Suur "A"

The Big "A"

Explorer Building, Tallinn.

Foto: L. Laanemaa 2016

HIljuti pöördus emaili teel mu poole keegi Louise L. Ameerika Ühendriikide ühest kunstigaleriist, kuna nad on koostamas Ansel Adamsi ülevaatenäitust ning talle jäi silma mu ammune blogipostitus, kus mainisin härra A-d. Nimelt on artsy.com eesmärk, et kunst jõuaks kõigini ning seetõttu palus Louise, et levitaksin head sõnumit ka siinse blogi kaudu. Seega, olge lahked ja palun külastage härra A-le pühendatud lehte: https://www.artsy.net/artist/ansel-adams 

Muide, e-kiri oli lõpetatud hr Adamsi tsitaadiga, millesse usun ka mina: "Fotot ei klõpsata, sa lood selle." 

A few weeks ago someone named Louise L. reached me from the States via email. The reason was that The High Museum of Art Atlanta is currently just about to put up an exhibition called “Cross Country: The Power of Place in American Art, 1915-1950”. More precisely, she found my old blog post about mr "A" and was wondering if I could feature the link on my blog. I, too, believe in making art accessible to everyone with internet connection, so herein I follow her wish and share the link that she provided: https://www.artsy.net/artist/ansel-adams 

By the way, her email was finished with a sentence by mister "A", that I totally agree with:

"You don't take a photograph, you make it."

 -Ansel Adams

Must on must

Black is black

 Mardi 3 & Turu 4, Tallinn 

9.04.2016

Supermaja

The Superbuilding

Hoone: arh. Ülo Ilves, skulpt. Edgar Viies (dolomiidist fassaadiosa)

Valmimisaasta / built: 1978

Lammutamisaasta / demolished: 2015

Foto: Laur Laanemaa (2015)

Lapsena bussiaknast vaadates 1980ndate keskel tundus see maja eriti uhkena: kõrge, sirge, lame, klaasist, ameerikalik, moodne. Teisi selletaoliseid sel ajal pealinnas ei leidunud. Suhteliselt karmina ja ebaautentsena tundus umbes aastal 2000 tehtud renoveerimislahendus, millega kaotati ära tumepunaste klaaspaneelide read fassaadil. Mälestustes on hoone ikka selline nagu algselt (vt käesoleva postituse lõpus foto).

Algselt asus hoones Eesti NSV Ministrite Nõukogu Riiklik Plaanikomitee, mis nimetati ümber 1989.a. Majandusministeeriumiks ja 1991.a. Rahandusministeeriumiks Allikas: Wikipedia 

Nüüd on see hoone maha lammutatud, asemele ehitatakse superministeeriumi maja ehk siis uut büroohoonet neljale Eesti Vabariigi ministeeriumile: (1) rahandusministeerium, (2) majandus- ja kommunikatsiooniministeerium, (3) sotsiaalministeerium ning (4) justiitsministeerium.

Being a kid in the mid 1980s and seeing this building from a bus window it felt like from another world: high, straight, two-dimensional, made of glass, American-like, modern. There were no other building like that during that time in the Capital (of Estonia). Somewhere around year 2000 the buildings facade was renowated and the dark red horisontal bands on the glass facade were replaced by mirror like elements - it felt unaesthetic and bizarre. In my memories, the building remanes as on the last pghotograph of this blog post.

Originally the building housed the Planning Commitee of the Estonian SSR Ministers' Council. The purpose remained the same - economical planning of the state - but it was renamed to Ministry of Economics in 1989 and to Ministry of Finance in 1991. Source: Wikipedia 

Last year this building was demolished to make room for a new super-ministry building that would house 4 establishments of the Republic of Estonia: (1) Ministry of Finance, (2) Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, (3) Ministry of Social Affairs, and (4) Ministry of Justice . 

Hoone aadressiks on Suur-Ameerika 1, Tallinn. Foto tehtud peale valmimist (1970ndatel või 1980ndatel). Foto allikas: Eesti Arhitektuurimuuseum. 

The bulding is addressed 1 Suur-Ameerika str, Tallinn.Photograph made just after the completion (end of 1970s or early 1980s). Original photo from Estonian Achitecture Museum.

Uus-Tatari

Linnamaastikud. Cityscapes

Pööripäev.

 Solstice.

Lühim päev, pikim öö.Shortest day, longest (to)night.

Peaaegu London

Almost London

Tallinn

Kange tahtmine on pilte sortida ja kirjutada möödunud reisidest aga - kõlab klišeena, kas pole - aega ei ole selle jaoks. Pole prioriteet, lihtsalt pole prioriteet. Samas mõlgub see mul meeles pea iga nädal, et peaks saatama mõned väljaprindid ka Indiasse, neile, tänu kellele üldse mõned fotod võimalikuks said. Lubadus on lubadus, kuigi mitu aastat juba möödas. 

P.S. ma siiani mõtlen vahel, et tahaks kohutavalt tagasi neid kogemata mahakustutatud fotosid, mis tegin 2010. septembris Londonis nende kahe päeva jooksul enne üht suuremat reisi. 

A huge will and urge follows me to select some images and write about journeys from the past. It sounds like a clichée but I don't have time for it, not at the moment, as it is not a priority right now. But soon. As I still have not sent out the paper prints of some of the portraits to the people in North-Western India. To the people without whom the portraits would not have been possible. Although years have passed, a promise is a promise.

P.S. I still miss my images that I accidentally deleted that were taken in London in mid-Septmber 2010 just before one of the longer journeys took place. 

Sama auto

Sama koht, eri päev. 

Same place, different day. 

Pööripäev

Solstice

Tänane on kolmel põhjusel märkimisväärt. Algas:

- valgenemine. Päev sai taas öö üle võitu: tänane on eilsest pikem peaaegu 1s,

- lumeperiood. Enne koitu hakkas mõnusat lund sadama, mis peaks püsima, 

- filmirull. Laadisin esimest korda pärast 8 aastat taas filmi fotoaparaati. 

Today is the day that is noteworthy for 3 reasons (in no particular order).
* Days getting longer. Today is the winter solstice and is the first day when we'll get more daylight hours than the day before. That continues until the summer solstice.
* Tonight it  started to snow properly, it has been broadcast that snow will stay. Skiing is definitely in.
* Today I loaded a b/w film after 8 years not using this oldschool medium. 

Tavaline talv Eestis, ent esimene korralik lumi on alati lummav. 

Ordinary winter in Estonia, but the first proper snow is always mind blowing. 

Mängu maa

Play Ground

Linnamaastikud: Paljassaare & Kopli

Cityscapes: Paljassaare & Kopli

Meeruse.

Kopli 79. Korralikud aknasillused. Thick lintels. 

Diisel täiskäigul. Full on diesel.

Liinivahe. 

Meri ja tehisjärv. Sea and a manmade lake. 

Paljassaare.

Katariina kai. Katariina Quai.

Lahesuu sadam. Harbour of Lahesuu.

Tööstuse. 

Tööstuse 47f. Üks Volta tehase hoonetest. One of the famous Volta Factory units. 

Kalaranna Kultuurikilomeeter. Kaotatud. Tulevikus saab sellest tänav.

Culture Kilometer at Kalaranna. Lost, taken, by the city council. In the future, here will be only a ordinary street. No more cycling or wandering. 

Sild

Bridge the cap

Juuni

June

11:06 a.m.

11:59 a.m.

 

Minutine lumesadu. Snowfall for a minute. 1:39 p.m.

Linnamaastikud: Tõnismägi

Cityscapes: Tōnismägi 

Auto

Car

See vana sõiduk tuletas kangesti meelde üht teist, mis oli märksa paremas seisukorras, ent samuti veidi veidralt "esitletud". Erinevad jäävadki silma. Vt ka siia. Ahjaa, see on ka selle talve esimene korralik lumi (sajab teist päeva) - varsti saab suusad alla.

This old vehicle reminded me a lot of the one seen in Queenstown (NZ) that was in a much better condition but still weirdly presented. You can check the other one out here. And yes, that is the first proper snow of this winter - started snowing the day before. 

Ordnung :)

@ Trummi 23

Ülemiste

15.oktoobril ilmuvas Äripäeva lisas "Ehitus" on hea sõbra MP'i tellimusel valminud fotolugu Ülemiste ristmikust, mis jäädvustatud nädal tagasi. Eile avatud sildadel ja tunnelites vuhises siis veel autode asemel vaid tõmbetuul. Kel varem pole silma jäänud, siis saab üht vanemat "Ehituse" lisa numbrit näha siin - alates lk 42 on üks mu varasem pildilugu maavärina tagajärgedest ehituses maakera kuklapoolelt. 

On the 15th of Oct 2013 Estonian business daily newspaper Äripäev will issue its new extra coverage about construction (called "Ehitus" in Estonian). My dear friend MP asked me kindly to cover a story about almost completed Ülemiste Intersection that consists of sever grade separations and tunnels. So about a week ago I went out to shoot the empty bridges with the busy traffic below. It didn't matter that it was a weekday night about 9:30pm it was still very lively. No wonder, by the statistics it is the most used intersection in the whole country.

P.S. who wants to see how an extra paper "Ehitus" looks like can go here. Starting from page 42 you'll see another of my photographic coverages about the Christchurch earthquake aftermath. 

Mees ja masin

Man and machine

"Maja on elamise masin.""The house is a machine for living in." 

Charles-Édouard Jeanneret 1923

(Pildistatud jpg-s, null järeltöötlust. Shot in jpg, zero post processing)

Ööd pole siin mustad

Nights Aren't Dark Here

Aitäh, H ! Thanks, H !

Õhtukohv

Evening coffee

Faisal kohvi kurnamas. Faisal draining the coffee

Mõned kuud tagasi oli mul au jagada elamist saudi-araablasest üliõpilasega, kes käis päeval käis koolis inglise keelt tudeerimas ja öösiti armastas koos sõpradega traditsioonilist teed või kohvi juua ja Saudi-Araabiast saadetud kuivatatud datleid süüa. 

Kord mai alguses koju tulles sattusin just siis uksest sisse astuma kui Faisal´il ja ta sõbral Abdu´l oli parajasti käsil araabia kohvi tegemine kardemoniga. 

Kutsusid siis mindki oma tuppa kohvi mekkima. Mõtlesin, et vahelduse mõttes ju täitsa tore korraks maha istuda ja kuulata, mis poistel pajatada. Sain vaevalt rätsepaistesse asutud, kui sõbrad saudid teatasid, et kurikuulus Osama on lõpuks tabatud. Olin veidi üllatunud, mitte asja sisu vaid pigem selle üle, mis kombel sellest teada sain. 

Kui täna 10 aastat tagasi NYCis lennukid majadesse kukkusid, siis mäletan täpselt, et olin kodus (Tallinnas) ja just trenni minemas. Helistasin veel E´le lauatelefonile üle, et mis teoksil ja kas ta ikka tuleb. Ta oli esimene, kellelt uudist kuulsin, ta kostis midagi säärast: "..ei tea mis sina teed, aga mina igaljuhul vaatan praegu telekast, kuidas lennukid USAs majadesse lendavad...". Olin kergelt hämmeldunud, läksin üksi trenni. 

--

Ei oleks eales arvanud, kus 10 aastat hiljem viibin ja millega tegelen. Samuti, lähtudes (super)riigi (super)võimetest, eeldasin, et maailma tagaotsituim mees tabatakse rutem, kui 10 aastaga. 

Maailm on väike ja täis üllatusi. 

A few months ago I had the honour to share an apartment with a Saudi Arabian student. He went to English lectures during the day and during the nights he loved to have some friends over and have traditional tea or coffee with some imported dried dates. 

On one of the early May evenings I came home and right at that moment Faisal and his friend Abdu were prepairing some arabic coffee with cardamom. 

They invited me to join them and sit down to have a cup of coffee. I thought that it wouldn´t hurt to sit down for a moment and hear what the boys have to say. I just took my seat on the floor as the Saudis anounced that at the very same day Osama had been captured. I was a bit suprised, not of the news, but just the way I got to know of them. 

When today 10 years ago airplanes were crashing into buildings I remember exactly that I was at home (in Tallinn) and prepairing to go to work out. I called E just to confirm that he is coming as well. He was the one from whom I heard the news first, it went something like this "..I don´t know what you are doing right now but I´m watching TV as the airplanes are flying into the buildings in the States...". I was a bit puzzled, but went and had my training session without E. 

--

Never ever I would have thought where I would be or what I would be doing in 10 years time. Also, taking into consideration the (super)power of the (super)states, I assumed that the most wanted man of the world would be captured sooner than in 10 years. 

The World is a small place and full of surprises.