Showcase gallery is looking for a curator! The deadline for applications is March 15.

Showcase Gallery of the Department of Photography at the Estonian Academy of Arts, which was established in 2018, is looking for a curator for the spring/fall season 2021 with the title “Visual literacy”. This spring, the publisher of Estonian Academy of Arts in collaboration with the Department of Photography will present a reader containing some of the seminal texts on visual culture. In relation to that we would like to focus on the activities related to the notion of visual literacy.  

It is possible to earn credit points for curating the showcase program.

NB! We prefer two-dimensional works, so-called one-image-shows for the Showcase gallery.

About the Showcase:

• Located on the facade of Contemporary Art Museum of Estonia (Põhja pst. 35)
• The season lasts from April 21st to October 31st 2021
• The exhibition period contains 4 shows. The duration of one show is approximately 8 weeks.
• Printing of the works is possible in EKA digital lab. The production costs are covered by the Department of Photography.
• Dimensions of the Showcase: 594 x 841 x 150mm
• The visual identity of the Showcase gallery is created by a graphic designer Ran-Re Reimann.

Have a look at the previous projects of the Showcase gallery: https://www.artun.ee/erialad/fotograafia/vitriingalerii/

The application must contain:

1. A description of the program and related visual materials if possible (max. 3000 characters)
2. A curator’s CV

Please send the application to: cloe.jancis@artun.ee

The project will be chosen by a jury and the results will be announced by March 29.

Lisainfo / More info:

Cloe Jancis

cloe.jancis@artun.ee

Jette Loona Hermanis “Torque Vulnerati”
26.02, 8 PM
27.02, 7 PM
The number of guests is limited, please register at pire.sova@artun.ee

“Torque Vulnerati” is an emotional and expressive fairy tale mystifying transcendence and longing to express an affect. Strongly influenced by the digital age, the material carries a screaming obsession with self-centralization and online persona-portrayal, exhibiting emotional narratives of self in relation to existence and suffering of the soul. Storytelling as a concept from which ambiguous attitudes and ideas emerge. Emo Fairytale drenched in mythological symbolism, the frame – post-internet dark romanticism.

Jette Loona Hermanis, born in1997, is pulsing Baltic blood, Estonian and Latvian. Performance “Torque Vulnerati” is Hermanis’ Bachelor thesis at the School for New Dance Development in Amsterdam, in Art-Coreography curricula.

The performance lasts about 60 minutes. The entrance is for free and from Kotzebue street. Please wear a mask and keep a safe distance!

Kristel Zimmer, Linda Mai Kari, Liisamari Viik, Estookin, Anita Kremm
Curator: Ene-Liis Semper

The project is a result of one and a half year studies of EKA Scenography department students. Dassemperdepot consists of five investigators of metaphorical thought: “We sense, create meaning and space, reflect the world and search for poetry. Our mentors are wise and creative people, including Ene-Liis Semper. Study of Deconstruction is a presentation of creative research about metaphorical thought through deconstruction, body, and space.”.

Durational performances: 10–14.02 at 4–8 PM
Exhibition: 16–20.02 at 12–6 PM
The entrance is from Kotzebue street! Please wear a mask and keep a safe distance!

“An Octopus’ Garden Of Silly Delights” and “Morfosis” window exhibitions by artists Ulvi Haagensen (and Aksel Haagensen) and Ihan Toomik & Andreas Kivisild at A-Galerii are open till February 27th. 

Ulvi Haagensen “An Octopus’ Garden Of Silly Delights” 

“In a world on the brink of ecological disaster; a world coming to terms with a deadly virus; a world where belligerent and inflammatory politics endeavours to entice and control us; a world where big tech sees and knows more than we’d like; a world where narcissism and lying seem to be accepted ways to behave; in these uncertain times at least one thing we can be certain of  — octopuses have beautiful gardens”, ponders the artist. 

Ulvi Haagensen, born and trained in Sydney, Australia, has been living in Tallinn for many years. She has a background in drawing and sculpture and is currently doing a PhD at the Estonian Academy of Arts researching the boundaries and connections between art and everyday life. 

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Ihan Toomik x Andreas Kivisild “Morfosis” 

“Morfosis” consists of several objects that can be worn in several ways. Morfosis as transfiguration stems from the metamorphoses of daily living. For example, when dressing for work a person embodies their occupation and starts behaving like part of the organisation. Later, at home, the same person may act and look utterly different. In a similar manner we change ourselves in other everyday situations.

We have been discussing the kind of attributes that apply to wearable jewellery. What would we want to wear on a daily basis? Which values, functions and practical implications would this jewellery carry? Our conversation took us to the shapeshifting belt buckle that embodies our daily metamorphoses. 

Ihan Toomik is a freelance artist and a designer who teaches 3D modelling. He graduated from the Estonian Academy of Arts in 2013.  

Andreas Kivisild is a freelance artist and a designer. He graduated from the Estonian Academy of Arts in 2012.

Exhibitions are supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia

Window exhibitions are open at A-Galerii at any time, with any kind of weather, until February 27th. 

ELEMENTerial — materialisation of the metagrid
EKA algorithmic timber architecture research group exhibition
Authors: dr Sille Pihlak, dr Siim Tuksam

The exhibition “ELEMENTerial” looks at the elements of architecture. What does a house consist of? In an increasingly digital world, a list of materials alone is not enough. In addition to materials and construction methods, the principles of building construction are increasingly influenced by digital tools and sustainability.

With the exhibition we draw parallels between physical and virtual modularity. The digital world is also built from puzzle pieces – algorithms. Algorithms are rule sets that control digital processes. There are also rules in construction, where, what,t and how something can be built – plans and standards. Different materials and technologies, in turn, set geometric constraints. Looking at all these components as algorithmic modules, creates parallels that are easier to understand.

The exhibition describes alternative creative solutions in factory-produced modular wooden architecture developed in collaboration with engineers and wooden house manufacturers over four years of research, and introduces the ideas and methods behind them.

Dr Sille Pihlak is practicing architect, researcher, tutor and co-founder of the algorithmic timber architecture research group in Estonian Academy of Arts, Faculty of Architecture. Sille has studied interior architecture in Estonian Academy of Arts, architecture in Southern California Institute of Architecture and completed her masters in the University of Applied Arts Vienna. After her studies she practiced as design architect in Morphosis Architects in Los Angeles and in Coophimmelb(l)au Vienna. In 2015, together with Siim Tuksam, they started their own office PART–Practice for Architecture, Research and Theory. PART constructed designs have been awarded for their innovative construction techniques, methods of designing and geometry studies, with latest recognition on high voltage electricity pylon Bog Fox. In past five years, Sille has been an active participant in forestry and timber architecture related discussions, as a believer of inevitable sustainability in construction, her work deals with combining algorithmic techniques with local timber industry.

Dr Siim Tuksam is a practicing architect, co-founder of PART – Practice for Architecture, Research and Theory, and a researcher at EKA faculty of architecture, co-founder of the algorithmic timber architecture research group. Siim completed his master studies at the University of Applied Arts Vienna in 2013 having spent a visiting semester at the Southern California Institute of Architecture. During his studies he gained experience at various architecture offices, most notably Gehry Technologies in Paris and Coop Himmelb(l)au in Vienna. Since graduation he has been developing his own practice through exhibitions, installations, writings, and architectural projects. Together with Johanna Jõekalda and Johan Tali, he was the curator of the Estonian pavilion Interspace at the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2014. In 2015, together with Sille Pihlak, he founded PART to curate the Tallinn Architecture Biennale 2015 main exhibition Body Building. As a researcher and partner at PART he’s been devoted to developing algorithmic tools for the design and delivery of pre-fabricated architecture and the critical discourse of digital architecture.

Graphic design: Robi Jõeleht (Polaar)

Support by: Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Estonian Ministry of Culture, Estonian Academy of Arts Faculty of Architecture, Union of Estonian Architects, Arcwood, Rothoblaas.

EKA Interaction Design MA programme invites prospective MA students to join the programme’s Online Open House on Tuesday, February 2, 2021 at 17:00 (GMT+2).

This will be a good opportunity to hear more about the programme, and to meet and ask questions directly from the department staff and current students. The open house event will be hosted online over Zoom.

If you would like to attend, please register online through the form below. A link to attend will be e-mailed shortly before the event begins.

The registration is closed.

Find the recording of the online info session HERE.

More information about the Interaction Design MA programme: https://www.artun.ee/en/curricula/interaction-design/.

The Design & Crafts MA programme invites prospective MA students to join the programme’s Online Open House on Thursday, February 4, 2021 at 17:00 (GMT+2).

This will be a good opportunity to hear more about the programme, and to meet and ask questions directly from the department staff and current students. The open house event will be hosted online over Zoom.

If you would like to attend, please register online through the form below. A link to attend will be e-mailed shortly before the event begins.

REGISTER HERE

Design & Crafts is an interdisciplinary Master’s programme at the Estonian Academy of Arts. The students enter a common programme but also select a discipline: ceramics, glass, jewellery and blacksmithing, textile design, accessory design or fashion design.

More information about the Design & Crafts MA programme: https://www.artun.ee/en/curricula/design-and-crafts/.

On January 11th, from 6 to 8 PM an open lecture about projection mapping will be held on online with Zoom https://zoom.us/j/94267064018

Projection Mapping is a projection technology used to turn objects, often irregularly shaped, into a display surface for video projection. These objects may be architectural landscapes, such as buildings, small indoor objects, or theatrical stages. This method can add extra dimensions, optical illusions, and notions of movement onto previously static objects.

Taavi Varm is a visual artist interested in combining spatial design with projection-based media. He is currently a Master’s degree student at Media Lab Helsinki, Aalto University. Along the way, he has been teaching video, art, and technology-related courses for the past 20 years in different Universities in Estonia and abroad. That has lead him to be an expert in consulting various government and national projects.

He has done stage video design for numerous theatre plays in Estonia, combining hi-tech solutions to narrow the gap between technology and real-time performance.

Taavi is also specialized in large-scale projection mapping projects. Lately, he has been working with interactive installations for museums and unique environments. To name a few: Fazer Visitor Centre, Georgian Pavillion at World Expo Astana, Unity DOME 360, Narva Alexander’s Cathedral installation, Narva Museum, and many more.

He runs the hybrid design company Varm Studio with his wife, industrial designer Anni Varm, which has developed many big scale projects to introduce Estonian design worldwide.
www.varmstudio.com

Ville MJ Hyvönen is an excellent example of a modern-day Renaissance man. His expertise and experience in the field of film, theatre, sound, and audiovisual have no limit. Almost three decades of work in collaboration with world-known artists like Kristian Smeds, Mikko Roiha, Eva Alkula, Tõnu Kaljuste, Reet Aus, and many more. He has created sound design for numerous theatre plays and full feature movies. Lately, he’s interested in more intimate and detailed sound installations for projects like Fazer Visitor Centre, Finnish Pavillion at World Expo Astana, Helsinki Central Railway Station, and IKEA Our Dream.
www.villehyvonen.fi 

The lecture will be held in English.

For the fourth year in a row the EKA Design Showcase will once again present the best cooperation projects of EKA’s students with companies and public sector organizations. An event introducing 16 innovative designs resulting from the cooperation projects will take place on January 14th.

The concepts, prototypes and ready-made solutions of innovative products and services created by students of the Faculty of Design and Architecture of EKA and Design & Technology Futures (TalTech and EKA joint curriculum) for companies and organizations such as PERH, Tuul, Naturewear, Harmet, moomoo, Kidsmed and others will be presented.

A total of 16 recent cooperation projects from medicine to modular houses and from footwear to bicycle clothing will be presented. The winner of the Viru x EKA Young Design Export Program prize will also be announced.

We look forward to hearing from all current and future cooperation partners of EKA and those interested in future design!

PROGRAMME

14.00 Opening remarks, Mart Kalm, Rector of EKA

14.05 Inspirational speaker – “Healthcare and design”, Siiri Heinaru, Research and Development Service Specialist, North Estonia Medical Centre.

14.15 – 15.45 Presentations of EKA collaboration projects, moderator Kristjan Mändmaa:

1. Naturewear OÜ and EKA accessory design – Product development and material research for brand KIRA;
2. Comodule OÜ and EKA product design with accessory design – During the hackathon, students created ideas for the electric scooter Tuul;
3. Disaintekstiil OÜ and EKA graphic design – Cycling clothing designs for the local cycling clothing brand moomoo;
4. Rasman OÜ, Harmet OÜ and EKA architecture and urban planning – 5) Modular houses: Etnika modular bungalow, modular Estonian country house and modular apartment building.
5. EKA interaction design – (Eng);
6. Interaction design of North Estonia Medical Centre and EKA – Social innovation design (Eng);
7. Kidsmed OÜ and EKA industrial product – Mesh technology based inhaler for children;
8. EKA Industrial Product, Henri-Kaarel Luht – The concept of reusable packaging.

15.45 – 15.50 Winner of Viru x EKA Young Design Export Program will be announced.

Kristel Sooaru, Head of Marketing and Communication at Viru Center, and Piret Puppart, Head of Fashion Design at EKA.

15.50 – 16.00 Break

16.00 – 17.10 Project presentations of the joint curriculum of EKA and TalTech Future of Design and Technology, moderator Martin Pärn:

1. North Estonia Medical Centre, Bariatrics
2. North Estonia Medical Centre, Orthopedics. KOOS – Arthritis Patient Support Network. KOOS is a network for arthritis patients that helps them explore the best strategies to treat their symptoms.
3. North Estonia Medical Centre, Pulmonology. BRIIS
4. North Estonia Medical Centre, Cardiology

17.10 – 17.20 Break

17.20 – 18.30 Project presentations of the joint curriculum of EKA and TalTech Future of Design and Technology, moderator Martin Pärn:

1. Unoloop: is a system that promotes package free consumption while supporting minimalist lifestyle. It helps to create a cleaner home and a cleaner planet.
2. Peridot: Companies provide not only necessities like toilet paper, but also coffee and food for their employees. Why not period products?
3. Teaching the habit of giving and receiving: Every pupil at school has insecurities, be it the loner or the popular one. We are proposing a game for schools that teaches kids to empower their individuality through doing good to others and receiving good done by others.
4. Team Hub: The nature of today’s office work is collaborative and based on shared open space principles. Team Hub will address how to support teamwork in the office, when employees require more flexibility and quicker adaptation to work flow in co-creating spaces.

The event will be funded by European Union Regional Fund

EKA Design Showcase 2021 on Facebook