FACE-TO-FACE: The Story of the Baltic Exchange

This installation is based on “FACE-TO-FACE: The Story of The Baltic Exchange”, a monumental kinetic piece by Maarja Kask and Ralf Lõoke of Salto Architects and artist Neeme Külm, exhibited this spring at the Museum of Estonian Architecture in Tallinn.

Together with the accompanying publication it tells the story of the Baltic Exchange which was deprived of its site in the City of London and thus also its context as a result of an IRA terrorist attack in 1992. For various reasons, the plan to restore the building did not materialise. The building was dismantled, its fragments were auctioned and subsequently bought by Estonian businessmen. In addition to its physical relocation to Estonia, many design projects have been produced regarding where and how to place the deconstructed building. Its integration in a new environment has failed, causing the fragments to lay waiting in shipping containers for the last decade.

Having addressed the issues of site-specificity before, the authors were intrigued by the unusual story of the Exchange building. They transformed one of the most conspicuous elements of the building’s facade into a kinetic installation at the the Museum of Estonian Architecture. In the process, they were faced with a series of new questions such as: What happens to a building that loses its original site? Who is to pass judgement on the value of a piece of architecture? What value is there in salvaging a building? What role does architecture play as a means of exerting influence in society and politics?