Piret Ellamaa “Maailma päästmine”. Foto: Mati Hiis
This year’s annual exhibition of the Estonian Glass Artists’ Union takes place in an unusual environment – the deep waters of Tallinn Seaplane Harbour’s aquarium. And so, our first audience consists of the Carp , the Bream , the Roach, the Bleak and the Silver Bream. The juxtaposition of artificial objects and wildlife creates a completely new space, which can be viewed as a separate universe, parallel to the one we inhabit.
A short explanation of the title might sound like this:
Physicists and jokers use the expression “the trousers of time” to describe a moment when, at the cusp of two possible scenarios, Time splits in two, with both outcomes existing as parallel universes.
The world we find ourselves in is just one of out many imaginable worlds. By sheer happenstance, dandelions are yellow, fish have fins, and we walk on two legs on dry land, using light to perceive our environment, calling each other by first and last names, inventing things like the Internet and art. Who knows how thing might – or might not – turn out in the other leg.
“Civilization 2: The Trousers of time” scrutinizes those haunting “what-ifs” and “why-nots”, trying to grasp the wider gamut of existence – maybe to get a glimpse of what’s happening in the other leg. Current events are seen from a detached viewpoint, and other alternatives get pointed out – with the conclusion that the world we have isn’t necessarily the worst possible outcome. Yet, here and now, with every choice we make, the Trousers of Time keep splitting.
A few years ago, the city council of Monza, Italy, barred pet owners from keeping goldfish in curved bowls… saying that it is cruel to keep a fish in a bowl with curved sides because, gazing out, the fish would have a distorted view of reality. But how do we know we have the true, undistorted picture of reality?
/Stephen Hawking/
Participants:
Sofi Aršas, Piret Ellamaa, Riho Hütt, Malle Karik-Hallimäe, Merle Kannus, Kati Kerstna, Kai Kiudsoo-Värv, Eve Koha, Ivo Lill, Merle Lobjakas, Kairi Orgusaar, Rait Prääts, Birgit Pählapuu, Kateriin Rikken, Maret Sarapu, Tiina Sarapu, Kalli Sein, Anna- Maria Vaino, Kaire-Leen Varik
Curators:
Merle Kannus, Kai Kiudsoo-Värv
