©Gleb Volodtšenko
Moment to Mo(nu)ment
SISU group exhibition at National Film Archive in Tallinn, Estonia
“The Archive of Handshakes” and “The Protocol of Agreements” are two pieces that sit side by side—or maybe even as one. They raise quiet questions: how do we hold onto fleeting moments? What gives them meaning? These are short-lived gestures, easy to miss, yet they’re placed within something solid and lasting – architecture. A structure that not only contains them, but is, in some way, shaped by them.
One of the sculptures from The Archive of Handshakes holds onto the air between two hands – caught mid-gesture, then sealed in clay. A fragile moment turned into something heavy and real. It’s about connection, about touch, about the small rituals we barely notice but that leave a mark. It’s one of many moments that make up the stories between people. Ultimately, it stands as a poignant reminder of how the social ritual of a handshake may eventually be forgotten.
The Protocol of Agreements thinks about handshakes differently. Here, they’re not just gestures – they’re the beginning of something bigger. Each one marks an agreement that might look simple, but behind it, there’s a whole system: contracts, rules, laws. These quiet gestures have weight. They start things. They shape the world around us – our cities, our communities, the spaces we live in. When you look closely, these handshakes are not so simple after all. They’re part of how we build. Within the architectural context, the far-reaching consequences of these agreements evidently shape our anthropocentric future.
Credits
Author
Ljubica Arsić
Curators
Aet Ader, Karin Tõugu and Pavle Stamenović
Type
Clay Sculpture ca. 7x7cm and Printed Booklet A5
Location
National Film Archive, Tallinn, Estonia
Year
2024
SISU is a major event in the field of Estonian interior architecture and spatial design, which deals with topics related to interior architecture. The symposium has become a meeting place for recognized theorists and practitioners in the field of architecture from all over the world. This year’s SISU will take place from the 13th until the 20th of June in the premises of the National Archives film archive in Pelgulinn. The focal point of SISU is an exhibition and the accompanying symposium
