Memorial, Tartu

Musical memorial

TARTU (EE) - Architect Veronika Valk went undercover in Tartu, Estonia's second largest city, to document what's going on at composer E. Tubin's memorial, designed by her office ZiZi & YoYo: 'I was in Israel at the time of construction and mysteriously enough there seems to be an overseas influence on the outcome – loudspeakers and gongs in the back wall create a situation that starts to resemble the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. Louis Dandrel, a French sound designer, has put together a compilation of musical phrases that appeal to both young and old, male and female, blue collars and bohemians: the monument has become like a giant drumming set – people dance back and forth 'playing' the gongs, initiating fragments from Tubin's music. The size and distance of the matching seats is just right for two youngsters on one, while an elderly couple feels comfortable on separate seats.' The bronze figure of Tubin is by sculptor Aili Vahtrapuu.