05.05.–15.05.2005
Project in public space

Trichtlinnburg Tallinn
Een Affeire Met De Stadt / Linnajuhtum / Ein städtisches Abenteuer / An Urban Affair A Project in the Public Space of Tallinn

Tallinn:
May 5 – May 15, 2005

The Tallinn project interprets and deals with the city’s historical heritage and authentic local environment while taking into account the aspects and conditions of the binary oppositions of preservation/development and mass tourism. Art projects and publications enter into dialogue with the public and consider possibilities of local life and connections between art and city environment. They pose questions on the relations between the subject and the other and expand on the position of art in society at large and in public space.
Our heritage is expressed and passed on in the form of products, performances and services offered to visitors and tourists. Local inhabitants and tourists can have a quite different attitude to and understanding of these products. What locals may consider an instance of their heritage can be less than attractive to the visitor. Places that carry meaning to citizens of Tallinn are silently but decidedly turned into supermarkets or parking space.
The city does not affect the market, on the contrary, the market shapes the city. The enormous expansion of the tourist industry manifests itself in the number of new hotels, alcohol shops, casinos and souvenir shops that are labelled ”national handicraft“ (and that have little to do with genuine Estonian handicraft). The old town of Tallinn is sold as a theme park. What is the price we have to pay? The events in Tallinn can be divided into three groups: * Hobusepea Gallery (Hobusepea St. 2) will be turned into an ”Observer of Tallinn“ that host a film programme, screening feature and documentary films, artists’ videos and children’s films on Tallinn, a photo exhibition and a display with authentic Estonian artefacts. * Several art projects will be organized in Tallinn’s tourist places – the Town Hall Square, shopping centres and Kopli.
The project reaches beyond the medieval city of Tallinn as well: special walks to Kalamaja, Lasnamägi or Paljassaare are organized.
A publication entitled Tallinn Practices will become available, it contains textual and visual works on Tallinn by cultural people from Estonia and abroad. The programme in Tallinn is organized by the Center for Contemporary Arts, Estonia.

Participating Artists Tallinn City Space Silja Saarepuu and Villu Plink, Kaarel Kurismaa, Mari Sobolev, Jüri Ojaver, Eriks Boris, August Künnapu and Jasper Zoova, Students of Interdisciplinary Department of Estonian Academy of Arts. The exact schedule of events – listing names, dates and places – can be accessed at: www.cca.ee