The Baltic Material Assemblies

To mark the centenary of Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian independence, the Baltic Material Assemblies presents architecture of the Baltic states, exploring the material, infrastructural and cultural connections that have persevered despite the political borders and conflict lines that have been laid throughout the region. The exhibition investigates futurity through its inscription into the region’s geology, infrastructure
and architecture. Presented at the AA and RIBA, it reveals built space as a common ground for European unity.

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are the only former Soviet states to have become members of the European Union. An overwhelming majority of the energy networks, mining operations and urban layouts that were instruments of the soviet industrialisation of the Baltic States remain functional today. The reconfiguration or dismantling of this vast space demands a new relationship between society and its environment. The transformation of the Baltic States is incremental, synchronised, negotiated on many levels and in many cases only made possible through the support of other members of the EU.

Electricity grids, fossil fuel pipelines, nuclear assemblies, geological sections, minerals, landform buildings, insulation materials, and landscape photographs are assembled in this exhibition and outline the background to the new architectural commitments of the Baltic States.