18.03-03.04 A-Gallery
18.03-03.04 Hobusepea Gallery
18.03-01.04 Draakoni Gallery
If you have been holding the thought from somewhere in the 1960s or 70s that science will save the world, then you should know you are wrong. It will not. Quite the opposite - instead of science becoming the ultimate world conquering tool, we have understood through science how little we really know and what a disaster awaits us in the very near future. Despite the fact that the seemingly at reach solution keeps escaping us, science remains to be popular and well funded.
Why science and the applied arts? Probably because ideally both science and the applied arts have a practical nature. Also probably because of hope that science will help to treat objects in a more economic way, improve the production methods and reduce the production expenses and to introduce more universal ways of use. Because of hope that commodity items’ close connection to science will help to postpone the eco-disaster, will fix some scientific facts in our knowledge base and will keep personal space from overflowing with functionless junk. Over-digitalized and software-rich IT-active applied arts are doing the latter already.
Science will not save even design even though any visual material derived from science is a never-ending source of inspiration. This is not designing for science, but using the products of science for designing purposes: masking, intimating and camouflage. Countless shapes and forms can be drawn from scientific language indefinitely, of which only a fraction will keep their original content. The rest is based on pure analogy, generalisation and the appeal for credibility.
Design acts in that manner in the times of the modernist progress enthusiasm and cold war propaganda as well within as eschatological and fragmented postmodernist view of the world. Only during the former period it relies on science in true belief and during the latter period the connection is more of an act. In one case the innovation of thinking and technology is propagated to the widest audiences; in the other case - in the time of impenetrable digital age - science is used to remind us of our childhood and of the times of simpler innocent systems. In the first case a compact reliable whole is being built, in the other case the end-user is left alone with their ever-absorbing fears.
Participating artists: Eliisa Ehin, Leesi Erm, Jaan Evart, Helle Gans, Taevo Gans, Aadam Kaarma, Kerly Kaljuste, Anu Rajamäe, Raul Keller, Kärt Ojavee, Jaanus Orgussaar, Rudolf Pangsepp, Martin Pedanik, Julia-Maria Pihlak, Maiu Rõõmus, Peeter Talvistu, Riho Tiivel, Ruudi Treu, Maria Valdma, Tõnis Vint
Curated by: Anneli Porri, Pille-Triin Männik
Exhibition and catalogue design: Raul Keller
