During Tallinn Summer Academy 2017, the Estonian Academy of Arts Department of Product Design invited students to participate in an international workshop entitled Toys for Elephants.
Elephants in the Tallinn Zoo needed a change of pace to keep their minds sharp. The Tallinn Zoo set the goal of creating a selection of toys for elephants to raise their cognitive capacity. The toys were meant for either indoor or outdoor play. One particularity of the workshop was the unusual target group and the scale – the toys must be large in order to engage the elephants and take into account their weight. A toy for an elephant could weigh around 1 tonne. The construction specification sheet was also different from the norm: the solutions have to come in special dimensions and be able to withstand extreme conditions. The workshop took place at the Tallinn Zoo.
The tutors for the course were:
Lauri Snellman, University of Lapland in Finland
Runa Thors, Iceland Academy of Arts
Lennart Mänd and Merike Rehepapp from Estonian Academy of Arts
Big thanks to Darja Zubareva, Educationist at Tallinn Zoo
Participants of the workshop:
Andres Mutis
Iris Indridadottir
Signý Jónsdóttir
Ólöf Sigþórsdóttir
Uliana Reutina
Barbara Drozdek
Kristina Hemkemeier
Timo Treit
Juho Saavalainen
Ville Määttänen
Suvi Pietilä
Tatiana Kravtsov
Renata Johanson
Rünno Kulver
Lisandra Türkson
Marlen Peets
Hannes Tõnuri
Liina Kurvits
Siim Jesper Varblane
Magnus Sirelmets
Joosep Laht
Read more about the Tallinn Summer Academy www.artun.ee/summeracademy
New application period will start in the spring 2018.
Video, editing and original music by Robin Nõgisto