Croquis.

The Opening Assembly of the academic year will take place on 28th August at 2 pm in Rüütelkonna Buidling, Kiriku plats 1 assembly hall.

The Estonian Academy of Arts, Department of Art and Design’s doctoral candidate Stacey Koosel will defend her thesis „The Renegotiated Self: Social Media’s Effects on Identity: ” (“Ümberkujundatud mina: sotsiaalmeedia mõju identiteedile“) on the 27th of August 2015 at 10.00 at Estonia pst 7 building in Auditorium 440a.

Supervisor: Dr Raivo Kelomees (Estonian Academy of Arts)
Consultant: Dr Chris Hales (SMARTlab, Liepaja University)
Pre-reviewers: Prof Dr Mauri Kaipainen (Södertörn University) and Dr Marina Grišakova (Tartu University)
Opponent: Prof Dr Mauri Kaipainen (Södertörn University)

The defense will be in English.

Stacey Koosel’s PhD thesis is a collection of articles that explore the effects of social media on personal identity. The communication of identity narratives online has become abundant with the increasing popularity of social media. Social media enables users to build profiles based on their personal identities, making identity play a primary source of entertainment in the information age.
Topics such as privacy, ethical use of information, authenticity, social control, self-expression, self-censorship and other media affordances have all, subsequently, become important issues. The topic of ‘identity’ is used as a framework through which social media use can be analysed. The cultural phenomenon of digital identity is explored in a collection of seven articles using different approaches, including media ecology, the philosophy of technology, virtual ethnography and artistic research.
The articles raise questions about the ideology of identity creation in social media, by interviewing artists on how they use Facebook, pointing out paradigm shifts and paradoxes in contemporary culture and the discussion of other research in the field of digital culture.

PIND is an international art project, organised by the independent cultural producer Jaanika Okk and the Polish Expats Association. The project focuses on site specific art and collaboration. The aim of the project is to create a platform for international relationship between artists from Tallinn and Birmingham. Generating discussions and exchanging experiences as well as knowledge for mutual growth.

PIND (surface or a space in Estonian) represents the space in Birmingham, which Estonian artists are occupying during two month period.

Three artists with the street art background from Tallinn, Estonia will take over Centrala Gallery inside and out transforming the Gallery itself into a work of art depicting produce and items that are symbolic of Estonian life. The installation begins Monday 29^th June and the artists (Anton Koovit, Carl-Robert Kagge and Uku Sepsivart) encourage the public to come along and witness their creations unfold.

The project launches with a special preview night on Friday 3^rd July as part of Digbeth First Friday. As well as the exhibition the evening features DJ Rob Glover (Field Harmonics) and an opportunity to speak to the artists about their work.

On Saturday 4^th there will be an artist talk at 6pm and on both Saturday 4^th and Sunday 5^th July there will be Shop Calligraffiti workshops led by all three artists from 12 noon open to the public at only £5 per person.

This exciting exhibition will then be open until the end of August with further events to be announced.

PIND

4^th July until 30^th August 2015. Centrala Gallery, Digbeth, Birmingham

3^rd July 7pm – Preview Night (as part of Digbeth’s First Friday)

4^th July, 6pm – Artist talk, moderated by Dan Newso

4^th and 5^th July, 12noon until 4pm – Workshop led by Koovit, Kagge and Sepsivart

PIND project is funded by Arts Council England, Republic of Estonia Ministry of Culture and Estonian Cultural Endowment.

Press contact: Maryam Snape

mazzy@mazzysnape.com; 07776 030 517

Project manager: Jaanika Okk

mail@jaanikaokk.com; 07795 871 205

Polish Expats Association: Alicja Kaczmarek, alicja@polishexpats.org.uk

More info: http://centrala-space.org.uk/

June 18th, 2015 at 10 pm at Suur-Kloostri 11, Tallinn. All are welcome! Tickets 3 euro for EAA / 5 euro others

June 18 – July 7, 2015
HOP gallery
Working hours: 11 – 18
Closed on Wednesday

You are invited!
The art jewellery exhibition of Sofja Markarova HOMEOSIS: TOWARDS PERFECTION will be opened on Thursday, June 18 at 18pm in HOP gallery.

Sofja Markarova solo exhibition HOMEOSIS: TOWARDS PERFECTION presents the attempt to capture beauty that is beyond our grasp and understanding, to which the concept of “death” merely adds an element of ungraspableness and emphasises the impossibility of such an undertaking.
Through the dialogue between author and death the perfection of the Celestial hierarchy opens up to the viewer. The intended jewellery represents a manifesto of latent divinity on the basis of shape, chromaticity and substance. The perfect symmetry of the forms, the synthetic nature of the material, latest contemporary techniques and the use of a visually monochrome palette form the code of Sofja’s aesthetic preferences. It is a metaphor of godlikeness, which transforms jewellery into virtuality, into the prototype of perfection.
In Sofja’s work the necklace, as the most independent type of jewellery, holds sole position through such materials as polyurethane plastic, urethane caoutchouc, rubber, marble, necuron, silver and gold.

Sofja Markarova graduated from Estonian Academy of Arts, MA jewellery and blacksmithing and exhibited at Denmark, UK, Belgium and Estonia.

The exhibition is supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia.

Artist: Carla Castiajo
Sound: Paul Beaudoin
Where: Bathroom, Lembitu 3, Tallinn
Preliminary review: 3 June at 4 pm
Exhibition: 4 and 5 June, 4–7 pm
The bathroom is an intimate space where we execute contrasting actions and behaviors. We use this private space daily for cleaning ourselves of the impurity that accumulates by washing our bodies, hands and hair. In this space, we face the mirror where our hair can be combed and plaited or remove our unwanted hair. This intimate space is also the place where we expel our filth – our repugnant fluids and excrement.
In my recent works, my attention has focused on exploring the use and significance of human hair as a material in jewellery and art. The work’s purpose is to apply of the often ambiguous features present in hair and its potential to produce different and often opposing/contradictory meanings and reactions.
After washing your hands, you are welcome to touch the objects.
Carla Castiajo has studied and taught jewellery as a medium of expression. She holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from Konstfack in Stockholm, Sweden and is currently a doctoral student at the Estonian Academy of Arts in Tallinn. The subject of her research is Hair: Purity or Promiscuity? Exploring Hair as a Material and its Meaning in Jewellery and Art.
She has taught at the BNU in Pakistan, the Oakham School in Britain, the ESAD in Portugal and the EKA in Estonia. Her work has been exhibited internationally.
Paul Beaudoin is an internationally recognized multimedia artist.
Many thanks to Ester Kruuse / Riigi Kinnisvara AS, Prof. Mart Kalm, Tiit Rammul, Virko Kuusk, Risto Tali, Andreas Kivisild, Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Estonian Academy of Arts and FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia and with special thank to Prof. Kadri Mälk.

ERKI Fashion Show this Saturday will take place in Noblessner Valukoda, start at 7 pm. Get tickets here: www.erki.artun.ee/2015/et/piletid