The Soviet district Lasnamäe, in Estonia’s capital city Tallinn, was built in the late 70s, has fallen into stagnation. A vast traffic channel was built, the road, the bridges are built buit the locals are still waiting for the tramline, just as the nowehere leading concrete stairs.

In the summer of 2016, Lasnamäe’s urban plan got a new mid-term solution and barley field was seeded on the stairs. The idea of a barley field installation came from history—barley was the earliest crop grown in Estonia and was grown in the area of Lasnamäe in circa 500-600 BC. Because the culture of barley growing was brought to Estonia from Russia, and the tramway stairs mark the border between Estonian- and Russian-speaking districts, the art installation carried an idea of integration. 

The installation offered the district a new puff of life—young, verdant seedlings growing and turning into a ripe yellow barley field, reminding us of the cycles of nature and life. The aim of the barley field was to bring some contrasting softness, some life and progress to this industrial area, but also to encourage the locals to take steps towards changing their neighbourhood, instead of waiting for the authorities to do it, given that the tram has still not arrived after over 40 years. This project was founded by a crowdfunding campaign, built and cut with the help of volunteers. The soil—45 tons of it—was carried on the stairs bucket by bucket. 

By the end of September, the crop was ripe and we held a harvesting party for the stair-field. The harvested crop was made a gift for the crowdfunders; some if it is now living a new life as jewelry, while some of it was taken to a laboratory for tests that will calculate air pollution levels of the area. The project inspired locals and authoroties to enliven the traffic channel with 38 flowerbeds that will from this summer on flourish seasonally.