More than 50% area of the tiny Baltic nation of Estonia is covered by lush forests. But 300 KM south of the capital city of Tallinn, the forest houses a little secret.
Amidst the lush green moss and the birch trees you will see 3 giant megaphones. Each of them 3 meters long and placed in a different direction. Like Antennas, trying to find the signals from unknown.
These megaphones are not dropped by aliens. They are a result of the joint project between the students of EKA ( the Estonian Academy of arts) and RMK (the Estonian state forest Managment).
The megaphones called Ruup, were inspired by Valdur Mikita — he initially wanted to create a forest library. How could you implement architecture in a way that would help you read the forest? But a chance accident with a lost grandmother resulted in another idea, What if you could listen to the forest instead?
The megaphones are placed in three different directions. There is a small patch of land in between, giving it the appearance of a stage to sit and enjoy the spectacle. The megaphones are big enough to spend the night if you are a weary hiker. The shape of the megaphones also means that you can use it the other way round and talk to the forest.
Further reading
- The Estonian forest ministry RMK has details on how to reach the megaphones.
- Here is some background story on Ruup
- Tonu Tunnel has some amazing photography for Ruup. You can follow him on instagram here
