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‘(Dis)covering … Mountains’ at Flo Kasearu’s House Museum

‘Roots to Routes’ is delighted to invite you to ‘(Dis)covering … Mountains’ – a day full of exceptional travels at Flo Kasearu’s House Museum [1] in Tallinn on June 12 from 14:00.

“Three sources led to journeys among the people settled on the ruins of the Roman Empire: the zeal of religion, the ardour of conquest, the spirit of adventure and enterprise, mixed with the greed of commerce. What drives us to travel today? What kind of traveler can one be in this world?”
(Extract from the book ‘(Dis)covering … Mountains’, p. 14)

The event ‘(Dis)covering … Mountains’ takes its name from a pocket book artist Flo Kasearu [2] and researcher Sara Bédard-Goulet created in collaboration with each other, published in English and French towards the end of last year as part of the ‘Roots to Routes’ [3]programme. The book explores an epic journey to Marseille amidst the coronavirus outbreak, embarking on various places along the route until reaching the end destination at Park de la Barasse. ‘(Dis)covering … Mountains’ is partly about an imaginary journey which, through travel writing and drawings, describes the hidden culture and landscape of the Park de la Barasse, known above all for its toxic red mountains.

Set in Flo Kasearu’s House Museum, throughout the day there will be a performative book presentation, lectures followed by a discussion and a brand new installation created specially on the Museum premises. Writer Mehis Heinsaar will present a lecture on psychogeographical pilgrimages delving into the landscapes of ancient forests, bogs and abandoned roads from Estonia and Latvia to Santiago de Compostela. Scientist Leena Kurvet-Käosaar will similarly present a lecture focusing on voluntary and forced migration and various in-between states, whereby different social, cultural and individual imaginations form engaging fields of tension and transformation around the perception of one’s homeland.

Because the walk-performance accompanying the book – originally planned to take place in Marseille last November – got postponed to autumn 2021, both Marseille and Tallinn presentations will take place this year. Through the Tallinn chapter, a bridge between two diverse cultural environments – Northern and Southern Europe – will be built.

‘Roots to Routes’ is a collaboration between artists, curators and non-profit organisations from the Baltic countries, curated by Merilin Talumaa, Maija Rudovska and Justė Kostikovaitė. ‘Roots to Routes’ invites strangers to encounter the unknown and unfamiliar, while exploring and challenging concepts of ‘homebase’, ‘belonging’ and ‘identity’.
The first chapter of ‘Roots to Routes’ took place in Marseille as part of the Manifesta 13 Biennial programme entitled ‘Les Parallèles du Sud’ from 28 August to 25 October 2020. The collaboration is foreseen to continue throughout the coming years.