On Mother's Day, a dystopian art installation will be unveiled in Tõravere

On May 12 at 15:00, a site-specific installation by artist Karel Koplimets will be opened at the Tartu Observatory in Tõravere. The opening will take place in collaboration with the literature festival Prima Vista, which in 2024 carries the theme "Better and Worse Futures", and within this framework, the installation by Koplimets will engage in dialogue with the writer Urmas Vadi. The event is part of the project "ArCo³ – Artists in Collections, Communities, and Collectives" belonging to the Tartu2024 European Capital of Culture program, and transportation will be provided to and from Tartu by an art bus.

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Estonia’s own space centre and legendary community of scientists: this is the Observatory of the University of Tartu in Tõravere! Completed in 1964, this place is an enchanting combination of cutting-edge science, green nature and infrastructure which looks mysterious to the untrained eye: besides the main building, the landscape is full of telescope towers and other objects. Walking between them, visitors will find themselves in a unique environment, but this year they can also investigate one of the towers more closely.

Artist Karel Koplimets took an artistic residency at the observatory in 2023, conversing with the scientists working there and getting acquainted with the everyday life on this scientific “campus”. These experiences and above all the cosmic architecture of Tõravere led to a site-specific spatial installation, which encompasses one whole telescope tower. The installation explores dystopian future scenarios in light of climate change, and the surprising ways in which humanity tries to survive in difficult conditions. Will the same socially accepted ethical rules and values apply in the future, and what is the role of the individual in protecting our planet?

Opening event on Sunday, 12 May:

14:00 – Bus departs from the front parking lot of Vanemuine Theatre in Tartu (pre-registration required)

15:00 – Opening of the installation and a conversation with artist Karel Koplimets

16:30 – Performance by Urmas Vadi, writer of the day of Prima Vista festival

17:00 – Guided tour of the observatory park with space technology expert Aditya Savio Paul and hostess Marja-Liisa Plats that will include a visit to the telescope tower with astrophysicists Veronika Mitrokhina and Alexandra Lehtmets and a visit to the Space Mission Simulation Center, aka Space Bunker. In addition to the guided tour there is also the possibility to access discovery trails on your mobile device (more info: https://seiklus.avastusrada.ee/k/kosmos_ut) and discover the surroundings at your own pace.

18:30 – Bus returns to Tartu

Should the weather be favorable, feel free to bring a picnic basket!

The ART BUS will depart from Tartu on 12 May at 14:00 from the front parking lot of Vanemuine Theatre and will return to the starting point at 19:00. The round-trip fare is 5 euros payable in cash on site (children under 10 are free). To reserve a seat, please PRE-REGISTER by 3 May at marytalvistu@gmail.com.

Join the Facebook event.

ArCo³ is part of the main program of the European Capital of Culture Tartu 2024

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