28 November 2011

for the snow to snow.

temperatures are still way above 0° and it hasn't snowed yet. I so much want the snow to fall to light up the darkness - as it did last year on the 18th of november! I have selected in fact six photographs from my old photos collection - to share in honour of the snow.
for the snow to snow!
✻ from various flea markets in Helsinki, Milano, Stockholm, Athens.
✻ from my family album: my grandpa Dino on a glacier on the Alps.
while I write this I am listening to Bird by Snow - to stay true to my purpose.

23 November 2011

christmas birds.

it may be too early to talk about Christmas - especially since the snow has yet to fall - but when I am at home sick the best way to spend the time for me is to draw: so I have started preparing some Christmas cards for my friends.
I would like to share a few:
✻ I think birds can be also very christmassy - don't you think so?
✻ the open card looks like this.
I hope these and other cards will make my friends happy at Christmas. november is going to be over soon and I am hoping for a white december - even though the weather is strangely warm this winter.

21 November 2011

old negatives.

it is quite easy to find old photographs in flea markets - but what about old negatives? I had been looking for some in Valtteri and found only a few: three large black and white negatives probably from the 50's/60's.
darkroom prints:
my favourite - the photographer must have nailed the exposition: it was quite easy to print.
✻ the negative was quite overexposed - but I really like the subject. could that building be Turun linna?
the hardest to print: it was clearly shot towards the sun and the figures turned out very dark.
I wonder if these three photographs were all shot with the same camera: according to the focus it must have been an agfa with a fixed lens - like my clack.
printing old negatives is so very interesting: I am going to look for more. maybe my friends could send me a few - if they have some: it would be such a wonderful gift!

17 November 2011

more lovely letters.

I want to share a beautiful surprise letter I got today from my dear friend Miia - it was so big that I had to go to the post office to collect it.
♡ Miia:
beautiful packaging - when I saw it I thought it must have been hers.
✻ she always sends the most birdish of postcards - owlish in this case.
✻ this pretty bird was the hero of the letter - I won't ever forget to water my plants now.
♡ I have also got a birdish looking letter from dear Joey:
♥♥♥
mine is surely the happiest mail box in Helsinki - thank you my friends!

14 November 2011

lintujen ruokintapaikka.

more than a month ago I have placed a sad smiley in my neighborhood - where a sign forbids you to feed the birds.
Lintujen ruokkiminen kielletty.
birds make the city look prettier!
last thursday night I have eventually made an intervention for the birds: in winter time they need more food.
Lintujen Ruokintapaikka.
I have hanged plenty of food balls from the bushes and placed a home-made feeder full of nuts below the forbidding sign.
watch the video:
special thanks to Jacopo for taking care of this video.
I hope Lintujen Ruokintapaikka will encourage people to feed the birds!
P.S. to see other interventions check out otanieminterventions.tumblr.com: where everyone - who have just attended the interventions workshop in Environmental Art department - have uploaded their works.

11 November 2011

green is in.

beside the fact that today is 11.11.11 - I have got something very pretty in my mailbox. a couple of weeks ago - a wonderful girl living in Porto asked me to start exchanging letters with her: of course I said yes.
first letter from Joana:
the envelope with this bird attached is so beautiful.
the inside of the envelope is even more beautiful.
she has also sent a pretty white shell - which still contains sand from Portugal.
I am so happy Joana has started writing me - it is lovely that she has collected precious stuff to send me. I have to recommend her blog and her flickr: with the most wonderful analogue photographs.
Joana: expect a letter soon!

10 November 2011

postcards of birds.

my school friend Kaisa gifted me with 24 beautiful postcards of birds and other animals: it was an unexpected and pleasant surprise. I would like to share some related to autumn and winter - as today the temperature dropped below zero.
six postcards of finnish birds:
a punarinta - one of my favourite birds: it reminds me of my grandma.
I have never seen this bird before - Kaisa told me they are likely to be spotted in lapland.
a punatulkku - I have only spotted two of them before: I hope to meet many more this coming winter.
a beautiful way to feed birds in the winter time - it is very common in the countryside.
a sinitiainen in the snow.
I do not recognize this tiny bird - does somebody know its name?
kiitos Kaisa!

06 November 2011

for the birds.

I have decided to take some photographs of birds - since they make my heart sing. we went to Seurasaari yesterday early morning: we placed some breadcrumbs and waited for the birds to come. the light in the forest was poor and the birds were moving fast - it wasn't easy to focus manually. later on we went to my studio and spent the afternoon in the darkroom - I have succeeded in taking a few nice birds shots: hope you'll enjoy them.
from a delta 3200 ilford 35mm roll:
✻ a kuusitiainen was the first to come to our banquet of breadcrumbs.
✻ a sinitiainen came shortly after.
✻ a talitiainen came along too.
✻ the sinitiainen called many more of his friends to the banquet: they are the bravest between small birds.
Seurasaari is a great place to feed birds - I really miss doing it on my window like last autumn: unfortunately feeding birds in the city centre is forbidden.

03 November 2011

polkadot magazine.

my interview has just been published on polkadot.it: you can read it here.
screen shots of the interview:
my interview is part of TRANSMISSION: I had to prepare a playlist to share along with a self made cover:
Sigur Ros – Glosoli • Neutral Milk Hotel – In The Aeroplane Over The Sea • Joanna Newsom – Peach, Plum, Pear • Camera Obscura – Suspended from Class • Belle & Sebastian – If You’re Feeling Sinister • Patrick Wolf – Pigeon Song • Emiliana Torrini – Heartstopper • Seabear – Owl Waltz • Ane Brun – Changing of the Seasons • Jonsi – Animal Arithmetic • Paula & Karol – House into a home • Paavoharju – Italialaisella Laivalla • Eleanoora Rosenholm – Maailmanloppu • Joose Keskitalo – On Hyvä Että Olet Surullinen • Nick Drake – Bird Flew By
✻ you can listen to my playlist when you go to read the interview on Polkadot.it.
many thanks to Giulia Milza for contacting me and to Polkadot.it!