The exhibition “Washing Machine Made of Beetroot: Resourcefulness in the City” shows how resourceful and skilful urban people had to be during the Soviet era.
“The focus of the exhibition is on objects, photos and memories collected during the “Beet washing machine” collection campaign in 2022 to 2023. These stories show how clever and creative people were in the cramped conditions of the Soviet period and what skills were needed,” said exhibition curator Madle Uibo. “Since at that time, there was a poor selection of goods in stores, people had to be more enterprising. Old items were remade, clothes, accessories, as well as furniture and consumer goods, were made at home. People had fun hobbies – quite many photos were developed in small bathrooms or kitchens. In our exhibition, in cooperation with photographer Malev Toomi, one such corner of a home photo lab with red light has been constructed.”
The exhibition is accompanied by a diverse audience program with various workshops, presentations and family days. Already this Saturday, April 27, there will be a family day where you can participate in a curator’s tour and two workshops – making instruments and felt toy animals.
The curators of the exhibition Washing Machine Made of Beetroot: Resourcefulness in the City” are Meeli Väljaots and Madle Uibo from Tartu City Museum. The author of the characteristic graphics of the exhibition project “Washing Machine Made of Beetroot” is Piia Tammelo (LooLoo) and the exhibition was designed by PULT EXPO. The exhibition can be seen at the Tartu City Museum until December 29, 2024.
The exhibition is one of three partial exhibitions in the joint exhibition project” Washing Machine Made of Beetroot” of the Tartu City Museum, the Estonian Road Museum and the Estonian Agricultural Museum, which is part of the main program of the Tartu 2024 European Capital of Culture. The exhibition catalogue of the “Washing Machine Made of Beetroot” connects the stories of the three museums’ exhibitions about invention, ingenuity, reuse and DIY as a whole. The catalogue is in Estonian and English and has many illustrations. The catalogue was compiled by Marge Rennit and designed by Maarja Roosi.
A joint ticket for three partial exhibitions of the “Washing Machine Made of Beetroot” (Tartus, Põlvamaa in Varbus and Ülenurme) is on sale in Piletilev at a discounted price. Tartu City Museum exhibition tickets and catalogue can be purchased at the museum cash desk.
More information: peedistpesumasin.ee/en.