Lee Ell

Helmi Marie Langsepp studied sculpture and installation at the Estonian Academy of Arts before graduating in Architecture and Urban Planning. After completing her studies, she joined MAP Architects in Denmark, where she worked on architectural questions arising in extreme environments. Upon returning to Estonia, she worked on architectural, curatorial and exhibition projects at b210.

Her master’s thesis, On Not-Building: Mountain, Village and Visitors, received an honourable mention at the 2019 BAUA Awards and was presented at the Caucasus Mountain Forum. At b210, she was part of the Irish–Estonian curatorial team behind There Is a Forest in My Backyard but My House Is Built from Trees Grown Far Away, a winning curatorial proposal that later received an Architectural Association of Ireland Award.

Helmi Marie is currently the founder and architect of Lee Ell and a doctoral researcher at Tallinn University of Technology. Through Lee Ell, she develops experimental projects connecting infrastructure, material processes and environmental conditions. Recent work includes The Newborn Gallery, part of the main programme of European Capital of Culture Tartu 2024, and Melting Models, developed during the Spitsbergen Art Residency and installed across Longyearbyen. She is also the founder and editor-in-chief of Space Choreography, an independent publication exploring architecture through movement.