Today, the guests of our Quarantine Stories series are Kristel Sooaru, the head of marketing of our great partner Viru Keskus and the fantastic member of TMW production and branding team Mihail Makoshin. Read what they are up to these days, what they feel and think.
Viru Keskus has been an important festival spot in the city centre for years with city stage concerts and the main info desk. We truly appreciate this partnership and admire the effort Viru Keskus puts in the human centred urban space through arts and creativity. We are excited about joining forces again in August right before the school starts. Best of luck during this challenging time, dear Viru Keskus!
What are you listening, watching, reading etc?
Kristel: I honestly admit that the anxiety level is so high that it’s hard to read anything. Still, classics and great poetry always help me. When things were at their most complicated, I picked up Indrek Hirv’s beautiful poetry compilation “Inglisild” (“Angel Bridge”), and Alexander Pushkin’s “Eugene Onegin”. The beautiful flow of words is very calming, reassuring in how it recalls the complicated situations that generations before us have faced. After the government announced that shopping centres are closed, which was an emotional breaking point for me, I went and took a bath and listened to a live stream from Elphilarmonie, where the Stockholm Royal Philharmonic was playing Schuman’s 3rd symphony with conductor Sakari Oramo at the helm. Over the days leading up, Metsatöll gave me strength – their song “Vägi ja Võim” (“Force and Power”) had everything I was lacking at that moment.
I look out of the window at the beautiful signs of nature reawakening, and I know that even in the darkest times, the nascent force of spring has given people hope and strength. In sleepless hours, I listen to birdsong, which reminds me of the temporary nature of this calamity.
Mihail: During quarantine I listen to a lot of different music from electronica to metal. My current favourite is the EP “Common Sense” by Viagra Boys. I don’t have a TV but I watch different shows on Youtube on topics that interest me. I just finished a book “S.n.u.f.f.” by Viktor Pelevin that I recommend and started with “Angels and Demons” by Dan Brown. Sometimes I play some music on Ableton and play games on PlayStation.
What are you feeling and thinking about in this situation?
Kristel: To put it simply, in a crisis you have to act, not feel. Of course, all of our actions must be supported by a value system. You have to act, to keep damages as low as possible, while caring for and supporting those, who are weaker. Emotionally, I am overcome with the sense of recognition that this is our generation’s big lesson, it’s our turn now.
Mihail: I hope that the virus ends soon because I really can’t wait to meet people, do my job, go to the events – everything we can’t do now.
What kind of future are you dreaming of?
Kristel: In complicated situations, people dream of simple things, which remind us of the fundamental values of life. So right now I’m also, first and foremost, dreaming of things returning to normal – meeting up with friends, rushing around in our daily bustle again. Being able to travel to my favourite places in Tuscany and Normandy again. First, however, I hope that the people of Estonia will come out at the other end of this crisis with minimal losses, both materially and in terms of values. I hope the foundational pillars of our state and our freedom aren’t damaged after this. Generalising a bit, of course, I also dream of this crisis reminding us of common, general human values, and teaching us based on them to grow in a caring way, taking nature and other people into account as well.
Mihail: I hope that we will overcome the crisis with minimal losses and that we’ll do everything we can’t do now better afterwards. And enjoy our lives.