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Mirjam Varik

  • Faculty of Design
  • Graphic Design
  • BA
  • Silence in the fading room
  • Tutor: Kert Viiart
  • Book, sewn-glued binding
  • 190x280mm, 108 p

As a small child I noticed plants growing in the stairwells of various institutions and apartment buildings. Now, a few decades later, I study how long such plants live, where they come from and who takes care of them. I am also interested in which public places old or self-propagated plants can be found today.

Dealing with plants in a common room brings to the caretakers a lot of joy and will to act and creates liveliness in a monotonous space. The studied rooms are untouched by  modern renovations, which seems to allow one to manage the room more creatively.

Growing plants indoors is a kind of creative activity. It is an art – to keep them alive, to reproduce, to repot, to share and to acquire new ones. The book provides an overview of the daily activities of different women in relation to houseplants. From the book it is possible to get an idea of the life and past of people, space and plants.

At the end of the book, there is also a plant index with quotes from plant caretakers. In the book there are also poems which are intertwined between the main text and thus create new layers of meaning. The poems were created by Estonian writers in the same period when the visited buildings were built.

The book is printed with risograph but also contains pages with color pictures.