Tallinn – European Capital of Culture 2011. Seaside stories
Tallinn will be the European Capital of Culture in 2011. The year as a Capital of Culture will be a great occasion for the whole of Estonia as this title, which involves being in the centre of attention, will give us an excellent opportunity to change the existing cultural landscape – carry out bold ideas, establish new co-operation projects, promote regular events on a wider basis and involve more people in cultural activities, either as organisers or participants. In 2011, Tallinn will share the title of the Capital of Culture with the Finnish town, Turku.
The organisation “Foundation Tallinn 2011”, which supports the long-term interests of Tallinn, is helping to prepare, carry out and promote the whole occasion. During the year of the Capital of Culture, Tallinn, as well as all of Estonia, will be strongly attached to the cultural map of Europe and interest in Tallinn and Estonia should grow accordingly leading to an increase in the number of visitors to the town and an improvement in the quality of life and competitive advantages of the people living in Tallinn.
During its year as the Capital of Culture Tallinn will reopen the city to the sea. The sea has opened Tallinn to international ideas and influences and brought colourful cultures to Tallinn throughout the centuries and it has also been a good link for concluding commercial and economic ties. Therefore it is totally understandable that the sea has such an important role in the development of our city. Today, however, the most important sections of the coastline have been neglected, are underdeveloped and cut off from the centre of the town. In 2011 we will fill the seaboard with cultural activities reopening the town to the sea and helping people to find their way back to the seashore. In 2011 Tallinn will tell its seaside stories to Europe and the world.
In every culture there is a single thread, unique and characteristic of a particular people, town, nation or country, which forms the basis for stories, and upon which history is written and the future is planned. Telling stories will be the common thread running through all the cultural events of 2011. The stories of the Capital of Culture will tell about the seaside town of Tallinn and the seashore of Estonia.
In 2011 we will group the seaside stories into three – the stories of singing together, the stories of a living old town and the stories of dreams and surprises.
The stories of singing together tell about changing the world together – about democracy, civil society, community, freedom and traditions. In fact, the traditional nationwide Song and Dance Celebrations are our most significant story – we are a nation of song and dance, we have an ability to overcome our problems by facing them together and singing has helped us to become independent. In addition to our Song and Dance Celebration the stories of singing together also includes the Birgitta Festival of classical music as well as the AfroReggae subculture event - a music project for young people.
The stories of a living old town tell about Tallinn - a town where time has never stopped. People who have gathered here – Estonians, Russians, Germans, Finns and many others have added a new page to the story of the city almost every day. A good example of this is the Tallinn Teater Treff festival held in the Old Town of Tallinn that brings together representative of different cultures of the world and makes the heart of Tallinn “a bubble of culture”. In addition to the stories of a living old town is the dance dialogues-with-architecture i.e. the Open Spaces Living Art Festival and the Tallinn Marathon.
The stories of dreams and surprises tell us about the town and the country where access to the internet has become “a basic human right” and where the happening described by the international media as “the First Cyber War” took place. We dream together about opening the city to the sea and we will make this happen at the Tallinn Maritime Days. In addition, the stories of dreams and surprises will cover the Plektrum Festival of Visual Sound and Eksperimenta! - the Contemporary Art Triennale for School Students.
In 2011 the best stories of Europe will be told in Tallinn.
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