Siberian Childhood Art Program (2019)
Siberian Childhood art program was organised in Estonia by the artist group SLED to commemorate 70 years from the Soviet deportation of 1949. During 25.03-14.06.2019 there were installations, happenings and exhibitions taking place in 16 different railway stations across the country, marking the locations where the deporting trains left to Siberia from. As one of the founding members of SLED I was working closely with the whole project. Below are 4 projects I created art work for during the program at the Rakvere, Kehra, Tapa and Veriora train stations.
Web page for the project
Web page for the artist group
Web page for the project
Web page for the artist group
Rakvere Station - Recycled Stories
Some examples of the titles: a rusty candy box, meat mincer machine, a photo studio without electricity, skis made out of garden fence, eggs made out of chalk, hygienic pad, window with ice glasses, skirt made out of grain sack.
Rakvere train station is currently working as a second hand store, which is why the work had to be site-specific. I decided to rent two spots for the whole durance of the art program to display the project there. Many of the stories told by deportees mention objects and crafty constructs that played a key role in facilitating the life back then. These object-related stories help to understand the different time and happenings that took place 60-70 years ago.
I chose some of the most significant stories and printed them on blank T-shirts and tote bags. One could just browse through the work or participate in spreading the stories by buying the items. The pieces had the title on front side and story on the opposite one. This way stories became more accessible and could move around in the world independently.
I chose some of the most significant stories and printed them on blank T-shirts and tote bags. One could just browse through the work or participate in spreading the stories by buying the items. The pieces had the title on front side and story on the opposite one. This way stories became more accessible and could move around in the world independently.
Kehra Station - Lost Villages
Lugovskaya village: a collage photo of the documentation of the village spot from 1950s and nowadays in 2018. On the right: legend of the houses in the village next to it. This is where also members of my family used to live for 7 years. Many of these kind of villages are now long gone and only a few signs can be found in the landscape that are back from 1950s.
1: During the field trip to Siberia I was searching for a place in Tsentralnaya village, where a group photo of Estonians had been taken (that included my grandmother in it). Having found the location I took photos of it and some small rocks from the same place. I decided to show them as relics together with the original photo and another collage photo where one of the most recognisable edges of the rock has been replaced with the photo of how the rock looks nowadays.
2: Laine, one of the inhabitants of Lugovskaya village. The photo projected on top of her is of her as a teenager with her parents by the river of Syda.
3: exhibition view in the Kehra museum
2: Laine, one of the inhabitants of Lugovskaya village. The photo projected on top of her is of her as a teenager with her parents by the river of Syda.
3: exhibition view in the Kehra museum
Tapa - Memory Lines
Tapa is one of the few railway stations in Estonia where there is no monument for the Soviet deportation of 1949. That inspired me to create a project for which I asked the deportees themselves to come up with an idea for the monument and let their descendants to figure out the visual form for it.
As Tapa train station building is long and the trains depart from both sides I decided to attach the ideas as posters on both sides, so the trespassers and train travellers could read them and see the sketches made.
As Tapa train station building is long and the trains depart from both sides I decided to attach the ideas as posters on both sides, so the trespassers and train travellers could read them and see the sketches made.
Veriora - Flower Power
Flower Power was a textile graffiti on the windows of the Veriora station. It was inspired by the embroidery of the deported women, which helped to survive in difficult conditions both in material terms and to keep the inner feeling of home. All the motifs are from the textiles that were taken along or made in Siberia. The flowers were made by different people, whose families were also influenced by the event.