Liisa Roberts' Vyborg Project Explores City's Identity Through Youth Workshops and Architectural Interventions
In 2000, Finnish-American artist Liisa Roberts launched a long-term initiative titled "Vyborg: a Town Library in Viipuri," centered on the Russian border city of Vyborg. A workshop named "What's the Time in Vyborg?" took place in 2001, engaging local youth in narrative explorations. Roberts participated in discussions regarding the restoration of Alvar Aalto's Viipuri Library, supporting the preservation of Soviet-era changes. Key collaborators included psychologist Olga Maslova, translator Edgaras Platelis, and poet Aleksey Parshikov. A significant tour led by Alexander Shver impacted the publications of the Finnish committee. The project transitioned from film to live events, aligning with Vyborg's 600-year anniversary and St. Petersburg's 300th in 2003. It will be showcased in "Faster Than History" at the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma in January 2004.
Key facts
- Liisa Roberts initiated "Vyborg: a Town Library in Viipuri" in 2000 with the workshop "What's the Time in Vyborg?" starting in 2001.
- The project involved local teenagers in Vyborg, Russia, creating performative tours exploring the city's identity.
- Roberts engaged in restoration debates about Alvar Aalto's Viipuri Library, advocating for inclusion of its Soviet-era history.
- She participated in architectural symposiums with The Finnish Committee for the Restoration of Viipuri Library.
- A creative writing workshop was held in the library's auditorium with collaborators including Olga Maslova, Edgaras Platelis, and Aleksey Parshikov.
- A tour by Alexander Shver, who led the Soviet restoration in the 1950s, influenced the Finnish committee's documentation.
- The project examines Vyborg's history, annexed by the USSR from Finland in 1944, and its overlapping temporalities.
- It will be featured in "Faster Than History" at Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma in Helsinki in January 2004.
Entities
Artists
- Liisa Roberts
- Alvar Aalto
- Bogdan Mamonov
- Iara Bubnova
- Olga Kopenkina
- Okwui Enwezor
- Aleksey Parshikov
- Alexander Shver
- Gilles Deleuze
- Paul Virilio
- Kim Levine
Institutions
- ARTMargins Online
- Rhode Island School of Design
- Artists Space
- Helsinki Kunsthalle
- Museum of Contemporary Art, Helsinki
- The Museum of Modern Art, Oxford
- P.S.1
- Bard College Center for Curatorial Studies
- Bildmuseet Umeo
- Whitney Museum of American Art
- Miami Art Museum
- Documenta
- Venice Biennale
- Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma
- Whitney Biennale
- Manifesta
- International Biennale of arts in Frankfurt-on-Main
- pH.
- Center of Contemporary Art, Kaliningrad
- October
- MIT Press
- Semiotext(e)
- Guggenheim Bilbao
- Beacon Dia Center
- Center for Information Culture
- Alvar Aalto Academy
- DOCOMOMO
- Sharlottenburg Center, Copenhagen
- Parkett
Locations
- Vyborg
- Russia
- Finland
- Helsinki
- St. Petersburg
- Paris
- New York City
- Rhode Island
- USA
- Long Island City
- NY
- Annandale-on-Hudson
- Sweden
- Miami
- FL
- Germany
- Venice
- Italy
- England
- Frankfurt-on-Main
- Kaliningrad
- New York
- Bilbao
- Spain
- Beacon
- Karosta
- Liepal
- Lithuania
- Belarus
- Viipuri
- Leningrad
- Vilnius
- Copenhagen
- Denmark
- Zurich
- Switzerland