EKEÜ Vocational Teachers’ Conference in Paide

Designing the conference of the Estonian Association for the Advancement of Vocational Education titled “The Heart of Vocational Education is the Teacher – Let’s Meet in the Heart of Estonia.”

Since many people were involved in the project, we brainstormed ways to go big with volume—big enough to decorate the entire Paide Music and Theatre House.
Our main material became old book pages. As a group, we folded nearly 12,000 origami hearts, and each participant decorated parts of the venue in their own way.

My main focus area was the foyer. Initially, I had grand ideas, but once I got to know the building, the first obstacles appeared. These included heritage protection regulations, which meant that nothing could be drilled into the walls.

Being in the space and feeling its atmosphere, it became clear that my design would have to be limited to the area between the pillars in the foyer. For this, I created about 100 heart garlands, which gently swayed as people moved through the space, adding a sense of motion and atmosphere. We also added lighting to each decorative element to enhance the overall effect.