Mait Summatavet Estonia summadisain@hot.ee "My name is Mait Summatavet. I live in Estonia, on the southern coast of the Finnish Gulf. I was born Tallinn, an old Hansaetic town. I am 65 years old and work as an independent practicing interior architect, professor emeritus. My range of my work has been wide – producing interiors, furniture, lamps, art exhibitions, industrial fairs, as well as participating in two EXPOs. I have been producing contemporary theatre, banks and an outpatient department. Renovation and reconstruction projects in historic medieval buildings in the old town of Tallinn make up a considerable part of my work. I have produced the residence and business apartment for the President of Estonian Republic in Kadriorg Presidential Palace. One of my latest notable works was the historic building of Eesti Pank in Tallinn downtown. Currently I am engaged in redeveloping the block of Eesti Pank facades and also my real passion – produncing illumination through lamps and lighting installation. In parallel, I have been working as an assistant professor and professor in the Design Institute of Tallinn Art Academy since its foundation in 1967. If anyone asked me how design has reached Estonia, my answer would be – design does not exist in emptiness, design has got a history of its own, different in every country, depending on the cultural background, pattern of thinking and education. A path could be followed in Estonia based on Hansaetic architecture, superior guild handcraft, traditional peasant culture, incursion of the large-scale industry of Russian Empire starting from the second third of 19th century – cellulose and paper plants, big textile and dockyard industries, machine works and electric engine industries (the elevators of Franz Krull being so famous that even in 60-ies orders were placed from Brazil). World second biggest plane veneer producer - Luther furniture factory- was of great importance in Estonia. Its production based on the technology of bent veneer was exported to Russia, Europe and America. The 20th century is marked by new technologies and also new architecture following the Second World War. Formation of modern outlook and new inventions give indications of the development of design in Estonia. A good example – the MINOX camera used James Bond was invented in Estonia and built in Riga. The effects new architecture mad on Interiors was reflected in the furniture industry with changes in decoration to suite the requirements of production technologies – a journey which takes us to modern design, familiar all over Europe. The Drawing Class of Tartu University at the beginning of 19th century and the foundation of the Estonian Art Academy played a significant part in establishing a professional art education. The most important events within design development were the foundation of interior architecture faculty at Art Academy in 1949 and the foundation of design faculty by Prof. Tomberg in 1967, where I also worked from its foundation. The design-teaching program invented by Prof. Tomberg, which based on the experiences of “Bauhaus”, exposed academic art education and the creative thoughts of its inventor and was one of the most advanced programs in Europe in the 60’s. If I was asked what were the conditions of study in the faculty at present, my answer would be – the financial aspect could be better but the intellectual and skilled part of the study process would set a good example to any school of the type. If I were asked if we were not afraid of the offensive of American culture and the dissolution of our own culture into it, I would reply that examining the yellow press tabloids, one could really feel that way but in reality my colleagues, students and the major part of the society do not think this will happen. Mass culture definitely has got some dissolving influence on traditional values but not as much as presumed – Estonian nature is still too educated for that. Talking about American mass culture one could ask what would national mass culture look like? Brighter examples of that culture still belong to the sphere of tumultuous media and amusement. If I was asked, is it going to be harder for Estonian design to survive in the open competition of the EU I would reply – yes, I thought it would. But competition has always worked as a pushing power and we also have the education and motivation of our designers, high education and skills of our nation, flexibility due to the small number of our population, variability and ability to adapt. It is a challenge for us and I am sure we will make it. Thank you."