Category: Cultural Heritage and Conservation

On 15 May, the exhibition “In Isolation”, curated by the master’s students of the Estonian Academy of Arts, will open in the Tartu Art Museum. It uses the motif of looking out of a window to examine the isolation experienced in different eras and in different locations. The exhibition brings together the internationally renowned artist Ilya Kabakov and the oeuvre of the Estonian classic masters Ülo Sooster, Jüri Arrak, Karl Pärsimägi, Nikolai Kormašov, Andres Tolts, Ilmar Malin and Kai Kaljo. The exhibition will remain open until 27 June.

The central artwork and conceptual starting point of the exhibition “In Isolation” is Ilya Kabakov’s visual narrative “The Looking-out-the-Window Arkhipov”, which is about a character named Arkhipov who is hospitalised; isolation and loneliness have an increasingly devastating effect on his mental condition.

Last spring, we unexpectedly found ourselves in a situation that is reminiscent of Arkhipov’s. Isolated inside the four walls of our homes for an unknown length of time, we at first enthusiastically followed the random passers-by and everyday situations from our windows, but as time passed and loneliness intensified, windows became the border between isolation and freedom. Windows not only showed what was visible, but in them were also reflected our dreams and yearnings.

The curators of the exhibition invite visitors to look out of the window together with the artists and to contemplate this unique time in history when in a weird way isolation has become the thing that unites us all and maybe manages to do so in a more personal manner than any situation ever has.

Curators: Signe Friedenthal, Reigo Kuivjõgi, Eerika Niemi, Jelizaveta Pratkunas, Kerly Ritval, Jelizaveta Sedler and Mae Variksoo

Team: Richard Adang, Nele Ambos, Indrek Grigor, Mare Joonsalu, Margus Joonsalu, Hanna-Liis Kont, Kristlyn Liier, Katrin Lõoke, Kadri Mägi, Julia Polujanenkova, Anti Saar, Kristel Sibul, Peeter Talvistu and Ago Teedema

Graphic design: Laura Pappa

Works from the Tartu Art Museum, the Art Museum of Estonia and the artist Kai Kaljo

Supporters: Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Estonian Academy of Arts, Krisostomus, Hektor Light and Peaasi.ee

Additional information: https://tartmus.ee/naitus/eraldatuses/

From 19 – 21 October public lectures will be held in Estonian Academy of Arts on Late Soviet Modernism in Georgia by Nini Palavandishvili, Lithuania by Vaidas Petrulis and Estonia by Laura Ingerpuu. These lectures are part of a study course “Understanding Late Soviet Modernism”. All 3 countries are rich of intriguing architectural masterpieces worth to be evaluated and protected. Soviet modernism in monumental art is presented by Hilkka Hiiop and the current and former students of EAA.

Watch live on EKA TV:

19 October from 16:00 to 18:15: Soviet modernism.
Nini Palavandishvili (Georgia) and Laura Ingerpuu (Estonia)

20 October from 17:00 to 18:00:
Vaidas Petrulis (Lithuania)

21 October from 09:00 to 12:45 Lecture on monumental art.
Hilkka Hiiop, Varje Õunapuu, Frank Lukk, Johanna Lamp, Anu Soojärv, Helen Volber (Estonia) and Nini Palavandishvili (Georgia)

Nini Palavandishvili is a passionate and erudite researcher of Georgian architecture and heritage, especially late soviet modernism. The focus of her research and curatorial projects lies in social and political contexts and their interpretation in the framework of cultural production and contemporary art. She cooperates with Blue Shield Georgia in the protection of heritage in Georgia.

Vaidas Petrulis is a senior research fellow at Kaunas University of Technology. Published a series of articles and conference presentations on history and heritage of modern Lithuanian architecture. Member of ICOMOS International Scientific Committee on 20th Century Heritage ISC20C.

Laura Ingerpuu is a PhD student of Estonian Academy of Arts. Her research field is the soviet modernist architecture in Estonia with an emphasis on the architecture of the collective farms.

Hilkka Hiiop is a professor in the Department of Cultural Heritage and Conservation of EAA. Under his leadership, several important projects for the protection and rescue of monumental art have taken place in recent years.

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Open lecture is cancelled!

On March 16th at 17:00 a public lecture will be held in Estonian Academy of Arts on Late Soviet Modernism in Georgia by Nini Palavandishvili and Estonia by Laura Ingerpuu. The lecture is part of a study course “Understanding Late Soviet Modernism”. Both countries are rich of intriguing architectural masterpieces worth to be evaluated and protected.

NINI PALAVANDISHVILI is a passionate and erudite researcher of Georgian architecture and heritage, especially late soviet modernism. The focus of her research and curatorial projects lies in social and political contexts and their interpretation in the framework of cultural production and contemporary art. She cooperates with Blue Shield Georgia in the protection of heritage in Georgia.

LAURA INGERPUU is a PhD student of Estonian Academy of Arts. Her research field is the soviet modernist architecture in Estonia with an emphasis on the architecture of the collective farms.

On Monday, January 13th, the Institute of Art History and Visual Culture will host a research seminar “Technical Art History and Forgeries” by professor Hilkka Hiiop from the Department of Heritage Protection and Conservation, and Greta Koppel, curator at the Art Museum of Estonia, on the topic of contemporary technical research methods and their impact on the study of art history, as well as the issue of art forgeries.

See the roundtable discussion published in the cultural weekly Sirp.

On Thursday, 5 December, Tallinners will be invited to take part in TRAMWARM, a theatrical performance staged in Tallinn trams by Estonian Academy of Arts scenography students.

On Saturday, 7 December, EKA will host EXHUMATION, a play during which all audience members will be able to participate in an excavation. Both performances are free.

TRAMWARM
On Thursday, 5 December at 16.00, the performance will take place on trams running on line no. 1 and at the following stops: Põhja puiestee (15.30–16.00 and 17.02–17.22), Kadriorg (at 16.19–16.42) and Kopli (at 17.42–17.59).

TRAMWARM is inspired by the location of the new EKA building near the central train station and the tramway. Tram line no. 1 connects various districts, as well as three public universities. According to Aleksandra Ianchenko, who directed the play, the piece focuses on the topic of public space, privacy, home and cosiness, in addition to public transport. “Moving along the tram line, artists create a temporary home for themselves. They play gently but consciously, invisibly but at the same time traceably. Their strange behaviour, which still falls within the boundaries of the normal, invites us to look at the border between personal and public space, hospitality and hostility, and the ordinary and the special,” Ianchenko says, in describing the theme of the play.

EKA’s 1 st year scenography students: Milla Mona Andres, Linda Mai Kari, Anita Kremm, Liisamari Viik, Kristel Zimmer. The performers also include tram passengers, city dwellers and others.
Director: Aleksandra Ianchenko, junior researcher in PUTSPACE (a research project „Public Transport as Public Space in European Cities“, www.putspace.eu)
Stage manager / initiator: Erki Kasemets (Polygon Theatre)

EXHUMATION
On Saturday, 7 December at 16.00 at the third-floor public area (A300) at EKA, Põhja pst 7.

EXHUMATION is primarily about time and the preservation, prolongation and re-conceptualisation of material time stamps, including works of art, and everything that is directly touched upon by
conservators and restorers in their work. During the play, a mysterious dark plastic garbage bag is opened and its contents are explored following strict rules of procedure. Beforehand, it is only known that the bag contains remains of artefacts commemorating historic dates. In the course of delving into the bag, new and deeper layers of issues open up. From the realm of technical work, the journey continues to the philosophical vanishing point and finally finds its way back on the ground. The show ends with an inevitable decision – what will happen to the remnants that have come to light? What will become of them and how? All those present have the opportunity to actively participate in the excavation process.

Coordinator: prof. Hilkka Hiiop (Department of Cultural Heritage and Conservation, EKA)
Organising manager: Taavi Tiidor (Department of Cultural Heritage and Conservation, EKA)
Stage manager / initiator: Erki Kasemets (Polygon Theatre)

Polygon Theatre is a so-called environmental theatre that is open to immediate action; everything, including unplanned events, can become part of the performance. Polygon Theatre often mixes the roles of audience members and actors so that the viewer can become a performer and vice versa.

Maris Mändel PhD student of the Estonian Academy of Arts, Curriculum of Cultural Heritage and Conservation will defend her thesis “Bricks, blocks and panels commonly used in 20th century Estonian architecture. The story of their use and value” on the 18th of December 2019 at 14.00 at Põhja pst 7, room A501.

Supervisors: dr Mart Kalm (Estonian Academy of Arts) and dr Lembi-Merike Raado (Tallinn University of Technology)

Pre-reviewers: dr Karl Õiger (Tallinn University of Technology, School of Engineering) and dr Kurmo Konsa (University of Tartu, Institute of History and Archaeology)

Opponent: dr Karl Õiger

This research focuses on issues in restoration regarding man-made building materials commonly used in 20th century Estonia. These are building materials that in contemporary restoration processes tend to be regarded as having less value and because they are commonplace are often overlooked. The aim of this doctoral thesis is to find solutions to the issues of value and appreciation that arise in the restoration of such materials – to determine when these commonly used materials should be preserved as a valuable original material and when and what kind of a replacement material should be used.

This thorough study of concrete blocks, silicate bricks, large silicalcite blocks and large reinforced concrete panels provides a good overview of Estonian building practices and its step-by-step development from handcrafted techniques and building methods to fully industrialised construction.

This research has clear practical applications. Its outcomes will make it possible for architecture historians, heritage protection specialists, construction engineers, homeowners and others, to make considered decisions about restoration in regard to the materials covered in this study. It will also assist in the informed preservation of Estonian cultural heritage.

Please find the PhD thesis here

The rescue from destruction of Dolores Hoffmann’s fresco ’Morning’ at the Cinema ’Rahu’ (’Peace’) in Kopli, Tallinn.

The exhibition is open from August 6 at the Gallery of the Estonian Academy of Arts at Põhja pst 7. The theme of the exhibition is a 74 m² fresco by Dolores Hoffmann that she completed as her graduation project – no longer in one piece today.

In 1963 Dolores Hoffmann, a future renowned monumentalist, professor and famous stained glass artist, painted an enormous mural ’Hommik’ (’Morning’) at the newly opened cinema ’Rahu’ (’Peace’). The earliest known Soviet era monumental fresco was painted on the basis of a draft graduation project from the ESSR State Art Institute. The artist used her friends and peers as models, the brothers Arrak, Jüri Palm, Evi Sepp and many others. She also included Ernest Hemingway, an idol writer for the youth of that era.

In 2019 the dilapidated cinema building was demolished to be replaced by a modern shopping centre. The 74 m² monumental work of art by Dolores Hoffmann would have been demolished in the process had the Department of Cultural Heritage and Conservation of the Estonian Academy of Arts not made it its mission to rescue at least parts of the fresco – about half of the painting was dismantled and preserved and pieces of it are kept in the Estonian Academy of Arts Museum.

This exhibition in the Estonian Academy of Arts Gallery on 6.8.–7.9.2019 tells the story of the rescue of the fresco ‘Hommik’. The monumental mural will be shown as a projection with the rescued fragments ‘planted’ into it. The exposition gives another chance to look at the artwork as a conditional whole – something that no longer exists and to contemplate the preservation and appreciation of cultural heritage.

Exhibition team: Hilkka Hiiop, Reeli Kõiv, Frank Lukk, Andres Uueni, Taavi Tiidor, Maris Veeremäe

The exhibition is accompanied by a book under the same title, compiled by the Estonian Academy of Arts Cultural Heritage and Conservation Department and the Estonian Academy of Arts Museum.
The book gives a detailed and abundantly illustrated insight into the dismantling process of the giant fresco by Dolores Hoffmann in all its complexity. It also tells the story of this monumental painting including its historical context, the process of creation, an analysis of the painting, its critical reception, its afterlife etc, as well as the philosophy of conservation and the history of the dismantling of frescos. The book is supplemented by direct quotations from an interview with Dolores Hoffmann.

The texts were written by Hilkka Hiiop, Reeli Kõiv, Andrus Laansalu and Frank Lukk, and edited by Anneli Randla and Maris Veeremäe, designed by Villu Plink. Published in Estonian and in English by Tallinna Raamatutrükikoda, 64 pages.

For more information contact: Hilkka Hiiop – hilkka.hiiop@artun.ee, tel 56 577980

Dr Helena Gabrijelčič Tomc (University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering, Department of Textiles, Graphic Arts and Design) open lecture “3D Technologies and Cultural Heritage” on Wednesday, November 28 at 6PM at the EKA auditiorium A101.

The presentations and interpretations of cultural heritage pose many challenges to researchers, as they need to be not only accurate in terms of documenting the facts about the object of interest but also attractive, interactive and engaging regarding the user experience. Implementation of 3D technologies in documentation, preservation and presentation of cultural heritage is a multi-layered process. After the acquisition of the target data, the processes of data storage, archiving and managing are interlaced with the aim of keeping the data accuracy and adding them values with the processing and analysis. In the steps that follow, i.e. presentation, interpretation and reproduction, 3D technologies (3D scanning, 3D printing, 3D computer aided modelling and design) are widely used and applicable due to their accuracy, repeatability and mostly non-invasive nature. The implementation of these technologies in the framework, however, should not overlooked especially to the more subtle aspects of the cultural object(s) included in the study, i.e. preserving the details of the objects and author’s style.

In the lecture the use of 3D technologies and 3D computer aided-design in cultural heritage are presented closely on the results of four project works, including:

1. the use of 3D visualisation in textile cultural heritage;
2. 3D technologies as an interpretative tool to introduce accessibility for the users;

3. 3D technologies as an interpretative realisation and reconstruction of cultural monument, when the documents of the object are inconsistent and poorly preserved and

4. 3D computer-aided visualisation as a facilitation for the preservation process of the object of contemporary design.

In the first part, the review of the use of 3D technologies in textile cultural heritage is presented and 3D-modelling process and visualisation of a woman’s folk costume from the Gorenjska region (Slovenia) is shown. In order to create a realistic 3D visualisation of the clothing, a real dress was modelled and a thorough examination of all the patterns in the costume was conducted. To create a realistic 3D visualisation of the parts of the cloth with visible porosity, the image data from these parts were processed, analysed and reinterpreted in the visualisation. The workflow for visualisation of textile porous structures was determined.

In the second part of the lecture, 3D modelling and 3D printing are presented in the process of 3D interpretation of Snežnik castle, located in the southwest part of the Lož Valle in the municipality of Loška Dolina (Slovenia) and for 3D interpretation of a non-realised sacred monument that was planned by a known Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik.

In the last part of the lecture 3D reconstruction methodologies, i.e. 3D scanning, photogrammetry and 3D computer graphic are introduced in the preservation of lounger Gondola, a product of Oskar Kogoj, a Slovenian contemporary designer. In the workflow, the computer-aided reproduction is presented together conservation-restoration work and the analytical approach that enabled the observations and the determination of the circumstances in which the lounger suffered severe damage of an irreversible nature during the use.

Associate professor Gabrijelčič Tomc is a lecturer and researcher at University of Ljubljana (Slovenia), Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering, Department of Textiles, Graphic Arts and Design. Her research work involves a development of constructional and color-mixing models based on physical products and computer-generated simulations; generating, processing and reproduction of data in media and 3D technologies. With her colleagues she is establishing more noticeable role of the use of 3D technologies and 3D computer graphic in Slovenian cultural and natural heritage. In collaboration with the students, she is researching also the novelties in learning approaches and development, testing and implementation of 2D and 3D computer graphic in creative processes of studying. Besides, she is collaborating with Slovenian studios, companies and researching institutions in the projects involving multimedia production, interaction design and graphic visualisations.

More info:
Maris Veeremäe
maris.veeremae@artun.ee