Washing Machine Made of Beetroot

Washing Machine Made of Beetroot: Ingenuity on the Road

April 24, 2024–September 28, 2025

A sub-exhibition of “Washing Machine Made of Beetroot”, “Ingenuity on the Road” introduces various DIY practices that helped people in the Soviet Union get from point A to point B. We’ll be talking about how people got around, and how people, both in their own garages and sheds and working at state institutions, invented and built these vehicles and hobbyist contraptions. Since there were few private automobiles and public transport wasn’t always practical, people looked for ways to get to work, visit friends and relatives, and appliances,spend holidays and leisure time away from hone and undertake longer trips. Naturally people wanted to do so in style and comfort!

With few cars available, they had to be modified, invented, engineered, and built, along with add-on equipment.

Do-it-yourself tinkering culture flourished, and the operating principles of the internal combustion engine was the lingua franca of those days. This exhibition explores invention, ingenuity, creativity, re-use and do-it-yourself culture in the Soviet-era automotive world –and it’s also an exhibition about the desire for a life of modern comfort and convenience. 

Have a good trip!
Rael Artel
curator 

 Joint Exhibition Project “Washing Machine Made of Beetroot” 

The exhibition titled “Washing Machine Made of Beetroot” is a collaborative project between Estonian Road Museum, Estonian Agricultural Museum and Tartu City Museum. It explores inventions, ingenuity, recycling, and handiwork. The project is part of the European Capital of Culture Tartu 2024 main programme.

The exhibition highlights the remarkably diverse ingenuity and skills that people developed in the challenging circumstances of the Soviet Union. We hope that the creative do-it-yourself tradition serves as inspiration for solving the challenges caused by today’s overabundance.

 

 

European Capital of Culture 2024