What is the infamous Will-o’-the-Wisp? The Estonian dictionary gives it the following meaning: a faint light that can appear of the bog gas upon a muddy body of water, a bog light, a deceptive light.
The installation that is seen on the windows of the Museum of Literature translates to “The Light of the Navel”, which illustrates the different motives of enticement. The apple in the Garden of Eden, the belly button in the works of Milan Kundera and the Will-o’-the-Wisp, all described in literature as objects that take one to one’s doom. In addition to those motives we also know of different characters in folklore who are also tied to inexplicable effects of light, like Satan who is drying money with the heat of a fire, the Old Man Winter warming himself beside a fire or Kratt, also known as Fire-tail, flying around in the sky.
Because of the complicated circumstances of the quarantine, artists were forced to bring their work outside of the confinements of a room. The installation experiments with ways in which to present art while still staying in line with the rules of quarantine. It also attempts to bring the work of the Estonian Museum of Literature closer to the passers-by.
Supervisors: Svetlana Bogomolova, Raivo Kelomees