IDA

TAAVITSAINEN

IDA TAAVITSAINEN

Objects of Survival
2009
salt and albumen prints

For the series Objects of Survival I photographed things that I took with me when moving to England in 2008. The objects related to my personal history, many of them were gifts from people close to me, and were therefore full of memories and helped me feel safe and at home in my new country. The photographed objects might seem mundane or of no valuable to the viewer, but to me they were priceless. Combined with the images of objects are photographs of letters I received from friends and family during my stay in England. Despite the existence of email and social media, writing letters was a natural and important way for me to keep in touch with my loved ones while living abroad.

These images contain a sense of romantic nostalgia and longing for times passed. They are deliberately photographed from above, with the objects lying on fabric, like valuable objects in a museum vitrine. The images are salt and albumen prints, an old technique that dates back to the early history of photography. The choice of technique is emphasising my longing for the past.