Life as a Photography Student and Other Stuff. All Images Copyright by Ida Taavitsainen.
Today I bumped in to Petra on my way home from the shop. I was feeling like shit, so she took me to the pub to have a glass of wine to cheer me up (it worked – and I assure you, it had nothing to do with the wine!). Another time when I was feeling like shit, she came down to Richmond Park with me, where we walked in the forest, spotted deers and I forced her to pose for me in a field of ferns. This is what friends are for. Thanks for being there for me.
My webpage is finally updated, thanks to the world’s kindest uncle. Also many thanks to my text and picture editors – you’re help is truly appreciated! Now you can finally see my final project from uni online, so have a look at that and the other new stuff and tell me what you think!
The new year hasn’t quite stared as I hoped it would: our landlord has sold our house and is kicking us out. Not nice – especially considering the fact that we weren’t told that the house is for sale when we moved in, and when we did find out it was, we were told it shouldn’t affect us. This means that I have to move for the 5th time in four years. Even though I can’t say my aesthetic eye has enjoyed living within these magnolia walls (I hate that colour, even though it’s supposed to be a neutral an inoffensive – but I guess that’s exactly what offends me), anything beats moving houses – again.
Well, I guess I just have to try to be positive and keep my eyes and ears open and hope we find a new place to stay (if you hear anything, get in touch!). And who knows, maybe this is what some people call destiny or fate and we’ll finally find our dream house.
I tried to find a suitable picture for today, and the picture below was the only one I found in my archives befitting my current state of mind. It reminds me of doomsday and in case you didn’t know, the world is coming to an end this year according to the Maya calendar (and quite frankly, looking at it’s current state, it wouldn’t really surprise me). If you ever have your way through Glasgow (before the world ends, that is), do visit Nekropolis. It’s amazing.
Happy 2012 everyone! As some of you might know, my dear hometown Helsinki is the world design capital this year. In relation to the design year, a very nice book, 20+12 Design Stories from Helsinki has been published. It’s a book about Helsinki through the eyes of designers, architects and other creatives and to my surprise a picture I have taken has indirectly made it to the book!
The set designer Markku Pätilä is interviewed in the book and there’s pictures of his home in it. While flicking through the book I was very happy to notice that a portrait of my sister that I took a couple of years ago (to this date one of the best pictures I’ve ever taken) and gave to Mr Pätilä for his birthday has made it to the book. This is the same portrait that Pätilä used in one of the sets for the movie Paha Perhe and now it has a prime spot on his wall – and that wall has made it into the book 20+12! Next time I’ll try to get my pictures directly to a hip design publication, but for now I’m happy to indirectly be part of this cool publication about my hometown.
I probably shouldn’t talk about Stockholm when I’m trying to promote the coolness of my hometown, but if anyone has their way through the city berfore the 15th of January, there’s a very beautiful exhibition with Turner, Monet and Twombly at Moderna Museet. Highly recommended! The photography collection that’s currently on display is also very impressive, but unfortunatley the exhibition was so big that I didn’t have time to see it all…
My sister complained that I’ve been a lazy blogger lately. I know I have. Några Rhododendron buskar – bara för dig, Lidia!
P.S. Happy new year everyone!
As you probably know, I love writing letters and postcards all year, but during Christmas I send even more, and I think this is the time of the year people who aren’t as passionate as me about writing, also want to think about their loved ones and send them a message. This year, I want to encourage you all not only to write christmas cards to your near and dear, but also to people who might need a little cheering up.
A while ago I read about a charity, Post Pals, that encourages people to send letters, postcards and gifts to ill children. As a person who loves writing in general, but has a special thing for mail, I immidiatley thought this is a brilliant idea – and so easy. Sometimes you don’t have to do much to make someone else happy. I’ve already written one card and will hopefully still write a few more. So while your at it, and writing christmas cards anyway, please remember these children as well and send them a line or two.
Speaking of writing, I also want to tell you about a brilliant art project that also has to do with letter writing. The Radio Post is a limited edition poster magazine celebrating all things analogue by the Danish design studio Smoke & Mirrors. How can you get your hands on this interesting magazine? Simply by writing them a letter and they’ll send you back the magazine – plus a handwritten reply to your letter. I got mine a while ago already, and it’s strange how happy a handwritten letter by a stranger can make you.
As it is christmas time, I’m also going to take the opportunity to promote myself and two independent publications I’m in – they are brilliant christmas gift for any art or fashion lover. The first one is the publication Out of Fashion, that I did together with the talented Eeva Rinne and Siru Kivistö. It’s available at several locations, you can find them all here. The other publication is the fashion journal Address. It’s a very good looking and well made publication with interesting articles and viewpoints on fashion. I was just told that Jean-Paul Gaultier was recently given a copy – so now I’m just hoping he loved my work (unfortunately the magazine features my project The Memory of My Wardrobe - and not my selfportrait as Jean-Paul Gaultier – yes, I’ve actually made one) and am waiting for his phone call. Anyway, back to the point. Address is available from its website and from ICA in London. Start christmas shopping!
This is my mom, last summer when we were in Glasgow visiting friends. My mom is no longer only a mother, she’s also a grandmother. And I’m an aunt – a double aunt, because last Saturday my big sister gave birth to two healthy and beautiful little boys. I can’t wait to meet them – though I have to, for three more weeks – this is one of the downsides of having your family spread around three different countries.
Apparently, my work has been up on the online ethical fashion magazine FutureFrock for a while, I just didn’t know about it… I submitted my images ages ago and last time I checked they weren’t there, so I gave up hope and forgot about it, but ta-dah! tonight I found them. Out of Fashion is also mentioned!
The work is a part of my series The Memory of My Wardrobe, which was my final project from uni. Take a look at it here, while waiting for my webpage to be updated (I’m working on it, I really am, I’m just really bad at editing and desiscion making!).
My big sister got married in September and I had the honour to take the pictures. As you can see from the images below my sister is pregnant (with twins!), so in a couple of weeks I’ll become an auntie for the first time. I can’t wait!
I just had my 15 minutes of fame – one of my images that is in Address Magazine was featured on Cathy Horyn’s fashion blog for New York Times. This is great, super, fantastic, except for that one little thing: they forgot to credit me. Damn. Well, I guess worse things could happen, but it’s annoying still.
