According to Tallinn’s Deputy Mayor Kaarel Oja, the festival aims to provide a platform for as many different creative forms and artists as possible, inviting everyone to explore and discover the festival and the city’s streets. “The goal of Kultuuriöö is to bring vibrancy to our urban space and encourage new creative strokes on the city’s canvas. For one day, evening and night, unexpected corners of Tallinn will be taken over by creativity, self-expression, music and art,” he said.

The theme “Me and the Machine” draws attention to how technological development has influenced human creativity and the creative process throughout history and in the present day. Technology has never been merely about improving tools – it has also reshaped how artists perceive the world and how art resonates with audiences.

Festival project manager Liisi Ree notes that the topic of machines and digital development is one of the most urgent questions facing both culture and daily life today. “Photography, film and many other art forms would not even be possible without technology. Although ‘me and the machine’ may sound strange or even intimidating, the machine is our constant companion – a tool, a partner and sometimes a challenge. Kultuuriöö invites us to notice how we create and experience art through technology, how technology affects our everyday lives, our creativity and our cultural environment, and how the dialogue between human and machine is taking shape,” Ree added.

This year’s festival will open with the discussion panel “Me and the Machine” featuring Urmas Lüüs, Doris Hallmägi and Kaspar Viilup. The main stage on Harjumägi will host performances by CARTOON, Night Tapes and maria kallastu, alongside exhibitions, lectures, film screenings and raves in nearly twenty venues across Tallinn.

Source: tallinn.ee