Turu Street smart building received a lucky 'Tree'
24 July / Tree, the fifth public work of art in the SmartEnCity project, decorates the façade of the building at Turu 9.
The author of the work is well-known Latvian painter Andris Vitolinš.
According to the author, the beginnings of the inspiration for the golden yellow tree are simple. ‘This painting symbolises the search for happiness,’ said Vitolinš. ‘In the same way that trees are growing around us, happiness can be found right here, next to us and around us, and there is no need to search for it in distant lands.’
Within the framework of the project SmartEnCity, all of the apartment buildings that have joined the project will receive works of art. According to Andra Orn, Turu 9 curator and leader of the NOAR.eu art environment, the inclusion of art in this type of project is highly innovative, since people's expectations in the city space are higher than ever before. ‘The public space isn’t limited to only offering green areas and cycle and pedestrian tracks, but also playfulness and originality. Art creates questions, inspires, brings culture into focus,’ said Andra Orn, who admitted that it has been an exciting challenge to find works such as these for the project, which are suitable for building residents, city representatives as well as the public, and are also at a high level artistically.
Selecting the right plan was also difficult for the apartment association – in the words of Andra Somelar, the project’s artistic coordinator, choosing between two different plans took a long time, until finally the nature motif was selected. According to residents of the building, the result is worth the effort – the work of art is beautiful and leaves a very positive first impression.
Andris Vitolinši’s works can be seen in different art galleries in the Baltic Republics, elsewhere in Europe, as well as Scandinavia and in NOAR.eu, the largest modern art environment in the Baltics.
Each apartment association that joins the SmartEnCity project will be able to decorate their building or the immediate vicinity with a work of art, with a total of 17 buildings being reconstructed with the support of the project.
With the implementation of the SmartEnCity project, an energy efficient city district operating based on smart solutions will be created in the City Centre of Tartu, where the Soviet era apartment buildings will be renovated into near zero energy buildings. The smart city district will also employ innovative solutions in district heating, street lighting, and the use of renewable energy, while smart home solutions will be installed in apartments.
The SmartEnCity project is being funded within the framework of Horisont 2020, the European Union’s research and innovation programme.
The project began in February of 2016 and will last until July of 2021.
Last changed 24.07.2019
