Open Lectures

The series of open architecture lectures will take place this spring under the title “Close enough” and will bring architects from Latvia and Lithuania to the stage in Tallinn. We will examine how our neighbours operate topics arising from similar built environments and history. The lectures are intended for students and professionals from any and all disciplines – not just in the field of architecture. All lectures take place in the large auditorium of EKA, are in English and free of charge.

On March 31, the Latvian architectural collective ĒTER, led by Kārlis Bērziņš, Dagnija Smilga and Niklāvs Paegle, will arrive in Tallinn. ĒTER is an architectural practice founded in 2018 in Riga, focusing on space inspired by nature, technology and modern culture. When looking at the city, culture and living patterns, they preferably move in uncharted areas. As a natural part of the architectural firm, they see strategic and conceptual thinking, inventing their own tasks and involving international experts. ETER are architects, researchers and teachers whose fields range from the Baltic coast to the Alps.

Why are the Baltics our focus for this spring? Read lecture series’ curator Johan Tali’s short interview to find out.

The series of open architecture lectures will take place this spring under the title “Close enough” and will bring architects from Latvia and Lithuania to the stage in Tallinn. We will examine how our neighbours operate topics arising from similar built environments and history. The lectures are intended for students and professionals from any and all disciplines – not just in the field of architecture. All lectures take place in the large auditorium of EKA, are in English and free of charge.

The first lecture in the lecture series will be on March 3 at 6 pm by Petras Išora and Ona Lozuraitytė, who launched Isora x Lozuraityte Studio for Architecture in Vilnius in 2014. Creative duo exercise a cooperative practice, linking the spheres of architecture, public infrastructure, art, ecology, landscape. The two designers have been engaged in a number of interdisciplinary collaborations at a variety of scales, both nationally and internationally. The studio is characterised by cooperation and collaboration with other practises or subjects in art and architectural fields, is focused on urban narratives, public spaces, landscape projects, public infrastructure, social and cultural projects, experiments with the matter in exhibition, interior design, exterior and architecture of the wider environment.

NB! This lecture is part of the EAA Open Day program, the rest of the program can be found here.

The rest of this Spring’s architecture lecture programme can be found here.

On Tuesday, February 22, at 6 pm, Adrià Carbonell will give a public lecture “Contra Naturam: The Emergence of Modern Urbanism in Barcelona” in the hall of EKA (A-101)

Adrià Carbonell is an architect and urbanist. He is a lecturer in architecture at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, and has previously lectured at KU Leuven, Tallinn University of Technology, Umeå Universitet, and the American University of Sharjah. He is co-founder of the research collaborative Aside, where he writes on the interplay between architecture, territory, politics and the environment. He has co-edited the book Infrastructural Love: Caring for Our Architectural Support Systems (Birkhäuser, 2022). His writings have been published in PLAN, ACE: Architecture, City and Environment, ZARCH Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Architecture and Urbanism, San Rocco, MONU, Cartha, among others. His current research addresses two guiding questions in innovative urbanism: how to reframe cosmopolitical spatial practices and how to challenge existing urban inequalities through processes of territorial redistribution.

Lecture is in English and open to the public.

The lecture will also be broadcast on EKA TV

The lecture is organized by the Faculty of Architecture of EKA together with the Estonian Association of Architects.

The lecture is supported by European Regional Development Fund.

Julius Pristauz’ Open Lecture “What is a performer without a stage? ” on February 17, 2 pm in room C201.

The spectrum of Julius Pristauz‘ work spans artistic and curatorial activities, all connected through an active interest for the construction and gender aspect of identities.  

For this guest lecture, Pristauz will give an introduction into his own artistic practice and talk about selected exhibition projects and recent collaborations. Addressing issues of representation and visibility, he will consider different modes of exhibiting. Hybridity and sharing are key strategies in Pristauz’ work. Therefore the talk should lead into an open discussion in which we can reflect on the state of young contemporary art together. 

Monika Žaltauskaitė Grašienė-Žaltė Lecture: 13th Kaunas Biennial „Once Upon Another Time” – Review and Case Analysis 

09.02.2022, 4–5.30 PM, auditorium A501 

Kaunas Biennial organizer, border member Monika Žaltauskaitė Grašienė-Žaltė will present an review of the 13th Kaunas Biennial “Once Upon Another Time… gyveno jie jau kitaip” which reflects on current global situations by exploring stories of human resilience and adaptation. The exhibition investigates myths and fictions associated with transformation, as well as lived personal and communal tales of survival.The sharing of stories enables humans to connect with each other. Stories convey multiple meanings and perspectives rooted in diverse worldviews and can also link the present to the past, as well as to the future.

The lectur is open to everyone. 

Monika Žaltauskaitė Grašienė-Žaltė is invited by the Textile Design Department of EKA. 

Monika Žaltauskaitė Grašienė-Žaltė Lecture: „Pixel generation: individual artistic(al) view in Digital Jaquard weaving and collaborations“ 

09.02.2022, 4–5.30 PM in auditorium A501 

Artist,  Assoc. Prof. VAA Kaunas Faculty Monika Žaltauskaitė Grašienė Žaltė will introduce Textile Department student works and  herself as an artist of the jacquard weaving technology in the context of contemporary art field: the technical one (knowledge how to do this) and the conceptual one (using possibilities providedby the technique to create the desired effect of the work). 

“Textiles have an incredible ability to be alive. What I mean by this is how it communicates a sense of substance, which is intimate to every human being. A fabric can hold both physical (heat, cold, protection) and rational (recall, memory) features. Each of us uses textile everyday in one way or another. Therefore, it is a common material that allows us to combine multiple experiences, collaborations and to understand the individual person.” 

The lectur is open to everyone. 

Monika Žaltauskaitė Grašienė-Žaltė is invited by the Textile Design Department of EKA.

Architects-critics Andres Sevtšuk and Lily Song from the USA will take part in the mid-term evaluation of the 5th year master’s projects. They create public discussion, giving feedback on the work and criticizing it.

The mid-term open evaluation of masters projects will take place in room A-501
Mon, December 20 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Tue, Dec. 21 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

We do ask you to carry your COVID vaccination certificate or proof of having had COVID and cover your nose and mouth with a mask. Academy students are subject to the usual in-house rules.

Andres Sevtšuk is an Associate Professor of Urban Science and Planning at MIT, where he also leads the City Form Lab. He was previously an Associate Professor of Urban Planning and Design at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and has worked as an urban planner, designer and researcher in Estonia, France, Singapore, Indonesia and the USA.

Lily Song is an urban planner and scholar activist whose research, teaching and practice seek to accomplish infrastructure based mobilisations and experiments led by frontline communities and organisers in American cities and other decolonising contexts. She currently serves as Assistant Professor of Race and Social Justice in the Built Environment at Northeastern University.

The season of open lectures is supported by the Estonian Cultural Endowment.

EKA Interaction Design MA programme invites prospective Master’s students to join the online info session on Monday, January 24, 2022 at 17:00 (Tallinn time, GMT+2).

The info session 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.

Registration is now closed.

Recording of the info session available here.

More information about the Interaction Design MA (IxD.ma) programme:

• https://www.ixd.ma
• https://www.artun.ee/ixd
• https://www.facebook.com/IxD.ma
• Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/977797089758108

Admissions period starts on the 1st of February 2022 and application deadline is 1st of March 2022.

https://artun.ee/admissions

At the last GD Lunch of this semester Graphic Design MA 1st year students will talk about their work and projects so far. GD Lunch is on Monday, 29 November at 4PM on Zoom. Please join us here: https://zoom.us/j/97416773771

Presentations by Carlo Canún (MX), Rita Davis (BR), Mark Foss (US), Michael Fowler (CA), Oliver Long (UK), Alexandra Margetic (AU), Gréta Þorkelsdóttir (IS), Patrick Zavadskis (EE), and Miriam Humm (DE).

Presentations will be in English. Everyone is welcome to join!

Within the framework of the Open Lectures Series of the Department of Architecture and Urban Design of EKA, architect David Sim will take the stage in the hall of EKA on 2nd December at 6 pm with lecture “Soft City”.

This fall, all the lectures in the series revolve around the issue of health in one way or another. We have already looked at whether architecture as a process can be therapeutic or in its own way improve the person in the room, as well as whether and how architects can contribute to the healing of the construction world or improve the environment around us.

On 2nd December, David Sim will give a lecture at EKA, in which he will look at the main issues of his book “Soft City” – now also available in Estonian – from the perspective of health. In the book, Sim addresses today’s biggest challenges – how to ensure and improve the quality of life of people in a growing city, in the context of the climate change and the digital society through creating a quality living environment. We’ll be talking about Scandinavian human-centered and human-dimensioned urban planning, which aims to support a local, functional and sustainable – healthy – living environment. Sims addresses in parallel both social, spatial and environmental issues, juxtaposing theory and ideals with real-world examples and solutions from existing environments around the world. Listeners and readers do not need to have prior knowledge of urban planning, but on the other hand, this book makes for an effective tool for professionals dealing with the design of the built environment at different levels. Both Thursday’s lecture and the book are particularly timely because of climate change issues, offering modern solutions to make the urban environment more resilient and at the same time serving the community and people: everyday urban lives in our climate can still offer pleasure, health and joy.

NB! The lecture is preceded by public book presentation at 5 pm at EKA cafe lobby.

David Sim worked for Ralph Erskine in Sweden for many years and moved on to Jan Gehl’s architecture office in Denmark, where he also worked as a partner for many years and where the book “Soft City” was born. David Sim believes that creating a good city is like organizing a great party; the author takes a simple, humane and apt approach to complex topics.

In order to minimize the risk of the virus spreading, we will broadcast the lecture on EKA TV and it can be viewed along with all previous lectures at www.avatudloengud.ee as well as the faculty’s Youtube channel. The lecture can also be attended in-person – we do ask you to carry your COVID vaccination certificate or proof of having had COVID and cover your nose and mouth with a mask. Academy students are subject to the usual in-house rules. NB! You can’t ask questions via EKA TV, so it’s worth coming to the hall to participate in the discussion! The lecture is free and in English.

Curators: Sille Pihlak and Johan Tali.

The season of open lectures is supported by the Estonian Cultural Endowment.