art installation – TAD tooo much

Well, judging by that title you must think i’m gonna talk about a creepy slasher film type story about set in a forest. You are probably picturing masked men and and the rustling of leaves. Well no, this isn’t a horror tale. It is about a beautiful installation I recently came across.

Forest megaphones, Estonia

In most cases architecture is seen and not heard. This is just sad, considering the most memorable of spaces are those that heighten more than just our optical sense.

To me, experience is a major part of architecture and this right here is a perfect example of architecture’s acoustic ability.

This is an installation of three literally giant megaphones designed by students in Estonia to amplify the sounds of the forest.

The installation is featured in Estonia’s Pähni Nature Centre, known for its study trails and using the forest as its “outdoor classroom.” Student Birgit Õigus designed the piece along with her classmates as a part of the Estonian Academy of Arts.

This installation is called Ruup. It invites you to read forest sounds and offers hikers and wanderers a possibility to rest their feet and their minds. Here, you can sit, sleep, think and listen. You can select between a small and a large view, depending on which direction you look in the Ruup. It is an open library with only one book – the nature.

These conical shapes provide a platform for outdoor classrooms, small-scale cultural events and concerts. You can actually do just about anything. You are only limited to your imagination.

These ‘bandstands’ vary in size and form but, at 3m diameter, they are the perfect size to climb into. Imagine being a musician and even playing there.

Visitors that come here are found lounging inside these megaphones, listening to the sounds of the forest.

51% of Estonia is covered with forests and according to author Valdur Mikita, ‘Estonian culture is intertwined and imbued with forests’. This sure makes one feel like visiting this place.

Talk about giving Mother Nature a megaphone.

Ciao,

A from TAD

Umbrellas. I find umbrellas to be the most dreadfully annoying things. Sure they protect you from the rain and sun…But as they say, an open umbrella is a closed beautiful sky….

I mean, that lanky steel contraption always ends up jamming my fingers when I open it… And don’t even get me started on closing it. It seems to just mysteriously suck all the energy in the air around with it in a sinister boom…

Am i the only person who can never get the dang thing opened? Maybe I really wouldn’t have minded much if I had Mary Poppins umbrella.

Apart from not letting us enjoy the rain, umbrellas might actually have a few good uses.

They make some pretty incredible art installations! The yellow tree art is ‘Bloom’ by Sam Spencer.

They make a great prop for a photograph and also appear to be a great prop for romance. Mind you, I don’t think the couple back there is just posing 😉

You can always use them as interior decor hanging from the ceiling. Be it in a chic restaurant or a dainty vintage tea party, umbrellas are just the thing. Parasols too of course.