TAKKK symposium
Interruption. Appearance and disappearance of man-made landscapes
Tammiku & Kohila
25.07. - 31.07.2021
The TAKKK Environmental Art Symposium introduces the possibilities and ability of environmental art to describe the relationship between the human and the environment.
During the symposium Estonian, Italian and US artists will create works inspired by the former industrial buildings and other man-made structures of the Kohila and Tammiku area.
Their installations will be exhibited in local industrial landscapes that require marking and attention.
The TAKKK Environmental Art Symposium provides the audience with an opportunity to (re)learn, (re)remember and value the history of the region, and participate in the revitalization of the former industrial landscapes.
On 28th of July there will be a moderated discussion led by invited environmental specialists, participating artists will be involved too. Topics will include environmental awareness and sensitivity in art, arts ability to change paradigms in relation to living environments, possible solutions to the problematic connections, channels of influence, between man and nature as well about the future.
Do abandoned places remember people?
There is nothing eternal in this world. All life is in constant motion, at the mercy of life and death. This also applies to man-made landscapes and sites as well as layers of relationships and memories attached to them. Once centers of life, areas of cultural and environmetal value, production buildings, meeting points and road networks – everything disconnects, fades away, is forgotten and grown over after a certain number of breaths in history. Memories and (sites of) memory keep on flickering for a moment like halos of stellar explosions before dying away. Name is the last to disappear.
Curator Elo Liiv
Artists
Art and Sustainability:The Responsibility of the ARTist?
TAKKK and Kohila Symposium artists discussion
Merle
Karro-Kalberg
EST
Landscape architect
Merle Karro-Kalberg is a landscape architect, architectural editor of the cultural newspaper Sirp and a certified journalist.
Together with landscape architects Anna-Liisa Und and Karin Bachmann, she is leading the project “Curated Biodiversity” in Tartu, the aim of which is to bring more life to the parks of Tartu city center. This is both in terms of biodiversity and in terms of creating more opportunities for city dwellers.
With Anna-Liisa and Karin, Merle has curated exhibitions, published the landscape architecture magazine "Õu" and twice been a guest editor for the architecture magazine "Maja".
Together with Heiki Kalberg and Tanel Breed, he has done reconstruction projects for Tallinn's Kase Park and Pae Promenade.
"WHY SHOULD BIODIVERSITY MATTER TO US?
In the presentation, landscape architect and journalist Merle Karro-Kalberg talks about plants and animals and why humanity needs them. She also offers ideas on how to bring more insects, plants and animals to cities.
That's enough
Hard
EST
Potter
Külli Kõiv graduated from the ceramics department of Tallinn University of Arts (EKA).
As a founding member of the company Asuurkeraamika, Külli's creative path is closely intertwined with this creative group.
In this creative group, she developed her characteristic meditative strip technique where tightly intertwined clay strips form a sculptural form - sometimes abstract, sometimes narrative. Her clay creations and other activities are twisted in a complementary and enriching way like clay strips in her works, forming her unique pattern, where every detail is crucial in the means of the whole.
The 14 years of activities in the organizing team of the Kohila Symposium means to her a lot.
"WOOD-FIRING: THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE ASHES"
Wood-firing ceramics nourish the artist's soul: here meet the cooperation and joint effort, time-consuming work, the material, therapeutic effect of activity on the artist and coincidence that determines the result - a work of art with a unique flame language. As we use a significant amount of wood for wood-firing, forest regeneration and biodiversity are very important for us. This year, at the Kohila Symposium, we will pay special attention to reducing our ecological footprint and plan various activities to support the environment. We aim to turn the attention of the artists dealing with wood-firing ceramics to the sustainability of the field.
Siim
Preiman
EST
Contemporary art agent and curator
Siim Preiman is a contemporary art agent and a curator at Tallinn Art Hall who also operates the mobile art platform galerii galerii.
His curatorial projects explore the possible role that art can play in resisting global powers, focusing on the ethics of making art and on micro-narratives circulating in society.
He studied Art History at the Estonian Academy of Art.
Preiman’s latest curatorial projects include galerii galerii presents: a concise anthology of mobile art platforms at 1st March Gallery, Tallinn (2021), Memory Palace by Maria Valdma at Tallinn City Gallery (2021) and Endless Story by Mihkel Ilus and Paul Kuimet at Tallinn Art Hall (2020).
"WHAT DOES ART WEIGHT?"
Although tackling the ecological, social, and economic components of the amorphous global crisis is common in art, artworks and exhibitions often don’t direct attention towards their role in the ruinous sequence of events. While the value of each artwork or event cannot be judged based on its ecological footprint alone nor indeed on its social impact, we can still judge the ethical balance between the form and content of a single artwork. In his presentation, curator Siim Preiman will share experiences in curating near-zero waste exhibitions on an institutional level.
Places
Kohila
This place could be considered as the paper capital of Estonia as paper was produced here for almost 100 years. Today, the paper mill is no longer operational. The abandoned industrial buildings now offer an opportunity to re-discover the historic environment.
Kohila Paper Factory
Founded more than 120 years ago, the paper mill has been the heart of Kohila for a century. The factory produced various papers: three-colour wrapping paper, coloured caramel and album paper, wallpaper paper, several types of printing paper, butter paper, blue and white sugar paper, cigarette paper, coloured thread roll and tea paper, writing paper, booklets, coloured covers, etc.
The factory took good care of its employees by building a doctor's office, a telegraph station and a kindergarten. The workers also received a plot of land to maintain gardens and build animal sheds. There was also a laundry room and a laundry shed in community use. In 1910, the factory's new chimney was completed, which became a symbol of Kohila. In the paper factory, many generations were working until the mill was closed in 1999.
Work to be exhibited:
"YEARS OF PAPER" Elena Redaelli / Italia
Railway bridge of Kohila Paper Factory
Wonderful views to the embankment on Keila River as well as the beautiful pool of water next to the former manor park open from the bridge. You can observe ducks and mergansers, in winter even kingfishers, and the roaring water of karst during high water.
Work to be exhibited:
"INSECTA & AVES"
Michele Seffino / Austria
Tammiku
TAKKK ART CENTRE
Tammiku manor
Tammiku manor and its surroundings (in Kose parish). The area is historically multi-layered and exceptional in terms of natural diversity. Wild nature, manor ruins, the Soviet era and modern times meet here. It is a place where the landscape provides various thoughts about the relationship between humans and nature.
Tammiku manor separated from Tuhala manor in 1600. The main building of the manor was burnt down during the unrest of the1905 Russian Revolution. The owner of the manor rebuilt the manor house and rented out the land as well as the buildings. During the Soviet time the manor was used as living quarters, housing two apartments. The house was left empty in the end on 1950s and fell apart very fast. Only the ruins of the perimeter of the manor remain until today.
In the stone granary there used to be the kitchen of the manor. During the Soviet time the territory was occupied by the forest management district and the granary was used to store the technical equipment of the forest district. There is a well preserved basement in the building. The walls are in danger of collapse.
Work to be exhibited:
"UNDERGROUND BLOOM"
Samuelle Green / United States
Stone fence of Tammiku manor
The stone fence created more than 100 years ago differs from the landscape seldomly. Time has ravaged and nature has embraced it. According to the local folklore, the supervisor of the Tammiku manor was buried on the western side of the fence. Evi who worked during the Soviet era in the Tammiku dairy factory shared the story with us.
Work to be exhibited:
"PORTRAIT OF A HUMAN BEING AS A BUG HOTEL" Uku Sepsivart / Estonia
Special thanks to:
Contact
Tammiku manor, Tammiku, 75119, Harju County
Alide Zvorovski / TAKKK Art Center
Email: tammiku.kunstikeskus@gmail.com | Phone: +372 516 4233