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    • EKA PressPublished Books

    Published Books

    The Estonian Academy of Arts Press is a subdivision of the Estonian Academy of Arts, which publishes both translated as well as original texts about art history and culture, design, architecture and fine arts.

    The publications of the Estonian Academy of Arts are listed below in order of publication, i.e. the list starts with the most recently published book. See the books on sale HERE. Books are on sale in the EKA library Mon-Fri 10-18, Sat 11-15.

    All questions regarding retail and wholesale can be addressed to the EKA publisher.

    Neeme Lopp
    neeme.lopp@artun.ee

    Keraamika100_esikaas

    “100 käsitlust keraamikast. 100 Takes on Ceramics”

    In 2023, the teaching of ceramics at the Estonian Academy of Arts will be 100 years old. On this occasion, a publication has been published, the purpose of which is to show the continuity of the specialty, but also to introduce and update the terminology. There is great interest in ceramics as a material and its possibilities in both art and design. The book is aimed at a wider readership ...
    Barthes_Armudiskursus_esikaas

    Roland Barthes “Armudiskursuse katkeid”

    "Armudiskursuse katkeid" (originally "Fragments d'un discours amoureux" in French) is the Estonian translation of the emotional journey of the French writer Roland Barthes (1915-1980) through the linguistic outbursts of a lover, prompted by seemingly trivial, random circumstances. The book was published in 1977 and became Barthes' most successful work during his lifetime. One of the reasons ...
    esikaas_Toimetised_11-12_23-1080x1080

    Proceedings of the Faculty of Architecture no. 11/12

    Proceedings of the Faculty of Architecture of EKA the double issue 11/12 gathers articles from two scientific events. I "COST Action: Writing Urban Places. New Narratives of the European City. Training School: LOCAL STORIES and VISUAL NARRATIVES" contains presentations from the workshop held on September 15-16, 2021 and articles by the participants. II "INNOVATION AND DIGITAL REALITY: IDEAS, ...
    eka1

    “Eesti kunsti ajalugu 1: 1100–1520” (edited by Kersti Markus)

    The first volume of "History of Estonian Art" deals with the period 1100-1520. However, these limits are conditional, because in order to understand several artistic developments, one must look beyond the past as well as beyond the time limit of the period. The volume covers both Estonian ancient and medieval art, but in fact the people who ordered and made this art did not know the terms ...
    Tallinna-Sadama-raamatukaas-600x876

    “Vanalinn: pärand, elukeskkond, turism”

    We all like to travel and visit historical cities, but at the same time, we also complain when the place we visit has become "too touristy." In the case of Estonia's most important tourist magnet, the old town of Tallinn, there are more and more reasons to ask what would be a reasonable balance between the historical city center as a cultural heritage, living environment, place to visit and ...
    Last-Edit-Was-Seconds-Ago-600x900

    “Last Edit Was Seconds Ago” (edited by Maris Karjatse and Marge Monko)

    This book introduces 11 students who graduated from the photography department of the Estonian Academy of Arts in 2022 (group code BFO19) - Andra Junalainen, Laura Ruuder, Ivor Lõõbas, Elo Vahtrik, Imbi Sõber, Meel Paliale, Markus Mikk, Joosep Kivimäe, Kertu Rannula, Jana Mätas, Laura Maala - a selection of works that include work done during the course, views of the thesis exhibition, short ...
    DF_catalogue_1-600x900

    “Dear Friend” (edited by Sandra Nuut and Ott Kagovere)

    The publication edited by Sandra Nuut & Ott Kagovere features all the letters from the Dear Friend monthly snail mail publishing project between 2019 and 2022, which they initiated at the Graphic Design Department of the Estonian Academy of Arts in 2018. The book includes contributions by Singapore-based design writer Justin Zhuang, designer and writer Else Lagerspetz, and artist Lieven ...
    Screen-Shot-2022-10-28-at-17.37.59-600x900

    Roemer van Toorn “Making Architecture Politically: From Fresh Conservatism to Aesthetics as a Form of Politics” (Dissertationes 37)

    By grappling with making architecture politically, finding it wanting through critical analysis, observing the exemplary and often a-political role contemporary Dutch architecture, among others, played since the 90s, it turns out the problem is not to make political architecture – all architecture is political – but how to make architecture politically. Making architecture politically opens ...
    Vastutustundlik_ese_esikaas

    “Vastutustundlik ese. Disainiideoloogia ajalugu tuleviku tarbeks” (edited by Marjanne van Helvert)

    What might the archaeologists of the future think of our time when they excavate the ruins of our civilization? They would find countless landfills of discarded things: plastic and metal things, discarded bits of electronics, synthetic textiles and many other things that certainly won't break down any time soon. They would find remnants of an era of unstoppable production and timeless ...
    Easterling_esikaas

    Keller Easterling “Meediumidisain. Eemaldamine” (Library of Ehituskunst #3)

    These two texts by Keller Easterling, a professor at the Yale School of Architecture, accompany the double issue (61/62) of Ehituskunst magazine, which focuses on the shrinking (small) cities of Estonia. The theme of shrinking reveals that the traditional architects' toolbox is primarily suited to the context of growth, which can be shaped by adding object forms. Dealing with shrinkage, where ...
    Õpetaja_esikaas

    Kadri Mälk “Õpetaja”

    In the book "Teacher", jewellery artist and EKA professor Kadri Mälk remembers her teacher, Leili Kuldkepp, emeritus professor of jewellery art at the Estonian Academy of Arts (1931–2008), and her diverse teaching methods. In addition to direct personal and others memories, the book uses Kuldkepp's handwritten autobiography and letters to the author. However, the main focus is on Kuldkepp's ...
    Interjööri kujutamine joonisel esikaas

    Ro Spankie “Interjööri kujutamine joonisel” (Basics of Interior Architecture 3)

    "Basics of Interior Architecture" is a series to introduce the discipline of interior architecture and the principles behind it. Key theories are complemented by analyzes of interior design projects, making this book a handbook for students and anyone interested in interior architecture. Translation of the third book in the series "Interjööri kujutamine joonisel" offers an introduction to ...
    The-Meaning-of-Creativity-in-the-Age-of-AI_esikaas-600x900

    “The Meaning of Creativity in the Age of AI” (edited by Raivo Kelomees, Varvara Guljajeva, Oliver Laas)

    This publication is the result of a symposium Decoding New Technologies in Art and Design, which took place on the 10th September 2020 at the Estonian Academy of Arts in situ and also virtually as part of the Ars Electronica Gardens online program. The main idea of the symposium and this publication is to develop an understanding and map the points of critical interest with regards to ...
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    Katrin Kabun “Archaically high-tech: knowledge-based use of sheep wool”

    The book “Archaically high-tech: knowledge-based use of sheep wool” was born out of a practical need, a desire to help restore the historical and economic value of wool. The publication has been compiled by a textile designer and is intended primarily for students, designers, interior architects, but also for anyone interested in understanding the value of wool as a material, the continuous ...
    Latour_kaas_uus

    Bruno Latour “Kuhu maanduda? Kuidas orienteeruda poliitikas”

    One of the most recent books of the French anthropologist and science historian Bruno Latour (1947-2022), "Down to Earth: Politics in the New Climate Regime" (first edition in French in 2017) represents his vision of a new political orientation necessary to understand the modern world and what is happening to it. He proposes the hypothesis that the politics of the last fifty years can only be ...
    EKA_PhD36_Rait_Rosin_esikaas-600x900

    Rait Rosin „Sotsiaalne kunst kui ühiskondlike normide kasvulava: kunstnike ja kunstipubliku vastastikused ootused Eesti väikelinnades“ (Dissertationes 36)

    The starting point of the dissertation is the fact that the emerging interest in Estonian art in places outside of Tallinn needs a more consistent, constructive and critical exchange of ideas. Art galleries located in regional centers and local expectations regarding the activities of artists connected to their hometown are discussed in the artistic research doctoral thesis. In the comparison ...
    GK_esikaas-600x900

    Greta Koppel “Hüvasti konossöörlus? Kunstiteos kui kunstiajaloolise uurimise kese” (Dissertationes 35)

    Greta Koppel's dissertation deals with the problems of art research, reflecting the author's years of research and curating work in the museum. Works of art as museum objects have had a central place in this work. The doctoral thesis was based on the premise that a multifaceted study based on close observation of works of art, which takes into account the work as a whole - its material as ...
    Taidur_esikaas

    Richard Sennett “Taidur”

    In "Craftsman", Richard Sennett observes how craft is one of the most fundamental basic human impulses - not just the desire to make something, but to do it well. The history of the relationship between man and material is long and multifaceted. The programmer, the doctor, the artist, and the builder all have to successfully interact with the physical environment around them and develop a ...
    Lõpetamata_Linn_kaas-600x900

    “Lõpetamata linn / City Unfinished”

    We are all users of the city to a greater or lesser extent. As residents, at work or school, as entrepreneurs, as guests. We have more and more reasons to ask what a good city is and what city we would like to live in. What could be the best possible Tallinn? In this book, 25 authors from different corners of the broad field of urban planning, from Estonia and beyond, consider the answers to ...
    Everyday-companions_esikaas

    Jaana Päeva “Everyday Companions: Meaning-Making Process Through Handbag Design” (Dissertationes 34)

    The research subject of the dissertation is handbags, the importance of which as a fashion accessory and status object has grown so much in the last decade that the handbag has changed from a functional utility item to a portable manifestation. The focus of the research is the construction and communication of meanings, because by reflecting the thinking of the era and the changing daily ...
    Väike_fototeooria_lugemik_esikaas

    “Väike fototeooria lugemik” (edited by Neeme Lopp ja Marge Monko)

    "Väike fototeooria lugemik" is the first comprehensive collection of texts on photo theory in Estonian, which includes texts from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day by 18 authors: László Moholy-Nagy, Siegfried Kracauer, Walter Benjamin, André Bazin, Roland Barthes, Pierre Bourdieu, Laura Mulvey, Peter Wollen, Joel Snyder, Rosalind Krauss, Christian Metz, John Tagg, David ...
    Siim_Tuksam_dok_web_kaas

    Siim Tuksam “Modulated Modularity – from mass customisation to custom mass production” (Dissertationes 33)

    Siim Tuksam, PhD student of the Estonian Academy of Arts, curriculum of Architecture and Urban Planning, defended his thesis „Modulated Modularity – from mass customisation to custom mass production“ („Moduleeritud modulaarsus – masskohandamisest kohandatud masstootmiseni“) on the 22nd of December 2020. The digitalisation of the construction industry is in full swing. The infrastructure for ...
    Architecture and Urban DesignDoctoral School
    Sille_dok_esikaas

    Sille Pihlak “Prototyping Protocols, Protocolling Prototypes: a methodological development of somatic modularity for algorithmic timber architecture in Estonian context” (Dissertationes 32)

    Sille Pihlak, PhD student of the Estonian Academy of Arts, curriculum of Architecture and Urban Planning, defended her thesis “Prototyping Protocols, Protocolling Prototypes: A Methodological Development of Somatic Modularity for Algorithmic Timber Architecture in Estonian Context” („Prototüüpides protokolle, protokollides prototüüpe: Somaatilise modulaarsuse metodoloogia kujunemine ...
    Architecture and Urban DesignDoctoral School
    SpacesoftheInterregnum_Esikaas-600x900

    Ingrid Ruudi “Spaces of the Interregnum. Transformations in Estonian Architecture and Art, 1986–1994” (Dissertationes 31)

    Ingrid Ruudi, PhD student of the Estonian Academy of Arts, curriculum of Art History and Visual Culture, defended her thesis Spaces of the Interregnum. Transformations in Estonian Architecture and Art, 1986–1994 („Ruumiline interreegnum. Muutused Eesti arhitektuuris ja kunstis 1986–1994“) on the 18th of December 2020. Conventionally, the Estonian architecture history tends to address the late ...
    Doctoral SchoolInstitute of Art History and Visual Culture
    Ackermann kaas

    “Christian Ackermann. Tallinna Pheidias, ülbe ja andekas”

    "He is not ashamed to appear with his person before the eyes of an honorable office, as if he were Pheidias of Athens or the master of the Colossus of Rhodes [...] we ask to defend ourselves against the shameless intrusion of this nosy and boastful fellow [...] we humbly ask to put a limit to the self-authority and insolence of Christian Ackermann..." With these words, the Tallinn carpentry ...
    wbmichaels-kaas

    Walter Benn Michaels “Ühiskondliku probleemi ilu. Fotograafia, autonoomia ja majandus”

    "The Beauty of a Social Problem" (originally 2015) is a book that has caused a lot of controversy, which examines – especially using the example of contemporary photo artists –, how aesthetic autonomy and the return to the form of a work of art relate to the issues of today's cultural model and political economy. The point of the author's criticism is especially directed against American ...
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    Kristina Jõekalda “German Monuments in the Baltic Heimat? A Historiography of Heritage in the “Long Nineteenth Century”” (Dissertationes 30)

    Kristina Jõekalda defended her thesis "German Monuments in the Baltic Heimat? A Historiography of Heritage in the "Long Nineteenth Century"" in the curriculum of Art History and Visual Culture on the 20th of November 2020. In Estonian humanities the Baltic Germans (Deutschbalten) are mostly addressed as a historical phenomenon, despite the fact that the architecture that they left behind from ...
    Doctoral SchoolInstitute of Art History and Visual Culture
    Nähtamatu monumentaalmaal.esikaas

    “Nähtamatu monumentaalmaal: EKA maalitudengite monumentaalkunst 1962–1995”

    The book, which was prepared in conjunction with the EKA Museum's exhibition "Invisible Monumental Painting" in the EKA Gallery, provides an overview of the monumental art created by painting students between 1962 and 1995 for the first time. The exciting collection of monumental painting designs of the EKA Museum is presented, which contains conceptual solutions for the execution of various ...
    Kunsti vandenõu kaas

    Jean Baudrillard “Kunsti vandenõu”

    The Estonian version of "The Conspiracy of Art" is a collection of essays on art by Jean Baudrillard, which he wrote between 1987 and 2007. The title of the collection comes from a scandalous article he published in 1996, in which he attacks contemporary art and the hypocrisy surrounding it, pointing out that the social value of the art sphere is based solely on a "conspiracy", the ...
    Space_and_Digital_Reality_cover_jpeg-600x900

    Proceedings of the Faculty of Architecture no. 10

    Collection of presentations from the conference "Space and Digital Reality". The conference took place on September 11, 2019 at the Estonian Academy of Arts and was part of the TAB 2019 program of the Tallinn Architecture Biennale. The speakers of the international conference explored, imagined and speculated about the development and future of the field of architecture, urbanism and design. ...
    front cover

    Claudia Pasquero “Polycephalum” (Dissertationes 28)

    Claudia Pasquero, PhD student of the Estonian Academy of Arts, Curriculum of Architecture and Urban Planning defended her thesis “Polycephalum: Aesthetic as a measure of ecological intelligence in Architecture and Urban Design” (“Polycephalum: esteetika ja ökoloogiline intelligentsus arhitektuuris ja linnakujunduses”) on the 22nd of November 2019 at Exhibition Space of BAU Design College of ...
    Doctoral SchoolFaculty of Architecture
    9789949725359-600x900

    “Eesti kunsti ajalugu 4: 1840–1900” (edited by Juta Keevallik)

    The fourth volume of the "History of Estonian Art" offers an overview of the architecture and art of the middle and second half of the 19th century. It was a time of rapid and revolutionary changes, when the modernization of society was accompanied by a cultural upheaval. In the last decades of the century, during the period of Russification, different cultural spaces could already be ...
    Esikaas.Lapin

    Leonhard Lapin “Valge”

    What is white? White is an integral part of our life. Everything begins and ends in white. Leonhard Lapin has written down his notes on white, white spirituality on white paper. He meditates on the presence of white in nature, history, visual culture, as a color, in the Estonian language. The book is inspired by Kenya Hara's “White” (2010). Editor: Andres Langemets Design: Tiit Jürna 56 ...
    Eesti linnaehituse ajalugu kaas

    “Eesti linnaehituse ajalugu. Keskajast tsaariaja lõpuni”

    "History of Estonian Urban Planning" is the first book that deals with the formation, development, and in some cases also the demise of all historical cities that remain on the territory of today's Estonia from the Middle Ages to the First World War. The history of the oldest cities in Estonia goes back more than seven hundred years. Despite the repeated destruction, the cities have been ...
    tehiskivimaterjalid_kaas

    Maris Mändel “Tehiskivimaterjalid eesti 20. sajandi arhitektuuris. Kasutuslugu ja väärtustamine” (Dissertationes 29)

    Could the most common building material be so valuable that it should be considered for preservation and restoration as a precious original material? The doctoral thesis shows that in some cases it is possible. The problem of valuation is unraveled on the example of four construction materials that were widespread in Estonia in the 20th century. A comprehensive overview of the history of the ...
    EKA_manzini_esikaas

    Ezio Manzini “Disain, kui kõik disainivad. Sissejuhatus sotsiaalset innovatsiooni edendavasse disaini”

    What is the role of design in a world moving to a sustainable model? Today, each of us is a designer to some extent. The technological revolution that has taken place in the last couple of decades provides certain possibilities for bringing about change compared to the past. Ezio Manzini cites examples from community farming in China to digital platforms applied in healthcare in Canada, from ...
    Fisher_kaanepilt

    Mark Fisher “Kapitalistlik realism: kas alternatiivi ei ole”

    Mark Fisher's book is a revelatory description of the social and cultural atmosphere of the past few decades, which the author refers to as "capitalist realism" and which represents the "broad recognition that capitalism is not only not the only functioning political and economic system, but that today it is impossible to have any competent to even imagine an alternative'. The book, which ...
    EKA_animatsioon_28_filmi_esikaas

    “EKA animatsiooni osakonna 28 filmi – 114 auhinda / 28 Films from the Animation Department – 114 Awards”

    All films included with the book! In 2006 the Estonian Academy of Arts launched the project “Priit Pärn back to Estonia”. Initial funds were received from Europe and the very same year EKA established the Department of Animation with the three-year-long Bachelor Studies. A year later the two-year-long international Master’s course was created. The first film from our department to receive an ...
    EKA_Keraamika2019_esikaas_screen

    “EKA keraamika / EKA Ceramics”

    This publication introduces the activities of the Ceramics Department of EKA in the last five years. The print is intended as informative material for entrants and to introduce EKA Ceramics outside of Estonia. Compiled / Edited by: Urmas Puhkan, Ingrid Allik, Kersti Laanmaa Translations: Kalle Klein, Stella Kuleva Design: Stuudio Stuudio Photos: Urmas Puhkan, Tiit Rammul, Jaan Heinmaa, Marek ...
    Screen-Shot-2019-11-02-at-16.44.47-900x900

    “Rahutu “Hommik”. Dolores Hoffmanni freskopannoo “Hommik” (1963) hävi(ta)mine ja päästmine endises Rahu kinos Koplis”

    In 1963, Dolores Hoffmann, a later well-known monumentalist and seasoned lecturer, who mainly made her name as a stained-glass artist, painted the gigantic wall panel "Hommik" ("Morning") of the corresponding "Rahu" cinema. As far as is known, the earliest monumental painting in fresco technique from the Soviet period in Estonia was completed based on the design of the diploma thesis of the ...
    Esikaas

    Kädi Talvoja “Karm stiil eesti kunstiajalookirjutuse kontekstis. Severe Style in the Context of Estonian Art History Writing” (Dissertationes 27)

    This dissertation addresses the historical meaning and role of Severe Style in the Estonian context. Although Severe Style marked a key breakthrough in Stalinist Socialist Realism dogmas in the late 1950s and early 1960s, this step was not compelling enough for researchers who proceeded from the post-Soviet perspective, and therefore, the style became branded with the status of “official art” ...
    Berger_kaas_preview_suur

    John Berger “Nägemise viisid”

    John Berger's book "Ways of Seeing" changed the way people thought about art and art criticism. This translation of Berger's seminal work shows how what we see is always influenced by a whole host of preconceptions about beauty, truth, civilization, taste, social order, the position of art, and so on. Berger peels back layers of meaning from oil paintings, photographs, and graphic art one by ...
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    Varvara Guljajeva “From Interaction to Post-Participation: The Disappearing Role of the Active Participant” (Dissertationes 26)

    Varvara Guljajeva's artistic research based doctoral thesis "From interaction to post-participation: the disappearing role of the active participant" analyzes and contextualizes passive interaction with the audience from the point of view of participation and looks at how active participation has been replaced by passive in interactive art. The doctoral thesis deals with the history and ...
    EKA_Representatsioon_160x240mm_esikaas

    “Representatsioon” (edited by Stuart Hall, Jessica Evans, Sean Nixon)

    "Representation", edited by Stuart Hall, Jessica Evans, and Sean Nixon, provides an in-depth look at how the culture around us works every day: how meanings are created in media, film, television, advertising, and elsewhere, and how language and the representational systems construct national, racial and gender identities and fantasies. The book's chapters explore mechanisms of representation ...
    Vorm ja konstruktsioon esikaas

    Graeme Brooker, Sally Stone “Vorm ja konstruktsioon sisearhitektuuris” (Basics of Interior Architecture 1)

    The first volume in the "Basics of Interior Architecture" series explores the ways in which a building's structural design influences interior design. The book also discusses physical factors such as light and orientation, building context and sustainability. In their part, methods of interpretation, evaluation and use are proposed and their impact on interior architecture and building ...
    EKA_UUS_MAJA_esikaas_ENG

    “The New Building of the Estonian Academy of Arts” (edited by Mart Kalm)

    The compendium “The New Building of the Estonian Academy of Arts” was published to mark the occasion of moving into the new building on the edge of Kalamaja district. The book shed light on the turbulent story of its construction during the 21st century and the former Rauaniit factory building. The book is also available in Estonian. Compiled by Mart Kalm Editor Merilin Talumaa Supervisor ...
    SNUD-II-cover 2

    “SNUD. Protocols II. The Estonian Academy of Arts Faculty of Architecture Guest Speaker Series 2013–2015”

    Part 2 of the "Protocols" series gathers interviews with guest lecturers who appeared in the open lecture series of the Faculty of Architecture of the Estonian Academy of Arts in 2013-2015, most of which have also been published (often in abbreviated form) in the Estonian media. As part of the lecture series, several world-famous architects, theorists, critics and urban planners have given ...
    antianimation

    Ülo Pikkov “Anti-Animation: Textures of Eastern European Animated Film” (Dissertationes 25)

    Even though the origins and early formation of animated film in Eastern and Western Europe shared certain similarities and common ground, the face of the post-World War II animated film in Eastern Europe was shaped by planned economy, centralised industrial structure, political censorship and a number of other factors that stood in stark contrast to the principles of free market economy. ...
    td_esikaas

    “Tööstuskunstist tootedisainini. Artikleid 1934–2018” (edited by Karin Paulus)

    Nowadays, talking about design has become a popular, even fashionable topic for the general public. This book brings together articles about product design, as well as design in general. The writings are grouped thematically, and the most important advocates and critics of the field are covered. While criticism and statements of recent times are at least partly available online, older ...
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    “Arhitektuur ja soojusmõõde” (Library of Ehituskunst #2)

    Volume 2 of the "Library of Ehituskunst" series is dedicated to the thermal dimension of architecture. If the architecture of the past had to take the thermal dimension into account, the uniformly comfortable temperature enabled by technology tends to make the rich spatial experiences that have developed in history uniform and repeatable. The challenge of today's spatial practice is to ...
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    “Artists’ Spaces” (edited by Merilin Talumaa and Annika Toots)

    “Artists’ Spaces”, edited by Merilin Talumaa and Annika Toots, consists of visits to the working environments of 16 young Estonian artists and exposes through interviews and photographic material the conditions that shape and influence their creative processes. The book is also published in Estonian. Where does the young generation of Estonian artists work? What aspects are affecting their ...