Category: Innolabs

“EKA in Kenya. Implementing the Upmade System”
EKA Gallery 5.–26.04.2024
Open Tue–Sun 12–6 pm, free entry
Opening: 4.04.2024 at 6 pm

Supervisors: Reet Aus, Maria Pukk
Participants: Marta Konovalov, Susanna-Belinda Kõgel, Eva-Liis Lidenburg, Kaisa Moora, Anu Muiste, Doreen Mägi, Maria Rojko Nisu, Eva Reiska, Katrin Lepa-Ruben, Lisandra Türkson, Maris Vahter

The exhibition “EKA in Kenya. Implementing the Upmade System” focuses on the effort to reduce and recycle waste from the textile industry. The students of circular design of the Estonian Academy of Arts spent the month of February in 2024 in Kenya, in the city of Eldoret. On site, they learned about the production at the Rivatex factory, followed the product development process, performed analyzes and applied upcycling principles. Twelve different product concepts created by students will be displayed in EKA Gallery, including accessories, clothes, lampshades and a modular tent.

The international project “Transferring Upmade Know-How to Kenya” is part of a longer cooperation between Moi University and DiMa, the Sustainable Design and Materials Lab at the Estonian Academy of Arts. DiMa has contributed to reducing the environmental impact of the fashion and textile industry through various international projects. The aim of the project is to increase the circulation of Kenya’s textile industry by introducing the UPMADE method at the Rivatex factory. The approach enables the recycling of textile waste generated during manufacturing, thus supporting more environmentally friendly production.

The project has been made in cooperation with the Stockholm Environment Institute Tallinn Center (SEI Tallinn) and Moi University, with the support of the Erasmus+ study mobility program and the Environmental Investment Centre (KIK).

Opening drinks from Punch Club.

More info:
Transferring Upmade Know-How to Kenya

19.-25.09.2022
Opening 19.09, 6 PM

Balti manufaktuur, Uue Loomingu Maja, Manufaktuuri Tänav 5, Tallinn 

The Sustainable Design and Material Lab DiMa exhibition 

DiMa is a  research centre at the Estonian Academy of Arts, which focuses on circular design in the field of textiles and fashion and the development of new sustainable materials. The textile industry has become the second biggest industrial polluter after the oil industry. This has generated an urgent need to deal with textile waste- collect, sort, upcycle and recycle. Our aim with this exhibition is to provide the visitors with practical examples of the textile waste circularity by upcycling, industrial upcycling, mechanical recycling and regenerative textile design.  

The exhibition is co-funded by Estonian Environmental Investment Centre and European Regional Development Fund 

Fashion design from here and there. The opening of DiMa. 

There has been a little cell of circular design working around in the corridors of the Estonian Academy of Arts for many years now. It has done science, created new materials, experimented with different design solutions and mapped out textile waste, and eliminated it by circulating it back by using different design methods. The 19th of September is the day for bringing it all into the spotlight and making it official. It is the opening of DiMa.  

On stage, you can see fashion design that has been made from industrial leftovers and post-consumer textile waste that has seen more countries than passionate travellers can dream of. As one of the research topics of DiMa is circular design, specifically upcycling and recycling the show brings you design that has been made by using the before-mentioned design methods. An enormous amount of textile waste has been brought back into circulation through design. 

Participants:
Dr. Reet Aus
Cärol Ott
Sandra Luks
Kristel Aimee Laur
Marta Konovalov
Maria Kristiin Peterson
Yvette Agani
Bibi Mwanzala
Loise Wangari
Olivia Njeri
TOKU shoes  

The event is co-funded by Estonian Environmental Investment Centre and European Regional Development Fund 

The exhibition “The Seaweed Ceremony” will be opened on June 3 at 7 pm in Tallinn, at the Sepikoja Gallery of Põhjala Factory (Marati 5).

The exhibition “The Seaweed Ceremony” focuses on the aquatic environment and seaweed species, which are an integral part of this fragile ecosystem. Combining existing knowledge of aquatic organisms with design research, the exhibition treats seaweed caringly and respectfully, through ritual-like gestures. In this way, students from the universities of Iceland, Finland and Estonia show works based on the local context in the “The Seaweed Ceremony”, which reflect on the symbiotic interaction of man and the environment – the post-anthropocentric symbioscene.

“The Seaweed Ceremony” focuses on the conscious design approach that seaweed as an underused but highly economically exploited bioresource, with the aim of reaching both for the development of renewable bioresources and for their industrialization.

In the last decade, seaweed has been explored as a potential resource for new materials. Seaweed is also known as “green gold”, the biofuel of the future and an alternative to animal protein on the human food plate. In order for these high expectations to be realized in the long run, we need a radical change in our way of thinking, learning from the mysterious mechanisms of the water world and the combinations of different species, moving towards a restorative, supportive and nourishing model.

Julia Lohmann, professor and multidisciplinary designer at Aalto University, writes: “Seaweed becomes more than just a resource, but also our method and muse”.

Seaweed, a large heterogeneous group of organisms capable of photosynthetic activity in seawater, are considered to be the most untapped bioresource. The DiMa Sustainable Design Laboratory of the Estonian Academy of Arts has been dealing with local seaweed as one of its focus topics since 2015. The local seaweed has been tested as a raw material for the production of various bioplastics, as a nutrient-rich food as well as as a possible wastewater-draining biomass.

Rainforests of the North

Students from universities participating in the exhibition:

Aalto University

Aura Latva-Somppi, Élise Piquemal, Elsa Tölli, Nina Naveršnik, Zoë Robertson, Vihar Kotecha

Listaháskóli Íslands

Arngrímur Guðmundsson, Birna Sísí Jóhannsdóttir, Bryndís Magnúsdóttir, Elín Dagný Kristinsdóttir, Emma Kristina A. Herrera, Helgi Jóhannsson, Jón Sölvi Walderhaug Eiríksson, Marsibil Sól Þ. Blöndal, Mekkín Guðmundsdóttir, Salóme Bregt Hollanders

Estonian Academy of Arts

Cärol Ott, Indre Spitryte, Karl-Christoph Rebane, Karolin Kärm, Katarina Kruus, Kristiina Jeromans, Marion Laev

Supervisors:

Aalto University

Anna van der Lei, Julia Lohmann

ListahAskóli Íslands

Tinna Gunnarsdottir, Rúna Thors, Lee Lorenzo Lynch, Agnar Jón Egilsson, Johanna Seelemann

Estonian Academy of Arts

Annika Kaldoja, Kärt Ojavee

Elisabeth Perk and Roger Matthias Laas, 2nd year students of EKA Interior Architecture, designed the design of the exhibition and the complete solution of the space. The course was supervised by Kaisa Sööt and Adam Kaarma.

The exhibition is open from 04.06 to 15.06.2022

Mon-Fri 10.00–17.00; Sat-Sun 12.00–17-00

Põhjala Factory Sepikoja Gallery (Marati 5)

The exhibition is supported by the Estonian Cultural Endowment’s Architecture Endowment and the Nordic Council of Ministers

Estonian Academy of Arts is launching a new event series called ROHEKA which promotes green lifestyle and sustainable development topics in EKA. The series consists of one-day events taking place once a month, focussing on important topics like waste management, sustainable learning, community, work environment, energy efficiency, etc.

The first event of ROHEKA series will take place this Wednesday, September 1, when EKA will introduce its sustainability principles and share tips for sorting physical and digital waste.

The day starts at 10am with presentations, continues with a playful online waste-quiz and ends with collective cleaning in EKA building. The first half of the event will take place digitally and will be broadcast on EKA TV. Collective cleaning, starting at 12.30, takes place all over the house. We’ll gather in EKA courtyard.

PROGRAMME

10.00 Introduction of the ROHEKA event series (EKA TV)

10.15 Lecture “Green EKA” (EAA TV)

11.00 Introduction of the RING application (EKA TV)

11.15 PAUSE

11.30 Waste quiz – registration form HERE. EKA merch as a prize! (registered users will be sent a link to the online quiz)

12.00 Lecture “Digital Waste” (EKA TV)

12.30 Collective cleaning of EKA building under the guidance of environmental specialist Johanna Vahtra. (We’ll gather in the courtyard)