Our journey began in a mini-bus from Tallinn in the early hours of October 25th, and staying true to the name of the trip, we spent the next three days travelling diagonally through Estonia – from the eastern border and Ida-Virumaa to the Latvian border and Valgamaa.
We learned about Estonia’s mining history as well as the environmental and health issues in the oil shale fields of Ida-Viru. We explored the remnants of the Soviet past, the emptiness and nature reclaiming its terrain in the abandoned towns of Viivikonna and Sirgala. We saw the once-closed city of Sillamäe, learned about different realities and life on an ever-important border (and (n)art in action) in Narva, and discovered what connected border towns look like in Valga-Valka. We witnessed the shrinking cities and abandoned Soviet-era factories in the vastness of nature next to Lake Peipus. We understood the meaning of coming together as a group in the beauty of a secluded sauna and dip session, nestled between the magical hills and forests of Otepää. As the whole studio focuses on urbanisation processes, our diagonal trip also highlights how the Estonian capital remains detached from the rest of the country, as capitals usually tend to be. We understood how much the topics that are shaping whole Estonia come together on Paljassaare and get very visible there.
© Anna Böhmová, © Paula Fischer, © Melissa Lee