Students Andrijana Vansevičiūtė, Mariia Chudna, Siiri-Liis Huttunen, Paolo Zacchigna, Birkan Argün. Mentor. Oksana Denisenko.
Case study description by Any Soojärv:
- Metal ornament depicting an electric spark, formerly on the facade of the power plant in Auvere, North-Eastern Estonia
- Approximately from the 1970-1980s
- Author currently unknown
- Ornament was originally assembled of several details and mounted to the facade using two identical metal frameworks (both ca 3 x 4 m)
Ornament in 2012, still attached. EVM F 455:898
Background:
With the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Soviet heritage fell under scrutiny in Estonia. The metal spark was removed from the facade of the Auvere power plant for it allegedly resembled a Soviet red star.
Fortunately the metal ornament was dismounted carefully and stored on the premises of the power plant.
Cultural significance:
The ornament belongs to the genre of monumental-decorative art that was a significant part of the post-war modernist architecture in Soviet Estonia. The local genre of monumental-decorative art encapsulates the versatile approach of local artists to whom the genre offered not only an income but an opportunity to practise ideas outside the more rigid scene of studio art. Consisting of pieces that were created to fulfil mostly decorative purposes, of those of genuine artistic merit and of everything in between, the significance of the genre of monumental-decorative art is not purely an artistic phenomena, it carries cross-disciplinary values.
Art historian Gregor Taul:
“To some extent, monumental-decorative art embodied state power as it represented ideological hierarchy and stated who had the right to ‘semiotise’ the reality.On the other hand, artists involved in producing monumental-decorative art could also distance themselves from the state power and instead focus on the aesthetic and architectural details. Plenty of these artists were directly connected to the slightly critical art scene, with some conveying critical messages about Soviet rule. However, in most cases, the official commissioners themselves managed to rid public art of direct ideological imperatives and turned the broad opportunities to the artists’ advantage. Therefore, the division between the official policies of the synthesis and the subjective and transgressive aspects of Soviet material culture was far from straightforward.” (Taul 2024: 15)
Outcome:
The case study will be examining the possibilities to piece the ornament together, as well as the process of coordinating the necessary steps with different parties in order to find a new location for the reassembled ornament.
Metal ornament in spring 2024:
Framework and details:
Student’s proposal:
