Tallinn officials want street art to transform Pärnu maantee underpass
The City of Tallinn is commissioning street art to transform an underpass on Pärnu maantee, with a committee set to review designs for the large-scale project.
Officials say the goal is to preempt the heavy tagging of plain gray surfaces with quality public art.
"Other experiences worldwide show that high-quality street art is the best way to prevent tagging," said Tallinn Deputy Mayor Kristjan Järvan (Isamaa).
The project will cover roughly 450 square meters in and around an underpass on Pärnu maantee, near Tehnika tänav, Koidu tänav and Tallinn Joint High School. The city will prepare the surfaces for painting ahead of time.
The street art brief calls for calming solutions to balance heavy traffic in the area, giving artists creative freedom but encouraging motifs drawn from Estonian culture and history, such as the War of Independence, the national epic Kalevipoeg, forest brothers, the Singing Revolution and national symbols including the cornflower.
A committee under the Tallinn Urban Environment and Public Works Department will review submitted designs at the end of the month, with artists expected to complete their work by August.
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Editor: Aili Vahtla
