Open Lectures

We invite you to a panel discussion inspired by the article “From Past to Present: The Journey of Technological Theatre” by R. Kelomees, T. Jansen, and P. Hoppu. The article discusses how technological innovation has been essential in developing theater and the visual arts since the “beginning of time.” Moderated by digital theater researcher Katie Hawthorne, the event promises to be an engaging discussion about the potential and shortcomings of digital technologies in the contemporary world and how this might affect theater and contemporary art more extensively. A moderated panel discussion will follow short presentations by Raivo Kelomees, Taavet Jansen and Liina Keevallik.

This mini-conference is part of the project Acute, Culture Testbeds for Performing Arts and New Technology, which focuses on the development of performing arts and new technologies and is also part of the satellite program of the New European Bauhaus Festival.  Together, we will rethink the role of theater and art in our shared space, discuss how technology and art can connect people in these challenging times, and question the important issues that surround us.

The event take place at Estonian Academy of Arts on April 19th at 4pm(EET), room A101 and will be livestreamed in EKA Youtube.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EYJ93CEUaw

 

SPEAKERS

Taavet Jansen is an artist and researcher at the intersection of performing arts and technology. He has a rich background in theatre, creative coding, digital arts, and teaching. Taavet studied at Tallinn University and completed a Master’s in Choreography and New Media at the Theater School in Amsterdam. He is a doctoral student at the Estonian Academy of Arts in Art and Design and a multimedia lecturer at the University of Tartu Viljandi Cultural Academy.  In recent years, Taavet has focused on digitally mediated performance art as a researcher and creator. He is one of the founders of the interdisciplinary art platform e⁻lektron and the technological art network MIMproject. As a researcher, he has been involved as PI in research projects such as “INDEX—Reconnecting the digital audience with the creative team in the online events” and “Online theatre as a research tool,” both of which focus on online theatre through the development of interaction tools that allow real-time audience feedback. His creative work spans a range of theatrical performances, installations, and media design projects where he has been blending his artistic expression with technological innovations. Recent works include “Held in Human,” “Memento,” and “Wolves,” all of which explore interactive digital performances. Taavet’s academic publications explore the confluence of technology and the performing arts, underscoring his commitment to advancing the field through research and interdisciplinary collaboration. Taavet Jansen’s career embodies a dedication to enhancing the performing arts through technological innovation and research to understand and improve audience engagement in digital spaces. 

 

Raivo Kelomees, PhD (art history), is an artist, art historian and new media researcher. He
studied psychology, art history and design in Tartu University and the Academy of Arts in
Tallinn. He is senior researcher at the Fine Arts Faculty at the Estonian Academy of Arts and
professor at the Pallas University of Applied Sciences. Kelomees is author of Surrealism
(Kunst Publishers, 1993) and article collections Screen as a Membrane (Tartu Art College
proceedings, 2007) and Social Games in Art Space (EAA, 2013). His doctoral thesis is
Postmateriality in Art. Indeterministic Art Practices and Non-Material Art (Dissertationes
Academiae Artium Estoniae 3, 2009). Together with Chris Hales he edited the collection of
articles Constructing Narrative in Interactive Documentaries (Cambridge Scholars
Publishing, 2014). In collaboration with Varvara Guljajeva and Oliver Laas he edited the
collection of articles The Meaning of Creativity in the Age of AI (EKA Press, 2022).

Katie Hawthorne is a researcher based in Scotland. She is an alumna of the Academy for Theatre and Digitality’s fellowship programme and became a member of staff at the Academy in 2022, with a role focussed on the documentation and dissemination of research. Katie is the author of the first cross-European study Digital Theatre: Digital Strategies and Business Models in European Theatre (2023), commissioned by the European Theatre Convention and first presented at the European Theatre Forum in Opole, Poland. The study drew on her Ph.D research, completed at the University of Edinburgh in 2022, which explored how ‘liveness’ in theatre and performance is evolving through the use of digital tools and technologies. She has given papers at a host of international conferences and institutions, including the IFTR in Shanghai and TaPRA in Exeter, and authored a chapter on the Berliner Theatertreffen in the Edinburgh German Yearbook in 2021. Katie is also an accomplished freelance journalist, and regularly contributes to publications including The Guardian and The Scotsman.

Liina Keevallik, PhD, has studied scenography at Estonian Academy of Arts and holds a PhD from the University Paris 8. She has done set and costume designs in Estonian theatres as well as abroad (France, Belgium, Spain, Norway, Lithuania), her works ranging from big operas to underground avant-garde. She has also written and directed visual performances. Her latest creations merging art and scientific research are Cloud Opera (2019), juxtaposing data clouds and atmospheric clouds; and It’s Time to Fight Reality Once More. Sentimental Education for Robots (2021), a play written by AI, performed and improvised by robots. She has also designed feature and puppet films and directed short films and documentaries; written texts for theatre, song lyrics and film scripts. She currently works as a freelance scenographer in Paris and Tallinn, pursues her research at BFM (University of Tallinn) and teaches scenography at Estonian Academy of Arts. She has participated in the international media archaeological research project Deceptive Arts (Les Arts Trompeurs); an artistic research project collaborating with AI Machine Acts and she has created the pre-cinema department of the Estonian Film Museum.

 

The Open Lecture series of the EKA Faculty of Architecture will take place in the spring of 2024 under the general title Unlearning.

 

The lecture series aims to engage with values, imaginaries and systems of knowledge that shape the contemporary fields of architecture and urbanism. Unlearning is coordinated by Maroš Krivý, professor of Urban Studies.

According to Gayatri Spivak, for example, unlearning concerns not only what is said, but also what is not said as part of an ideological formation. There is now a broad push to transform design from a practice subservient to elite interests to a comprehensive, interdisciplinary practice capable of responding to a range of social and environmental urgencies. As part of this transformation, the four lectures engage with existing architectural imaginaries while proposing alternative ones.

 

Jess Myers will be the first to take the stage on March 14 in the EKA hall with the lecture Sound and the Built Environment: Unlearning the Visual Regime

 

In her lecture, Myers will propose sound studies as a critical framework for urban and architectural analysis. Myers challenges architecture’s exclusive relationship with visual communication and proposes instead a practice of “listening.” Myers will make the case for architects’ ears, for how they can be attuned to the soundscapes of the built environment and how a practice of “listening” might impact the dynamics of power in shared and personal space.

 

Jess Myers is an urbanist and assistant professor of architecture at Syracuse University whose practice includes work as an editor, writer, podcaster, and curator. Her podcast Here There Be Dragons examines the impact of security narratives on urban planning through the eyes of city residents. She holds a BA in Architecture (Princeton University) and a Masters of City Planning (MIT). Her writing can be found in The Architect’s Newspaper, Log, l’Architecture d’Aujourd’hui, Avery Review, The Architectural Review, Places and Dwell.

 

The lectures are intended for all disciplines, not only for students and professionals in the field of architecture.

 

All lectures are held on Thursdays at 6 pm in the EKA main auditorium. All lectures are in English and free of charge.

 

Schedule of the spring lectures:

March 14 at 6 pm Jess Myers (architect, Syracuse University)

April 4 at 6 pm Oulimata Gueye (curator, Pariis)

April 18 at 6 pm Henriette Steiner (architectural historian, Copenhagen University)

May 2 at 6 pm Lara Almárcegui (artist, Rotterdam)

 

Within the framework of a series of open lectures, the Faculty of Architecture of EKA presents a dozen unique practitioners and valued theorists in the field in Tallinn every academic year. See all the lectures: www.avatudloengud.ee

 

The lecture series is supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia.

 

On March 4th and 5th, the PhD Vitamin event will once again be hosted at the Estonian Academy of Arts.

PhD Vitamin aims to support and pave the way – and inspire artists with a research approach on their way to doctoral studies. The goal is to introduce artistic research and advise potential candidates for postgraduate studies in planning a doctoral thesis project. In a program consisting of public lectures and one-on-one consultations, artists and experts discuss their approach to artistic research and share individual advice.

This year’s conference will focus on the problem of public space and its art. How can we decide what would be visible to all?

How do ethical challenges, the responsibility of the artist, historical and political issues and the authorship rights intertwine? What are the possibilities for artists to contribute to shaping past-present-future through the political aesthetics of public space? During the ongoing war in Ukraine, questions of what to do with the ‘red monuments’ left in the public space have come to the fore in Estonia. The debate is part of a global discourse that includes the Black Lives Matter movement. It touches on our social environment and tests our ability to ‘be good’.

Artists, designers, alumni of EKA and other creative universities, and graduate students interested in artistic research methods are invited to participate.

PROGRAMME

 

March 4th, Monday, room A501

10:00 -10:30  Coffee and welcome

10:30 -11:15  Victoria Fareld “Responsibility in a Polychronic Present”

11:15 -11:45  Kristina Norman “Looking Back at After-War (2009) During the War”

Lunch break

12:30-13:15 Esther Shalev-Gerz “From the Monument Against Fascism to The Shadow”

13:15-13:45 Gregor Taul “Monumental Trouble”

Coffee break 

14.00-14:45  Moderated discussion: Victoria Fareld, Esther Shalev-Gerz, Gregor Taul, Kristina Norman, moderator Kirke Kangro.

 

March 5th, Tuesday, room A501 

10:00-12:00 Individual consultations with Victoria Fareld and Esther Shalev-Gerz

 

SPEAKERS

 

Esther Shalev-Gerz, based in Paris, is internationally recognized for her seminal contributions to the field of art in the public realm and her consistent investigation into the construction of memory, history, the natural world, democracy and cultural identities. Her works challenge the notion and practice of portraiture and consider how its qualities may contribute to contemporary discourse about the politics of representation. Her monuments, installations, photography, video and public sculpture are developed through active dialogue, consultation and negotiation with people whose participation provides an emphasis to their individual and collective memories, accounts, opinions and experiences which then become both represented and considered.

Victoria Fareld is professor of intellectual history at Stockholm university in Sweden. Her research revolves around questions of historical guilt, responsibility and historical temporalities.

Gregor Taul is a lecturer, critic and curator. He has studied semiotics at Tartu University and art history at the Estonian Academy of Arts and is about to defend his PhD thesis on art in public space in the Baltics. He is currently working as a lecturer at the General Theory and Interior Architecture departments at EKA.

Kristina Norman, based in Tallinn, is an artist whose interdisciplinary work includes video installations, sculpture, and projects in the city space, as well as documentaries and performance. She is interested in the issues of collective memory and forgetting, the memorial uses of the public space, but also the subtle sphere of the body politics that transgresses the boundaries between the public and the private. In 2009 she represented Estonia at the 53rd International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia with a solo project, a multilayered mixed media installation After-War. The project was a study of a conflict around the relocation of a Soviet monument in Tallinn. In 2022 Norman represented Estonia at the 59th Venice Biennial within an ecocritical exhibition Orchidelirium. An Appetite For Abundance. Norman’s experimental film trilogy commissioned for the Pavilion, offers multiple ways to reflect on the legacies of colonialism from a specific Eastern European perspective.

The event will be held in English.

Please registrate through following LINK.

To participate in individual consultation to discuss your PhD proposal, please fill out the FORM. A detailed consultation schedule will be sent to your email after registration. Be quick – the number of participants in consultations is limited!

Additional info: kati.saarits@artun.ee

Open architecture lecture “Dumb Emancipatory Housing. Dumb Emancipatory City Planning”: Sebastian Bietenhader and Matthias Moroder / Büro Bietenhader Moroder

On January 12 at 6 pm in room A-400

The lecture is held in English, is free and open to all interested parties.

The open lecture will finish the “Dumb emancipatory housing Workshop” held by EASA (European Architecture Student Assembly) on January 8 – 12. The workshop at EKA is supported by Cultural Endowment of Estonia.

Sebastian Bietenhader and Matthias Moroder have been working together as Büro Bietenhader Moroder since 2015. Büro Bietenhader Moroder deals with copyness as a positive formal property of architecture, which makes it possible to work formally against the neoliberal architecture of differentiation, flexibilization and individualization. By simultaneously maximizing the formal relations of architectural settings to one another, which is conceptually defined as copyness, Büro Bietenhader Moroder opens up a re-reading of the formal characteristics of social housing of French and Russian revolutionary architecture and that of Red Vienna.

Cities are starting again to build housing as builder-owners to counter the suffocation of urban life through real-estate speculation. This new public housing needs its own architecture. However, the historical formal and aesthetic distinctions between public and free market housing have been lost, all housing mimics or is luxury housing.

In the search for an intrinsically public housing architecture Büro Bietenhader Moroder has discovered a totally overlooked formal quality of architecture: Maximalist intentional sameness, termed dumb copyness. Dumb copyness is fundamentally different than mere serial repetition. Instead, it relies on formal qualities that enhance the maximum sameness of rooms, flats, entire housing blocks or urban settings far beyond mere industrial or functionalist seriality.

Hereby methodological rigor is central. Through a rejection of creative ad-hoc-subversion, deviation on every level, – the ubiquitous demand for ‘smartness’ –, a methodical planning can be re-established that achieves a directness that is greatly and blatantly dumb.

Guided by this focus Büro Bietenhader Moroder seeks to rediscover and reclaim the historical forms and aesthetics of pre-WWII public housing, such as Russian revolutionary architecture and that built by Red Vienna from 1919 to 1934. In this period, we find specific formal articulations of a non-functionalist public housing architecture that is almost forgotten and that gives shape to a collective life that is affordable and emancipatory. Through this critical historical re-reading we are developing a design method for emancipatory housing that is so directly public, so clear and basic that it is dumb.

Sebastian Bietenhader and Matthias Moroder have been working together as Büro Bietenhader Moroder since 2015. Büro Bietenhader Moroder deals with copyness as a positive formal property of architecture, which makes it possible to work formally against the neoliberal architecture of differentiation, flexibilization and individualization. By simultaneously maximizing the formal relations of architectural settings to one another, which is conceptually defined as copyness, Büro Bietenhader Moroder opens up a re-reading of the formal characteristics of social housing of French and Russian revolutionary architecture and that of Red Vienna.

 

 

Sebastian Bietenhader studied architecture at the ETH Zurich (BSc.) and at the Harvard GSD, as well as history and philosophy of knowledge, also at the ETH Zurich (MSc.), where he did a thesis on the development of the computer modelling space, which will be essential for BIM. He headed the student discussion group “Ambitus”. He is a regular guest critic at the ETH and has been teaching architecture at various (non)- institutions.

Matthias Moroder studied architecture (AA Dipl.) at the Architectural Association in London, art history (BA) and philosophy (BA) at the University of Vienna and history and theory of architecture (MAS) at the ETH Zurich. Besides the work as Büro Bietenhader Moroder, since 2018 he is co-leading MAGAZIN, an independent exhibition space for architecture in Vienna. He is currently a PhD candidate at the department of art history of the University of Vienna and has been teaching architecture and architectural history and theory at various (non)- institutions. Matthias is also co-founder of the Vienna Architecture Summer School.

 

Open Lecture
 Blood-sweat-tears-love-animation

Animation at UMPRUM in Prague

Michaela Režová  

The Department of Animation and Film at the University of Art, Architecture and Design in Prague is the oldest in the Czech Republic, founded in 1951. The department has a rich history and is known for its exploration of formal intersections and experimentation with audiovisual works. In a lecture by Michaela Režová, a filmmaker and studio lecturer, the evolution of the studio’s history over the past 70 years will be discussed, along with the changes in teaching and curriculum. Režová, herself a graduate of the department, is known for her work in the animated documentary genre, with a focus on different forms within that genre. She has collaborated with Czech Radio and worked as a creative director on various projects, including a permanent exhibition at the National Museum in Prague. The lecture will be followed by the screening of short films.

 

Blood-sweat-tears-love-animation / Animation at UMPRUM in Prague
The Animation and Film Department at the Academy of Art, Architecture, and Design in Prague, established in 1951, holds the distinction of being the oldest in the Czech Republic. While it cherishes and builds upon traditions, the department actively explores formal crossovers and possibilities for experimenting with audiovisual works. Lecture will present 70 years and their transformations. How did the research of the studio’s history unfold? What have we discovered? And what does the teaching and curriculum look like today? This will be presented by Michaela Režová, a filmmaker and lecturer from the studio. In conclusion, a presentation of short films will follow.

 

bio

Michaela Režová is a filmmaker and director whose work primarily focuses on the genre of animated documentary and its various forms. In 2017, she graduated from UMPRUM with a specialization in animation and film. Her diploma project, the short film Chase (2017), brings to life the glory days of Czechoslovak hockey, exploring both its triumphs and darker moments. In 2018, she collaborated with Czech Radio on the film Gambler. Between 2020 and 2022, she was the curator for the exhibition ANIMATION 70 (celebrating the 70th anniversary of the animation studio at UMPRUM) and also she was the editor of a publication bearing the same name.
As a creative director, she worked on a 360° video for the permanent exhibition History of the 20th Century at the National Museum in Prague and on six films for the exhibition Design and Transformation: Stories of Czech Design 1990-2020. She stands behind the platform f-a-t.cz which works under the motto “From animators to animators” and brings content from animation world. Currently she is also a lecturer at UMPRUM.

 

Open Design Lecture: “Go Hack Yourself!” by Jordi Closa / Adidas Maker Lab

In the dynamic world of arts and design, where innovation is the heartbeat of progress, we often find ourselves facing complex challenges that demand fresh perspectives and out-of-the-box thinking. That’s where hacking steps in—a powerful and transformative problem-solving tool that can revolutionize the way we approach creativity, adaptability, and sustainable design.

With over two decades of experience as an influential product designer and a fervent advocate for hacking as a means of problem-solving, Jordi Closa has redefined what it means for him to create and innovate.

From his explorations in furniture, lighting, sports gear, and even food design, Jordi demonstrates a deep commitment to pushing the boundaries of conventionality. Drawing inspiration from the very ingredients that fuel our bodies and excite our senses, he has harnessed the transformative potential of materials in ways that captivate and leave an indelible mark on our experiences.

It is his passion for upcycling, his efforts to repurpose and reinvent materials and objects, that truly sets him apart. By extending the life of discarded products, Jordi boasts an unwavering commitment to diverting waste from landfills, protecting our precious oceans, and cultivating a more sustainable future.

Together, let us delve into the captivating realm of the Adidas MakerLab Network, a vibrant community of creatives, inventors, and problem solvers united by their insatiable curiosity and shared dedication to pushing the boundaries of design. Here, Jordi’s vision of hacking as a problem-solving tool has flourished. Through collaboration and experimentation, he has uncovered unique and thought-provoking solutions to even the most complex design challenges.

Let us embrace the power of hacking as a catalyst for creativity, innovation, and sustainable progress.

The lecture is in English and will be recorded for EKA TV. Everyone is welcome to join!

Morning Coffee: “From Numbers to Sneakers – Unconventional Design Story” by Thomas Ayme / Adidas Originals

Thomas Ayme is a French footwear color-and-material designer currently working at adidas Originals. However, his journey as a designer was not straightforward and began in a very different field.

After graduating in Mathematics, Economics, and Finance, Thomas joined Adidas, initiating his ten-year tenure at the brand as a business analyst. Realizing that analytics was not his true calling, he embarked on a journey toward becoming a footwear designer, navigating through multiple countries and jobs along the way. His unique background now informs his approach to design and has become one of his greatest assets.

Learn more about Thomas’ journey and his advice on how to reach your personal goals and ambition.

We invite everyone to the Narva Art Residency’s third open lecture that takes place next Thursday.

In autumn of 2023, international artists from the Narva Art Residency give three lectures at the Estonian Academy of Arts. The last lecture will be by two artists:

Elke Renate Steiner is a comics creator living and working in Berlin, Germany. She is creating comics and illustrations, drawing live at events and process documentations for communities. In Narva she will have workshops for adults with the aim of translating their experiences into comics.

Uwe Lützen is a swiss screenwriter based in Zurich and Berlin. During his residency he created a performance “28 questions (no answers needed)” about home, places, and identity.

They will talk about the practicalities of being a professional artist, what the daily life of an art residency is like, and how to get involved in the opportunities offered to artists. Of course, they will also introduce their own creative work.

The lecture is free of charge and open to all! It will be held in English.

We are delighted to invite you for a thought-provoking and inspiring lecture on “Embracing Purpose through Art and Design for a Future We Want.”

In an era marked by rapid change and global challenges, the role of art and design becomes increasingly crucial in shaping a future that aligns with our aspirations and values.

Mariana Amatullo (PhD) is Vice Provost and Academic Dean of Continuing and Professional Education (CPE) and Associate Professor of Strategic Design and Management at Parsons, The New School. Mariana publishes and lectures internationally about design and social innovation, serving on various executive, editorial, and advisory boards in design and the arts. Her latest publication, Design for Social Innovation: Case Studies from around the World (Routledge, 2021), presents an overview of the design field for social innovation through 45 global case studies. Her upcoming monograph positions design as a leadership capability for the 21st century.

Mariana has a twenty-year-long trajectory in senior executive administration positions in art and design education. She is an experienced strategist, award-winning educator, and practitioner-scholar. Mariana’s research and teaching bridge the art and design education and management disciplines and examine the role of a design attitude as a cognitive approach to social innovation and organizational learning. Initially trained as an art historian and curator, she has been a pioneer in developing the design for social innovation field, where she remains an active scholar globally. Before joining The New School in 2017, Mariana co-founded and was at the helm of the social impact award-winning program Designmatters at ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena.

Q&A session after the lecture is an opportunity for participants to seek insights directly from the expert.

We kindly ask you register here:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScZB4FDJKMc31UNTp30It-tszhsBl3DyzwA72zpzlnxfMN8Dw/viewform

Within the framework of the Open Lectures Series of the Department of Architecture and Urban Design of EKA, Birgitte Svarre will take the stage in the hall of EKA on 30th November at 6:15 pm with lecture “Public space / public life – an interaction – how to study and make room for it.” She talks about her work studying public life and creating space for it.

 

The lecture is preceded by public presentation of the book “How to Study Public Life” at 5:30 pm in EKA lobby.

 

Birgitte Svarre is the co-author of the book “How to Study Public Life”. She has a MA on Modern Culture, a PhD in Architecture and is CEO at BARK, Copenhagen, a consultancy focused on strategic development of places with a focus on both people and places. BARK is owned by the Building Heritage Foundation. Until 2022, Birgitte Svarre has been with Gehl Architects for more than 14 years consulting cities mainly in Northern Europe on human centered planning, public space and public life, including as head of Gehl’s Cities team. She is currently part of the advisory board for lively city centers for the Danish Foundation Realdania.

Architect Jan Gehl is an Adjunct Professor at the Aarhus School of Architecture, Professor (ret.) of Urban Design, The Royal Danish Academy and Founding Partner, Gehl Architects. In 1971 Jan Gehl published the seminal book Life Between Buildings launching a whole new thinking about the design and development of cities. Gehl’s first book and subsequent publications sparked a showdown with the car-centric cities and began mapping and describing people-friendly interventions in the infrastructure of cities. His books include Life Between Buildings, Public Spaces – Public Life, New City Spaces, New City Life, Cities for People.

 

The open lectures are intended for students and professionals of all disciplines, not just the field of architecture. All lectures take place in the large auditorium of EKA, are in English, free of charge and open to all interested parties. Be there!

 

Within the framework of a series of open lectures, the Department of Architecture and Urban Design of EKA brings to the audience in Tallinn every academic year about a dozen unique practitioners and valued theoreticians of the field. You can watch previous lectures from www.avatudloengud.ee

 

The lecture series is supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia.