the excesses of Stalinist neoclassical architecture and paved the way for the construction of industrially produced apartment buildings. In the process of mechanising the construction of micro-neighbourhoods, Soviet urban planners and architects developed a methodology for synthesising the arts in new neighbourhoods: standard-design apartment buildings created a backdrop against which public buildings of more unique architecture stood out. These landmark buildings were embellished by a synthesis of the arts in the form of monumental-decorative art – using mural painting, ceramics, textiles, stained glass and metalwork.
To a certain extent, monumental decorative art embodied the authoritarian position of state power, linked to top officials who had the power to semioticise reality. On the other hand, monumental decorative art also offered artists the opportunity to distance themselves from ideological messages and focus on aesthetic and architectural details. Several were associated with the more critical practitioners of the art field, and some artists succeeded in conveying messages directly critical of power in their monumental works. In most cases, however, it was commissioning officials who succeeded in freeing art from direct ideological demands and giving artists access to the wide range of possibilities offered by monumental art. Thus, monumental-decorative art is an interesting phenomenon against the background of which to discuss the blurred boundaries between the official politics of the late Soviets and a somewhat transgressive artistic culture.
In the thesis, the author discusses how monumental-decorative art contributed to the creation of a period-specific socialist spatial atmosphere. To what extent did this aesthetic phenomenon express the ideals and realities of socialism? What visual and spatial aspirations did artists invest in this monumental urge? The thesis concludes that the Baltic artists’ contacts with the rest of the Soviet Union were stronger than previously thought. In addition to opening up the institutional background, the dissertation speaks about the artists’ choices and individual practices of adaptation during the Soviet period. The final chapter of the thesis focuses on the question of the agency of works of art in their valorisation and preservation. Taul seeks answers to the questions of what aspects have contributed to the preservation and conservation of Soviet-era public artworks, what is the meaning of this heritage, and how do these works contribute to making sense of the Soviet period in the Baltic States.
The thesis is available HERE.
Defence Committee: Prof. Andres Kurg (Head of the Committee), Prof. Virve Sarapik, Dr. Anneli Randla, Prof. Krista Kodres, Prof. Marek Tamm, Prof. Eneken Laanes
The peer-review of Maria Kapajeva’s exhibition “Listen To My Scream, Hear Their Dreams” will take place on June 3 12.00-13.30 in EKA, room A502. This exhibition is the second event of Kapajeva’s practice-based doctoral studies.
The thesis is supervised by Dr. Redi Koobak (University of Strathclyde, Glasgow) and Prof. Annika Elisabeth von Hausswolff (University of Gothenburg). The peer-reviewers of the exhibition are Dr. Ingrid Ruudi (EKA) and Dr. Britta Benno (EKA).
The exhibition was open 17.04.—11.05.2024 at Draakoni Gallery in Tallinn.
Maria Kapajeva’s exhibition, “Listen To My Scream, Hear Their Dreams,” is profoundly influenced by Draakon Gallery’s location directly across from the Russian Embassy in Tallinn’s Old Town. Positioned in this manner, Kapajeva aims to foster a more nuanced dialogue regarding the ongoing war in Ukraine, which has led to a continual exposure to harrowing imagery. Consequently, a process of desensitization has transpired, rendering us less able to empathize with the enduring violence faced by real individuals still fighting for their lives in Ukraine. The intricate details, nuances, and personal narratives have been reduced to easily shareable content that briefly crosses our screens before fading into obscurity.
The artworks selected and created for this exhibition stem from the necessity to provide a platform for the personal accounts of those who have fled Ukraine, as well as the artist’s own imperative to express and scrutinize her suppressed anger regarding the ongoing conflict. In this exhibition, there are no images of war; instead, viewers are presented with works that demand time to engage with— to be read, listened to, and truly heard. These artworks compel us to scrutinize the language of the oppressor, where imperialist ambitions lurk behind ostensibly positive rhetoric. We encounter intimate tales of despair and devastation, yet also of hope and compassion. We are invited into a tumult of emotions, ultimately finding catharsis in releasing the anger buried deep within us.
The peer-review of Maria Kapajeva’s exhibition “Listen To My Scream, Hear Their Dreams” will take place on June 3 12.00-13.30 in EKA, room A502. This exhibition is the second event of Kapajeva’s practice-based doctoral studies.
The thesis is supervised by Dr. Redi Koobak (University of Strathclyde, Glasgow) and Prof. Annika Elisabeth von Hausswolff (University of Gothenburg). The peer-reviewers of the exhibition are Dr. Ingrid Ruudi (EKA) and Dr. Britta Benno (EKA).
The exhibition was open 17.04.—11.05.2024 at Draakoni Gallery in Tallinn.
Maria Kapajeva’s exhibition, “Listen To My Scream, Hear Their Dreams,” is profoundly influenced by Draakon Gallery’s location directly across from the Russian Embassy in Tallinn’s Old Town. Positioned in this manner, Kapajeva aims to foster a more nuanced dialogue regarding the ongoing war in Ukraine, which has led to a continual exposure to harrowing imagery. Consequently, a process of desensitization has transpired, rendering us less able to empathize with the enduring violence faced by real individuals still fighting for their lives in Ukraine. The intricate details, nuances, and personal narratives have been reduced to easily shareable content that briefly crosses our screens before fading into obscurity.
The artworks selected and created for this exhibition stem from the necessity to provide a platform for the personal accounts of those who have fled Ukraine, as well as the artist’s own imperative to express and scrutinize her suppressed anger regarding the ongoing conflict. In this exhibition, there are no images of war; instead, viewers are presented with works that demand time to engage with— to be read, listened to, and truly heard. These artworks compel us to scrutinize the language of the oppressor, where imperialist ambitions lurk behind ostensibly positive rhetoric. We encounter intimate tales of despair and devastation, yet also of hope and compassion. We are invited into a tumult of emotions, ultimately finding catharsis in releasing the anger buried deep within us.
On 17th June Nina Stener Jørgensen, a PhD candidate of the Estonian Academy of Arts, curriculum of Architecture and Urban Planning, will defend her thesis “Participation as Data? Architecture and Cybernetics in Europe around 1968” (Osalus kui andmed? Arhitektuur ja küberneetika Euroopas 1968. aasta paiku).
A public defence will be held on 17th June 2024 at 11.00 at EKA (Põhja pst 7), room A501.
Defense will be broadcast on EKA TV.
Supervisor: Prof. Maroš Krivy (Estonian Academy of Arts)
External Reviwers: Dr. Tahl Kaminer (Cardiff University), Dr. Ingrid Halland (University of Oslo)
Opponent: Dr. Tahl Kaminer
This dissertation unpacks histories of participation and computer technology, through the analysis of the intersection of adaptable space and cybernetics in architectural practice around 1968, focusing in particular on the role of participation in this convergence.
The main body of the thesis comprises three articles studying projects spanning from 1965 to the time around the oil crisis in 1973. From a moment in European architectural history, where the political East-West divide was particularly tangible, the cases represent and cover a broad sample of attitudes towards participation and cybernetics from a Western-European perspective. From Paris, which in many ways is the ‘locus of 1968’, from London which at the time fostered a rapid development of new computer technologies and business models, as well as from Copenhagen, which at the height of architectural modernism witnessed the first critiques of the so-called Scandinavian welfare model.
With its focus on archival material and historic case studies, “Participation as Data? Architecture and Cybernetics in Europe around 1968” aims to show how the urban and its city dwellers were accessed through the practice of participation and how this extraction was framed and conceived by architectural and cybernetic means. Throughout the articles, the main research question ‘Participation as data?’ has served as a recurring method of analysis, aimed at comprehending how exactly the architects made use of cybernetics and participation, and how they aimed to intersect the two concepts in an architectural practice, looking at how cybernetic participation cut across multiple scales, from the singular room to the city, all potentially expanding to a global and networked infrastructure. Through the analysis of British architect Cedric Price’s feasibility study for Oxford Corner House (1965–1966), Franco-Hungarian spatial artist Nicolas Schöffer’s proposal Tour Lumière Cybernétique (1961–1973) as well as Danish architects Susanne Ussing and Carsten Hoff’s practice as Atelier Cyberspace (1968–1970), the thesis proposes the term ‘Cybernetic participation’ to encompass their programmatic similarity; mainly the treatment of participation as an information collection process, but also how the projects subsequently sidestepped a direct interaction with its users.
The thesis is available HERE.
Defence Committee: Dr. Siim Tuksam (Head of the Committee), Dr. Anu Allas, Dr. Renee Puusepp, Prof. Andres Kurg, Prof. Panu Lehtovuori, Prof. Klaske Havik, Prof. Helena Mattsson.
On 17th June Nina Stener Jørgensen, a PhD candidate of the Estonian Academy of Arts, curriculum of Architecture and Urban Planning, will defend her thesis “Participation as Data? Architecture and Cybernetics in Europe around 1968” (Osalus kui andmed? Arhitektuur ja küberneetika Euroopas 1968. aasta paiku).
A public defence will be held on 17th June 2024 at 11.00 at EKA (Põhja pst 7), room A501.
Defense will be broadcast on EKA TV.
Supervisor: Prof. Maroš Krivy (Estonian Academy of Arts)
External Reviwers: Dr. Tahl Kaminer (Cardiff University), Dr. Ingrid Halland (University of Oslo)
Opponent: Dr. Tahl Kaminer
This dissertation unpacks histories of participation and computer technology, through the analysis of the intersection of adaptable space and cybernetics in architectural practice around 1968, focusing in particular on the role of participation in this convergence.
The main body of the thesis comprises three articles studying projects spanning from 1965 to the time around the oil crisis in 1973. From a moment in European architectural history, where the political East-West divide was particularly tangible, the cases represent and cover a broad sample of attitudes towards participation and cybernetics from a Western-European perspective. From Paris, which in many ways is the ‘locus of 1968’, from London which at the time fostered a rapid development of new computer technologies and business models, as well as from Copenhagen, which at the height of architectural modernism witnessed the first critiques of the so-called Scandinavian welfare model.
With its focus on archival material and historic case studies, “Participation as Data? Architecture and Cybernetics in Europe around 1968” aims to show how the urban and its city dwellers were accessed through the practice of participation and how this extraction was framed and conceived by architectural and cybernetic means. Throughout the articles, the main research question ‘Participation as data?’ has served as a recurring method of analysis, aimed at comprehending how exactly the architects made use of cybernetics and participation, and how they aimed to intersect the two concepts in an architectural practice, looking at how cybernetic participation cut across multiple scales, from the singular room to the city, all potentially expanding to a global and networked infrastructure. Through the analysis of British architect Cedric Price’s feasibility study for Oxford Corner House (1965–1966), Franco-Hungarian spatial artist Nicolas Schöffer’s proposal Tour Lumière Cybernétique (1961–1973) as well as Danish architects Susanne Ussing and Carsten Hoff’s practice as Atelier Cyberspace (1968–1970), the thesis proposes the term ‘Cybernetic participation’ to encompass their programmatic similarity; mainly the treatment of participation as an information collection process, but also how the projects subsequently sidestepped a direct interaction with its users.
The thesis is available HERE.
Defence Committee: Dr. Siim Tuksam (Head of the Committee), Dr. Anu Allas, Dr. Renee Puusepp, Prof. Andres Kurg, Prof. Panu Lehtovuori, Prof. Klaske Havik, Prof. Helena Mattsson.
Under the leadership of TalTech, the second career conference will be held, where all Estonian doctoral candidates and those interested in doctoral studies are invited. This year’s conference will be held in cooperation with all Estonian universities under the Estonian Doctoral School.
The purpose of the conference is to highlight the value of a PhD degree and introduce endless career opportunities for those with a passion for new knowledge and excellence. The skills, knowledge and a wide horizon acquired during the doctoral studies, opens up new career opportunities.
From academia to industry, government to business, this conference will help you understand the prospects of Ph.D. on the way to an impactful and rewarding career. Join us and discover how a Ph.D. can shape not only your career, but all of our future!
Doctors and current doctoral students will give inspiring presentations at the conference. There are discussions about how the skills and knowledge acquired during doctoral studies are useful in different areas of life and in various fields, including the advantages in the labour market.
Panel discussions provide participants with practical knowledge and experience related to the Ph.D. about career opportunities in the public sector, business or elsewhere.
The exact program of the conference and the speakers will be revealed in the near future, but the registration for the conference is already started.
Please register for the event by May 10 at the latest!
NB! We invite all doctoral students to actively participate in the conference! Present your research work with a popular science poster presentation or create a short cartoon on the topic “My everyday life as a doctoral candidate”.
At the end of the conference day, the best presentations and comics will be determined and are also deservedly rewarded. The number of poster presentations is limited, so hurry to announce your wish separately on the registration form no later than May 10.
Under the leadership of TalTech, the second career conference will be held, where all Estonian doctoral candidates and those interested in doctoral studies are invited. This year’s conference will be held in cooperation with all Estonian universities under the Estonian Doctoral School.
The purpose of the conference is to highlight the value of a PhD degree and introduce endless career opportunities for those with a passion for new knowledge and excellence. The skills, knowledge and a wide horizon acquired during the doctoral studies, opens up new career opportunities.
From academia to industry, government to business, this conference will help you understand the prospects of Ph.D. on the way to an impactful and rewarding career. Join us and discover how a Ph.D. can shape not only your career, but all of our future!
Doctors and current doctoral students will give inspiring presentations at the conference. There are discussions about how the skills and knowledge acquired during doctoral studies are useful in different areas of life and in various fields, including the advantages in the labour market.
Panel discussions provide participants with practical knowledge and experience related to the Ph.D. about career opportunities in the public sector, business or elsewhere.
The exact program of the conference and the speakers will be revealed in the near future, but the registration for the conference is already started.
Please register for the event by May 10 at the latest!
NB! We invite all doctoral students to actively participate in the conference! Present your research work with a popular science poster presentation or create a short cartoon on the topic “My everyday life as a doctoral candidate”.
At the end of the conference day, the best presentations and comics will be determined and are also deservedly rewarded. The number of poster presentations is limited, so hurry to announce your wish separately on the registration form no later than May 10.
