Tallinn created urban art map application
The result of more than a year’s worth of mapping urban art pieces in Tallinn is a user-friendly map application. It compiles an overview of art pieces in Tallinn’s public spaces, including installations, sculptures, monuments, monumental paintings and street art.
Tallinn’s Deputy Mayor Kaarel Oja said that the urban art map application could be interesting for both denizens and visitors to the city to use, as well as a tool for art professionals and educators. “People have been yearning for a complete overview of the artwork located around Tallinn,” said Oja. “And many people will make exciting discoveries using it. From the city’s perspective, it’s also an important tool for further development, allowing us to have a better system to take care of our monuments, improve access to them and develop the city space around them to make them effective. As well as for planning out upcoming artwork.”
Conservationist Anu Soojärv said that collecting data for the mapping project and translating it to text had provided a valuable overview of the art in Tallinn’s public spaces. “We notice sculptures and monuments in parks, green spaces and around the city,” says Soojärv. “There seems to be plenty of them. Walking around other European cities, you’ll realise that the amount of art in Tallinn’s public spaces is actually quite moderate. There’s still room for new pieces, creators and approaches.”
The first step to creating the database was collecting all art made before 2000. After that, they collected pieces from the 21st century. Work is continuing on the English version of the application. Another goal is to add the most important temporary artworks that can’t be viewed anymore. The database is constantly being updated.
The database creates a foundation to help create a vision for urban art and prioritise activities. That way the city can make more informed decisions. The collected data helps create principles to improve the existing art pieces in the city. This includes prioritising restorations, lighting, improving access in the field and creating clearer principles for future urban art pieces and their formats. In addition, the application has references to both the National Registry of Cultural Monument and the Google map application.
Tallinn Strategic Management Office’s Spatial Planning and Design Department is the leader of the project. Conservationist Anu Soojärv took stock of the art pieces; photographer Martin Siplane was responsible for the photo documentation; Platvorm and StuudioStuudio were web development and graphic design partners for the program.
The project follows Tallinn’s principles for urban art pieces and Tallinn 2035 development strategy. Suggestions for additions to the urban art pieces database can be submitted to the Urban Art Curator Kati Ots, kati.ots@tallinnlv.ee.