rabbit hole says hello

In Case You're Still Here...

2010-12-02T09:32:00.000+02:00

Find me in cyberspace at my online art portfolio.

A Good Weekend

2010-01-17T16:12:00.000+02:00

Good weekend things:
- early morning badminton
- reading travel guides
- small town fiction
- avocados
- re-organizing the furniture so it feels like you have moved
- winter

Colourless

2010-01-10T15:49:00.000+02:00

After a cold and hectic week, the weather conditions finally seemed favourable to practice some photography. I took a 30 minute break from degree work preparation to go outside and enjoy a Sunday (after which I continued to enjoy the Sunday by watching comforting television).

It's always the same thing, when there's lot to do, missing the little things. And the things you would never normally do, but would love to do now, just to avoid working on something yo should be working on. During the past few days I've dreamt of knitting, organizing the closets, doing laundry, going shopping, drawing. cooking, sewing, swimming, reading. Anything to escape the matters at hand.

But maybe next weekend, more walks and whites.

Beginnings

2010-01-01T21:06:00.001+02:00

January 1st is an artificial first, a day like any other, except for all the other firsts. Today I'm starting to write down things, daily, weather stats if nothing else. Being the notebook addict that I am, I got myself a set of Moleskine Colour a Month diaries for 2010 - one small notebook for each month. They are too precious to go to waste. I guess I have to make sure all of my days are eventful enough.

Nightly Lights

2010-01-01T13:42:00.000+02:00

Fireworks.

And a blue moon.

Time Stops and Begins Again

2009-12-31T21:37:00.000+02:00

The chilly mist of early December had turned into something heavy and white. Now I'm back home, dreaming of: Christmas, listening to the angry music of my teens, getting older and wiser, but still going back in time, becoming a poet, becoming a fortune teller, becoming a philosopher.

I still think it's 2002. Not much has happened since then, but everything has changed, of course. I don't have any actual plans beyond six months. My New Year's resolution is to take off for an adventure or two.

Happy 2010!

6 films, 1 cemetery and about 50 cm of snow later...

2009-12-27T15:25:00.000+02:00

We're visiting some family, we'll get back home for New Year's. But for now, nature documentaries and Trivial Pursuit are fine. It's been chilly this week and going outside requires extra preparation. I had forgotten what winters can be like - last year my cold months were spent in mellow and autumnal Scotland, where a minor snowfall was considered the catastrophe of the decade.

It's rural and so slow that I lost my train of thought.

Some window displays around the city:

The Ghost of Christmas Past

2009-12-24T12:12:00.000+02:00

This year I got into the holiday spirit quite late in the game, and Christmas Eve came almost without noticing. We are spending the holidays at home, just the two of us, and a couple of cats. For 19 years, my Christmas was very traditional, almost like routine - a big family Christmas at my grandparents, with all the traditional food, sic, Santa, and mostly waiting for Santa. Some natural passings changed the tradition, but I was always a bit stuck on the past.

This year, there will be no traditions just for the sake of tradition, but well, some traditions, just to make sure it feels like Christmas. But no traditional foods no one really likes: we are making Christmas pizza! There will also be some sweet potato casserole and for my boyfriend, Karelian hot pot brewed in red wine. We'll be watching a lot of films, munching on chocolate, unwrapping presents, spending time with crossword puzzles and for the first time, taking a walk to the cemetery nearby. We don't know anyone buried there, but maybe some solstice magic will take place. At least there will be some candles for the atmosphere. I would also love to go wandering around the quiet city, which is bound to be almost as ghostly as during Midsummer.

We don't have a Christmas tree, but at least there are some silvery glitter things, and the scent of hyacinth and peppermint. It's warm and quiet.

The Most Awesome Holiday Cards

2009-12-22T22:13:00.000+02:00

I have come to realize that I am actually not, despite my career of choice, the artistic one in the relationship. My boyfriend, who works as a translator, makes the coolest Christmas cards.

They are pretty avant-garde, I think. My current favourite is the cat one.

Midwinter Magic

2009-12-21T21:55:00.001+02:00

It's the darkest day of the year. Yet I've seen more sun than in weeks, since I've been busy getting work done indoors, from before dawn until after dusk. Only a few days until sweet nothingness, good food, an empty city.

I went ice skating for the the first time in years. My ankles are sore like they always were. My dad taught me to ice skate - my mum never learnt to skate on proper skates, she only had blades to attach to her shoes, when growing up. It amazes me. Winter solstice ice skating, one of the great things in life.

My interest in the movements of celestial bodies is rekindling. Sometimes I get caught up in the quotidien, but greater things are taking place, and letting me in.

Reminiscing

2009-12-14T11:51:00.000+02:00

Dublin, maybe Grafton Street

Another day to be spend in front of a computer researching and writing about photographs and memories - so a perfect time to take a break with some photographs and memories. It's -13 degrees Celsius (that's 55 Fahrenheit) outside

Paris, Avenue du Maine

London

Tampere

Home

2009-12-06T17:55:00.000+02:00

I spent a cold December weekend in my hometown Jyväskylä, in Central Finland. The city that seemed so obnoxious five years ago is beginning to look tolerable and even interesting at times. I'm from the outskirts, the archipelago. Things haven't changed that much there, but then again, it's very different from an almost outsider perspective.

During the weekend I read some small local newspapers, and learnt that, in the 1940's, there used to be a prison camp near where I went to school. Two Russian prisoners tried to escape and were shot in the "magical" foresty hill we wrote stories about in school. I never really thought that these places had anyone else's history but mine.

Today is the Finnish Independece Day. It's a solemn, ceremonial day when the media is full of talk of war veterans, the (vague) Finnish identity, of how Finland is a great place to live, but we should still remember the underprivileged. I'm not very patriotic but plan on tuning in on the Presidential Palace gala broadcast later this evening. Hours of shaking hands has never been so interesting.

December So Far

2009-12-03T20:51:00.001+02:00

Colours of when it's bleak and you realize you haven't paid attention to shadows, highlights or the fact that time actually stand still.

Volcanoes

2009-11-24T21:38:00.000+02:00

Embroidery projects gone awry turn into the most awful things at night. But I'm light at heart and sizzling with super powers of making something out of something else.

Walls

2009-11-21T20:43:00.001+02:00

The Moon Over New York

2009-11-20T19:58:00.001+02:00

Because I have been hiding from my artwork for a while, I decided to just photograph any objects I happened to have at hand. Photography is sometimes beyond intimidating, especially when the project is in the very beginning. So I'm taking small steps. The process of art making is still a mystery to me. Or maybe it's not. I get that it's all about problem solving and dealing with it.

The rhythm has been reminiscent of a schizophrenic disco lately. I stay up late, make vague plans, get scared, make a mess. New ideas are thrilling at best, before the problem solving begins. I guess I need a strategy, or a philosophy, or to read this book:

Fake Late Summer Sunsets

2009-11-18T14:07:00.001+02:00

The tomato I planted in May is a bit cobwebbed but finally bearing fruit.

Nothing really looks like 70s photos right now. It's grey and life is in transition. I'm a bit achy and sleep-deprived and refuse to admit that Anna Karenina is too thick a book for me. I have new found interest in things like gangsta rap, embroidery, Guitar Hero and tea. I miss music. It resonates with something very basic, where visual art never really can go. Or maybe it's just me.

Rabbit Hole Says Hello, Officially

2009-11-15T16:12:00.000+02:00

It's been three months in the rabbit hole, so maybe it's time for official introductions?

Hello. I'm not sure what I am, though I'm probably not really a rabbit. I am not that observant, really. But sometimes I feel like I have access to some sort of natural rabbit essence, like a language I have learnt to become fluent in. I'm a creative person at times, but sometimes lazy and unproductive.

In real life I study art. I put things together and go through anatomies. I live in a city in Finland, though I am looking forward to something foreign. I spent a semester in Edinburgh, where I fell in love with a Bratz doll camera and found an imaginary friend. In the meanwhile, I'm travelling in the virtual sense.

I enjoy sea air and cross-processing film. I am fascinated by the structure of things, places, philosophies; what they are made of, really. And what to make of them. And then there's the inexplicable glamour of certain things like rare words, light leaks, unidentified people and walking home.

Maybe you can say hello, too?

Something to Replace the Grey

2009-11-15T11:44:00.000+02:00

Art deco travel for a November Sunday.

(images from dancingbirdartstudio.com, travelbrochuregraphics.com and juliasantengallery.com)

Things with Potential

2009-11-10T20:09:00.000+02:00

Something I've been up to lately. Cutting things up and gluing them together. I have a growing interest in materials and textures. My current favourites are anything white, hair, fabrics, honey and stardust from outer space.

The Zoo of Rejects

2009-11-08T14:20:00.000+02:00

It's a zoo in the rabbit hole today. I haven't done much drawing lately, so I thought I'd draw some of my favourite animals, with the theme: "I don't believe in genetics".

This is a panda.

Maybe I'll build a city tomorrow. I just need a map, a printer and a camera. And some confidence! Yes, I have realized that there's some imaginary pressure in front of being able to work, so I will just burst that non-existent bubble and get on with it. Stay tuned!

Whites in Twilight

2009-11-07T11:52:00.000+02:00

Walking home last night, it was a bit magical, and soulful.

I've had difficulties with picture making lately. Maybe this is the weekend to get started properly with dreaming up scenarios and collecting pictures. And spend some time with my friend, the piano.

All Hallow's Eve

2009-10-31T17:50:00.000+02:00

Carved bell peppers. Just big enough for tiny candles.

Hello five months of sunsets and long evenings and mental hot water bottles.

Beginner's Guide to Spotting Cats

2009-10-29T20:01:00.004+02:00

Spotting cats out and about is a dear hobby of mine. It's like treasure hunting. Meeting new cats is a great activity to combine with travelling, especially when you a) are bored with the Eiffel Tower and the likes, b) only have money for a bus ticket, or c) miss your cat at home.

Some steps on how to locate them:

Wait until Sunday. There's less noise from traffic and cats are more out in the open. Maybe its just my cats, but they spend most of the morning asleep and then get more active in the afternoon.
Go to the suburbs: the quiet middle class neighbourhoods with detached houses. These areas are often at the end of bus lines from the city centre.
Look for cat flaps.
Preserve a calm demeanor. Blend in with the prospective cats to spot.

And they will come to you. These are some cats I came across one Sunday in Strasbourg this past summer. The tram took us near the EU buildings and after wandering through Parc de l'Orangerie, we took a walk in a very suburban neighbourhood with apple trees, and cats. The cat in sitting under the fence was a bit upset. I think she might have been pregnant. The black cat was a bit shy and the lazy cat was very friendly.

For inner city cat spotting, try glancing at windows. This one I spotted on a semi-busy street neart Edinburgh city centre.

There are also some cats that come to a specific to hang around every day. Like this cat in the Royal Botanical Garden in Edinburgh that likes to watch squirrels. One of my favourite cats is Milla, who I walk by on most summer days. She enjoys the sun in the courtyard of a block of flats. I have heard she has been around for at least ten years:

First Snow Today

2009-10-28T17:53:00.000+02:00