Street I — Centenary Exhibition of the Estonian Association of Architects

Tänav I / Street I (2021)

The Curatorial Exhibition of the Estonian Association of Architects celebrating the 100th anniversary of the association was curated by Tõnis Savi and Raul Kalvo.

The street is a seemingly simple and understandable concept. Digging deeper one finds that the word carries a much broader field of meaning. The exhibition "Street I" scraped only the surface of the complex concept, opening the first chapter. The street is a place of tension where different interests collide - there is an interest of those passing through and the interest of those who want to linger. The street's character is determined by its location, cultural, social and business functions, and population. The exhibition covered the basics - found out what the street consists of and who contributes to its creation. Also, what factors hold back successful developments and which ones support them. More than 20 undisputed experts, in the form of storytelling video heads, talked about the invisible underground world, fencing pipes, fairy tales, parking policies and everything in between. In addition to the video footage, the exhibition offered two meaningful installations, the elements of which brought a little smirk to everyone's faces. "Street I" also entailed a photo series "Tunnel Vision [Liivalaia]" by Tõnu Tunnel, one of the leading architecture photographers in Estonia.

"Street space is a hot topic, both in the world and in Estonia. I believe that architects would have a chance to participate much more in the creation of street space if the notion of architecture was interpreted more widely." Andro Mänd, the President of the EAA

Photos: Tõnu Tunnel