Category: Making Space

This year’s public defenses of the Bachelor’s thesis/portfolio of the Department of Interior Architecture will take place on Monday and Tuesday, June 2 and 3, from 10:00 to 14:30 in the auditorium of the Designers’ House (Rävala 8).

Within the framework of the thesis, topics arising from individual creative interest are developed in parallel with the preparation of a portfolio. An exhibition will be put together of the developed projects.

June 2

10:00-10:30 Hanna Maria Kruusma “Unfolding space. The concept of Mari Makarov’s solo exhibition at the Viimsi Artium Contemporary Art Gallery”

10:35-11:05 Lotta Meet “Space, culture and communication: cultural influence on the use of space and the formation of conversations”

11:10-11:40 Anni Kärmik “Walking in the water with feet”

11:45-12:45 BREAK

12:45-13:15 Nelelis Tasa “Using textile waste in interiors”

13:20-13:50 Christine Rõõm “A relief map for the visually impaired”

13:55-14:25 Susann Vahe “The interior of Estonian summer houses in the 1960s-1990s.”

June 3

10:00-10:30 Caitlyn Kesa “Spatial planning in focus WINDOW. Interior architect’s proposals – a view from the inside out”

10:35-11:05 Simona Aleksandra Porta “Dialogue”

11:10-11:40 Katarina Ild “Memory”

11:45-12:45 BREAK

12:45-13:15 Arnold Zagurski “Tardkiri”

13:20-13:50 Villem Reimann “Community enclosure”

13:55-14:25 Kairi Mändla “How to identify the core of a space?”

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Supervisors: Anna Kaarma (portfolio), Ville Lausmäe (project development), Veiko Liis (project development).

The Bachelor’s Thesis/Portfolio Committee consists of Maria Helena Luiga (chair of the committee), Peeter Klaas, Mari Põld, Gregor Taul and Merilin Tee. The secretary of the committee is Marie-Katharine Maksim.

The interior architecture thesis can be viewed at the TASE exhibition at the House of Designers. The exhibition is open until June 19th every day from 13:00 to 19:00. Stop by!

Estonian Academy of Arts Science Cafe is hosting a roundtable talk on the changing roles of religious and industrial buildings in contemporary Europe on the 4th of September from 1 to 3 pm at the Narva Art Residency (NART, Joala 18) as part of the Station Narva festival.

The event will be held both onsite and online from HERE.

Estonian Academy of Arts Science Cafe focuses on the shifting roles of religious and industrial buildings in contemporary Europe. As congregations shrink and industries relocate, churches and factories alike are increasingly left vacant, raising complex questions about reuse, heritage, and identity. The discussion will address how these spaces are being reimagined—as museums, cultural centres, or residential developments—and what this reveals about broader societal transformations in both secular and post-industrial contexts.

The discussion will feature musicologist and journalist Brigitta Davidjants, associate professor of social innovation at the University of Tartu Marko Uibu, Auxiliary Bishop of the Patriarchate of Lisbon (Portugal) and Associate Professor at the Portuguese Catholic University – Faculty of Theology Alexandre Palma. The talk will be moderated by art historian and semiotician Gregor Taul. 

The event requires pre-registration by August 29. A free bus service is provided from Tallinn to Narva and back, departing from EKA. More information is available upon pre-registration.

After the Science Café, you are welcome to attend the Station Narva opening concert featuring Estonian Voices at 5:30 PM in the Rugodivi Culture House, Grand Hall. Admission is free, and doors open at 5:00 PM.

More information: triin.kao@artun.ee
Facebook event.

The event will take place under the auspices of the Transform4Europe Alliance — a collaborative network of 11 European universities focused on climate change, digitalisation, and social challenges — and is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.

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The English saying “keep the church in the village” means “do not cause an uproar.” There are similar sayings in German, French and many other European languages. With some differences, they denote that the church forms the centre of community, the basis of identity, but also, in a figurative sense, the embodiment of common sense. Despite the geographical scope and cultural differences in Catholic, Orthodox and Lutheran countries this has been the case in all of Europe. However, recent times have brought changes. Industrialisation, secular modernisation and large-scale urban planning schemes have shifted the principles of how communities are formed. This was especially so in the fundamentally atheist Soviet Union. For example in Soviet Estonia only a few religious edifices were erected between 1944 and 1991. 

The number of church-goers has also declined. As a result some churches have lost their congregations. This has raised the question of how to treat the disused churches? The situation resembles that of the post-industrial shift. Starting from the 1970s European manufacturers have left the continent in search of cheaper labour and thus the abandoned factories have made way for the birth of ‘creative cities’ – we have seen empty factories first used as squats and informal project spaces, then as gentrified creative quarters and eventually becoming expensive lofts. As for the repurposed religious buildings there are more thought-provoking examples where former religious buildings have been turned into museums, bookshops, concert halls or even swimming pools. As adaptive reuse of spaces and materials is becoming a legislative requirement in Europe, we will see more such examples in the near future. 

At the backdrop of a contemporary music festival, Narva’s fabled industrial legacy and the crossroads of divergent (religious) identities this roundtable will look at both historic case studies and current disputes concerning religious and industrial heritage in Europe.

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Brigitta Davidjants is a journalist and researcher at Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, Estonia. In her academic research, she looks at national identity constructions and the marginalities of subcultures.

Marko Uibu is an Estonian social scientist and Associate Professor of Social Innovation at the Institute of Social Studies, University of Tartu. His 2016 doctoral dissertation in University of Tartu was called “Religiosity as Cultural Toolbox: a Study of Estonian New Spirituality”.

Alexandre Palma is a theologian, Auxiliary Bishop and university professor. He is an assistant professor at the Catholic University (courses: Mystery of God; Christology; and Theology of Religions) and a researcher at the CITER – Research Center for Theology and Religion Studies. He also serves as Auxiliary Bishop of the Patriarchate of Lisbon (Portugal) and is a member of the European Society for Catholic Theology and of the Seminar of young scientists of the Lisbon Academy of Sciences.

Gregor Taul is a teacher, critic, and curator based in Tallinn, working as an associate professor in the Departments of Interior Architecture and General Theory Classes at the Estonian Academy of Arts. In his academic research, he focuses on art in public space, with a particular interest in Soviet-era monuments and murals as well as contemporary public art commissions.

The public defenses of this year’s master’s theses of the Department of Interior Architecture will take place on Thursday and Friday, May 29 and 30, from 10:00 to 15:15 in the auditorium of the former House of Designers (Rävala 8). The defenses will also be broadcast live, which can be followed on EKA TV.

29 MAY

10.00-10.50 Silvia Ingver “The Use of Agricultural Products and Residues in Interior Architecture”. Reviewer Sandra Mirka. 

10.50-11.40 Laura Tõru “The In-Between House: co-living in Tallinn Old Town, Vana-Posti 4”. Reviewer Eneli Kleemann.

11.40-12.30 Ville Lausmäe “Third place – Water-space”. Reviewer Karen Jagodin. 

12.30-13.30 Pause

13.30-14.20 Kätlin-Karin Lond “Circular Interior Architecture. The G-building in Telliskivi”. Reviewer Tüüne-Kristin Vaikla. 

14.20-15.10 Anna Aurelia Minev “Normal Environments for Normal People”. Reviewer Daniel Kotsjuba.

30 MAY

10.00-10.50 Linda Maria Urke “Spatially Affected. Supportive Home Environment for People with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Reviewer Keiu Albi. 

10.50-11.40 Laura Pormeister “Adapted Hero. Adapting an Abandoned Building to a Contemporary Environment Using the Example of a Small Town.” Reviewer Iiris Tähti Toom.

11.40-12.30 Kairi Karp-Konceviča “Hospital as an educational space Rethinking the Endocrinology Classroom at Tallinn Children’s Hospital”. Reviewer Loviise Talvaru.

12.30-13.30 Pause

13.30-14.20 Hanna-Loora Arro “In the Field of Temporary Architecture: Towards a More Sustainable Stage Design”. Reviewer Anna-Liisa Unt. 

14.20-15.10 Mari Uibo “Hairline. The Fine Line Between Human and Space”. Reviewer Sveta Grigorjeva. 

The master’s theses were supervised by Mariann Drell (MA), Pavle Stamenović (PhD) and Gregor Taul (PhD) and the consultants were Johan Kirsimäe (MSc) and Maria Helena Luiga (MA).

The master’s theses are evaluated by a committee consisting of Malle Jürgenson (chairman of the committee), Manten Devriendt, Ardo Hiiuväin, Kadi Berens and Siim Tuksam. The secretary of the committee is Marie-Katharine Maksim.

The interior architecture final thesis projects can be viewed at the TASE exhibition at the House of Designers. The exhibition opens on May 28 at 5:00 PM and will then be open until June 19 every day from 1:00 PM to 7:00 PM. Stop by!

13 March at 18.00, as part of the exhibition “Japanese Happiness“, we will be screening the documentary Soundscapes of Japan in room A-400, which portrays the master metalworkers of Tsubame-Sanjo. The film will run for an hour. In Japanese with English subtitles.

Japanese Happiness. In search of the happiness of inner peace through aesthetic experiences

ARS Project Space
7-23 March 2025

Opening ceremony (by invitations only): 6 March 18:00 at Studio 98

Guided tours and workshops by appointment: Mon–Fri

Exhibition opening hours: Sat–Sun 12:00–18:00

 If there is one universal desire that connects humanity, it is the pursuit of happiness. Despite the challenges we face, our determination to seek joy never wanes. Around the globe, individuals explore various avenues in their quests for greater happiness, and there is much we can learn from one another. The exhibition Japanese Happiness – In search of the happiness of inner peace through aesthetic experiences invites visitors to discover new and often overlooked inspirations that enrich our lives. It highlights the profound relationship between aesthetics and happiness, a bond deeply embedded in Japanese culture. This immersive and sensory exhibition illuminates the connections between happiness and Japanese aesthetics through a curated selection of everyday items, design pieces, and works of art – raging from metal tools created with extreme attention to detail, as well as the uniform of the Tokyo public toilet cleaners made famous in Wim Wenders’ film Perfect Days.

The objects on display at the exhibition were selected 20 representatives of the fields of art, design, philosophy, cooking, Japanese studies, music, fiction, fashion, photography and typography from both Europe and Japan who are inspired by Japanese culture. The initiators of the exhibition are the Identity Foundation, which develops philosophical culture in Düsseldorf, and Philipp Teufel, professor emeritus of exhibition design at the Peter Behrens School of Art (PBSA). It is a traveling exhibition that first opened in the spring of 2024 at the Japanese Cultural Institute in Cologne. The design of the exhibition was completed in collaboration with the PBSA exhibition design and the interior architecture master’s students of the Estonian Academy of Arts. The exhibition design is both experimental and playful, radiates calmness and simplicity and evokes a wide variety of sensory impressions.

The exhibition in the ARS Project Space (Pärnu mnt 154) is open to the public on weekends: 8-9, 15-16 and 22-23 March from 12:00 to 18:00. On all other days, visits to the exhibition take place with pre-registered guided tours. The exhibition is accompanied by a daily programme of workshops, film evenings, lectures and discussion groups at ARS Project Space and EKA in cooperation with TTK University of Applied Sciences, the Japanese Cultural Society in Estonia and the Japanese Embassy in Estonia.

Information and registration: https://www.artun.ee/en/curricula/interior-architecture/japanese-happiness/side-programme/

Curator: Philipp Teufel

Exhibition team: Masayo Ave, Annika Kaldoja, Jüri Kermik, Veiko Liis, Ranvir Singh Sandhu, Rainer Zimmermann, Gregor Taul

Organisation: Department of Interior Architecture of the Estonian Academy of Arts in cooperation with TTK University of Applied Sciences, the Japanese Cultural Society in Estonia and the Japanese Embassy in Estonia

Supporters:

Identity Foundation, Estonian Artists’ Association, ARS Art Factory, Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Estonian Academy of Arts, Erasmus+ Program

Text by Gregor Taul

Additional information:

Gregor Taul
Guest lecturer, EKA Interior Architecture Department
gregor.taul@artun.ee
+37255690456