
ARCHITECT’S GAZE. Bringing the West Home
Exhibition about Estonian architect’s travels behind the Iron Curtain during the Soviet era.
During the Soviet era, travelling to the West was not for everyone. For architects, however, travel has been an integral source of professional development and inspiration for centuries. How and who Estonian architects were allowed to travel to the West during the Cold War, and how did they share their experience?
In one way or another, travel impressions found their way into their work and were reflected in public or private conversations and publications. The central medium for mediating the experience was the taking of photographs of the travel objects and their subsequent viewing and sharing.
We bring you rare travel slides of Estonian architects’ journeys to the West in the 1960s and 1980s, and explore how travel worked at the time.
Curator: Karen Jagodin
Designer: Koit Randmäe
Graphic design: Brit Pavelson (Viieline)
The exhibition is open in the Estonian Museum of Architecture from February 14th, 2025.