TMW Talks set out to seek the lines between appropriation and appreciation, explore the sadness fetish and find novel ways of spreading heritage music
As part of the TMW festival, taking place next week from 27 to 30 August, the public discussion series Talks creates a friendly public arena for battling hot issues within and beyond music culture. The topics vary from analysing the difference between appropriation and appreciation to exploring the undertones of depression in global pop and from tackling the challenges of Estonia’s Russian-speaking population to seeking the new ways to spread heritage music.
TMW 2020 public discussions await listeners and active participants at Terminal Records & Bar in Telliskivi Creative City from Thursday, 27 August to Saturday, 29 August, and at Laagna Community Garden in Lasnamäe district on Sunday, 30 August.
Talks series starts on Thursday, 27 August at Terminal Records & Bar with an Estonian language discussion “In search of lost music”. A large portion of Estonian musical heritage is accessible only via physical copies in archives. Should it be uploaded onto the same digital platforms that new music is currently using, so it could just as easily be shared? Is there a way to give music back to the people without taking it away from the authors? TV personality Jüri Muttika helps to find answers, moderating a line-up of music industry professionals, including the renowned musician and newly appointed head of Estonian Authors’ Society Vaiko Eplik and the Director of Music Estonia Virgo Sillamaa.
On Friday, 28 August Terminal hosts a talk that aims to find out where does exploration end and colonisation begin in culture. From #MeToo to BlackLivesMatter, a recurring topic on Planet Pop and beyond has been the fine line between tribute and loan, appreciation and appropriation and sometimes their meaning and purpose have got lost in the process. If we don’t know what we’re talking about, how can we have a fruitful discussion? Among other panellists, Associate Professor of History at the Estonian Academy of Arts Linda Kaljundi and RnB artist YASMYN will have a stab at it.
Saturday, 30 August will see the last talk at Terminal – “Viva Sadness or Lust for Life?” that focuses on sadness as a new shared cultural experience. As the largest generation in the history of the world is coming of age, they face issues ranging from pandemics to cyberbullying and from climate change to the constant pressure to present the perfect self-perception on social media. Can they sustain the trafficking of negative emotions or will it break them down? Is pop music tackling mental health or just fetishising depression? Head of Communications at Telia Estonia Katrin Isotamm, Neit-Eerik Nestor from the new generation hip-hop label LAGI, anthropologist Ede Schank-Tamkivi, musician Natalia Wójcik (FREMEN) and others will share their opinions on this.
TMW 2020 Talks series finishes on Sunday, 30 August at Laagna Community Garden in Lasnamäe district with the LasnaKino screening of the documentary “14 Cases” that examines the challenges of Estonia’s Russian-speaking population. The screening will be preceded by an open discussion (in Estonian and Russian) with the film’s director Marianna Kaat and its protagonists.
The LasnaKino screening is part of the TMW Lasnamäe programme curated in collaboration with NGO Lasnaidee.
TMW 2020 Talks at Terminal Records & Bar (Telliskivi 60/2):
Thursday, 27 August 16:30 – 17:30: In search of lost music (in Estonian)
Fri, 28 August 16:30 – 17:30: Appropriation versus appreciation (In English)
Sat, 29 August 17:30 – 18:30: Viva Sadness or Lust for Life? (In Estonian)
TMW 2020 Talks at Laagna Community Garden (Võru 11):
Sun, 30 August 19:30 – 20.30: LasnaKino “14 Cases” (In Estonian and Russian)
More information on TMW 2020 Talks on TMW website.