Discover the history of Estonian design in Tallinn

Text Susanna Poikela
Photo Evert Palmets, ETDM, 2023

The entrance to the Estonian Museum of Applied Art and Design (ETDM) is hidden in a charming little courtyard leading from Lai Street in Tallinn’s old town. ETDM’s collections focus on Estonian art and design.

At the moment, there are two new temporary shows “Uneversum: Rhythms and Spaces” and “White and Painted. Riga Porcelain from 1950s—1960s” next to the permanent exhibitions open to the public.

The exhibition “Uneversum: Rhythms and Spaces” studies time and space for sleep. “The exhibition explores the fascinating relationship between experimental ideas and the everyday as they interact with sleeping spaces, environments, and time and timekeeping,” explains the exhibition’s curator Sandra Nuut. One of the works displayed the installation “Circadian Dreams” (2019) by designer Helga Schmid allows visitors to tune into the rhythms of their bodies by feeling the effects of sound and light. The installation was created as a response to our current crisis of time.

In the “White and Painted. Riga Porcelain from 1950s–1960s” exhibition a selection of twenty tableware sets is on display. “The exhibition offers insight into what defines Riga porcelain, its design, as well as into the characteristic features of the era and how they have changed over time,” describes Iliana Veinberga, the curator of the Riga Porcelain Museum. The exhibition is open until January 21, 2024.

The installation “Articulated Models” by Ott Metusala in the museum’s entrance and shop presents the designer’s artistic research into Kirsti Metusala’s work at Estoplast, a lighting factory in Soviet Estonia. The installation is on view through November 26.

The museum is open on Wednesdays from 11 am to 6 pm, on Thursdays from 11 am to 8 pm, and from Friday to Sunday from 11 am to 6 pm. A regular ticket costs 8 euros, a discounted ticket 4 euros and a family ticket 14 euros.

You can learn more about the museum and its exhibitions on the official EDTM website. 

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