Capturing life as it is

Pop-up exhibition “Gift card, anybody?” has been put out in the nature trails as a part of the #artabandonement movement

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Last week I presented for just 1.5 hours my pop-up show “Gift card, anybody?”. I was blessed with great weather and some visitors who took their time to see the small installments. I was really glad to see that there were more strangers, who after noticing the frames on the trees, came to see what they were about.

On Saturday I left all 10 pieces out in public for people to find as part of the art abandonment movement and do whatever they please. If you find one of the pieces, please take a look at the work and the accompanying text and share a photo of your experience. If you find one and want to take it home, please check the other side of the work and see if you would like to contribute some from your kindness.

The idea of this show and public exhibition is to draw attention to how deep plastic has melted into our lives. It surrounds us actually everywhere, every step of our life, ever since we wake up, go to the washroom, prepare our breakfast, travel to work, at the office and restaurant, public transportation etc. You may want to count all the plastic items you touch during one day and you will be surprised.

Okay, so what’s the big deal? The big deal is that plastic is here to stay forever. It is harmful to us and all wildlife, especially waterways and oceans. Yes, we can skip the plastic straws, but this is not the solution, as big companies will produce again and again more and more plastic, such as all the packaging, fishing nets, which all our oceans are full of, containers, etc…yeah, this list can go on forever. And yet here I am making the fuzz about gift cards. Just small pieces of plastic, right? But the amount of these created every year is mind-blowing. According to the International Card Manufacturers Association, nearly 17 billion plastic cards were produced in 2006. And 10 billion new gift cards are created every year. Now think of all the pens, all the combs, all the peanut butter jars, all coffee cups and lids, you can go on forever….

I used the gift cards that nobody wanted to buy to create these collages, as a way to attract people’s attention, stop and think about how much plastic there is and perhaps take steps to change the present. We as customers have a say, the more of us say something, the more changes will appear.

Just take a moment to think about it.

All materials used in this exhibition were salvaged, received for free, donated etc. Since 2017 I have been trying to create shows using already existing materials, meaning that I am not spending any money to buy new items. If to except for my recent exhibition which can be viewed on the outside windows of the Estonian House on 958 Broadview Ave until the 31st of October, which also marks the end of the Estonian House in Toronto, I have managed quite well.

Thank you to everybody who came along and made this a memorable evening.

Pop-up show “Gift card, anybody?”

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I will be presenting next week for a very short time, just 1.5 hours my pop-up show “Gift card, anybody?”. The show’s place doesn’t matter, as I will leave all 10 pieces out in public for people to find as part of the art abandonment movement and do whatever they please with them. If you find one of the pieces, then please kindly take a look at the work and the accompanying text and share a photo of your experience. If you find one and want to take it home, please check the other side of the work and see if you would like to contribute some from your kindness.

The idea of this show and public exhibition is to draw attention to how deep plastic has melted into our lives. It surrounds us actually everywhere, every step of our life, ever since we wake up, go to the washroom, prepare our breakfast, travel to work, at the office and restaurant, public transportation etc. You may want to count all the plastic items you touch during one day and you will be surprised.

Okay, so what’s the big deal? The big deal is that plastic is here to stay forever. It is harmful to us and all wildlife, especially waterways and oceans. Yes, we can skip the plastic straws, but this is not the solution, as big companies will produce again and again more and more plastic, such as all the packaging, fishing nets, which all our oceans are full of, containers, etc…yeah, this list can go on forever. And yet here I am making the fuzz about gift cards. Just small pieces of plastic, right? But the amount of these created every year is mind-blowing. According to the International Card Manufacturers Association, nearly 17 billion plastic cards were produced in 2006. And 10 billion new gift cards are created every year. Now think of all the pens, all the combs, all the peanut butter jars, all coffee cups and lids, you can go on forever….

I used the gift cards that nobody wanted to buy to create these collages, as a way to attract people’s attention, stop and think about how much plastic there is and perhaps take steps to change the present. We as customers have a say, the more of us say something, the more changes will appear.

Just take a moment to think about it.

All materials used in this exhibition are salvaged, received for free, donated etc. Since 2017 I have been trying to create using already existing materials, meaning that I am not spending any money to buy new items. If to except my recent exhibition which can be viewed on the outside windows of the Estonian House on 958 Broadview Ave until the 31st of October, which also marks the end of the Estonian House in Toronto, I have managed quite well.

All designs exhibited can be purchased.

Regards,

Kerly

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www.kerlyilves.com

October colours

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Yes, it is the month of many colourful leaves, lots of colourful lights and…yes, Halloween decorations. But you may want to overlook that consumerism holiday. Yes? No? What else is there, you may ask? Lots of other fun – nature walks, exciting books, cozy hygge movie sessions on the sofa with your loved one, volunteering for the others, expressing yourself, cooking comfort food. And just loving. And understanding. Even those who seem not to get you. Give them a chance to express themselves and try to understand.

I chose this photo for the month of October, as it was taken during the month of October a few years ago. I am sure you noticed the weird lines around the photo. Yes, it could have been a mistake or poor editing, but I decided that this is great. It adds to the image and creates some kind of mood to the already moody photo. Just do things differently, do not follow the crowd 😉

Don’t forget to drink your warm tea. 🙂

Rochdale College

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A little while ago I was asked to take a photo of the Rochdale College on Bloor Steer West in Toronto. It is always a challenge to get the high buildings in the photo in their glory. I tried from the top floor of Tartu College, but it didn’t work out due to a really sharp angle, as the Tartu building was too far away.

Why it is so important for me to make a post about taking a photo of a building? First its history and second the architect who designed it.

The 18-storey tower that once housed Rochdale at 341 Bloor Street is now known as the Senator David A. Croll Apartments. Completed in 1968, it is the sister building to the Tartu student residence a short distance west across Bloor street. Designed by the architects Elmar Tampõld and John Wells (who had earlier constructed the Charles Street Apartments at Bay Street and Bloor Street).

Elmar Tampõld was an Estonian, who also designed Tartu College, which is now a very successful co-op run by a small group of Estonians, with an archive, Estonian Studies Centre, library, and event spaces under the 18 floor dorm.

As an homage to its Rochdale days, the tower features the large Unknown Student sculpture out front.

Just read more about the building and its history from this article HERE, from 1980.

This is the best I got of Rochdale College:

Fun fact: since the building has such a great space for large billboards, Apple seems to have made a contract that only they are presenting their ads on the building. Driving from West to East one gets a “slap on the face” with their ads.

September tokens

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Though September marks that the summer is over, it may not be the case. Depending on where you are living. It may still be warm and sunny, so take advantage of it. I decided that I will only accept outdoor photography sessions until the weather permits, or doesn’t permit. I think nature and outdoor are so undervalued shooting locations that I can do something about changing it. I definitely will.

As by now you have noticed, the writings of this little blog are always encouraging you to spend time outside and this entry is no different from the others. September will start sharing nature’s little tokens with you – collect the leaves, chestnuts, pinecones and plants you can use in your kitchen or for healing purposes.

Here is a photo I took during a September wedding, which was actually one of the nicest weddings I have ever been to. We took photos outside by the sea, the beach offered a great couple of photography locations, the light was extremely good and it felt really good to be out in the fresh air.

Love yourself

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Photographers are known to be vain, right? You have heard about it? Good. But if you haven’t, please continue reading. I personally have no idea where this information is coming from, but I see some truth in it. Some. I used to be that photographer myself. I took photos of myself and posted them. A lot. But luckily I was young and silly, so this is far history for me.

Today I made an exception and posted this photo of myself, as it happens to be my birthday. The idea of this post is not to show how beautiful I am. Lol, I know that I am a beautiful person, but I do not need to post my face for that everywhere 🙂 BUT to inspire you to be more creative in whatever you do, in this case, photography.

Believe it or not, this photo is on one frame. No magic has been done here. After I took this photo, you could see all three of me on the screen. I will not reveal, as this really doesn’t matter, how the photo is done, as in this modern day, you can find everything online anyway. I took the extra mile at that time when I took the photo, so I can learn and explore more. And the only model I had by hand, was myself. So I had to break my long silence of posting my own face online for this post 😀

So, yes go ahead and be creative. And take a photo of yourself, if needed 😛 and love yourself!

August Northern Lights

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I took this photo a few years ago. What an exciting moment it was to be able to capture my first Northern Lights. I happen to live in a place, where their activity is hardly ever visible. So going out to “hunt” them was definitely an experience on its own. And I am glad about that. Photography is all about learning, being curious, exploring and experiencing. While doing all that the skills will get better as well. You gain confidence and most importantly, your life will get better and more enjoyable.

I think this is the main thing. Doing something for yourself, which charges you with the energy, which helps you to handle all the everyday life challenges or musts, like going to work, paying bills, waking up early etc.

Canada Day fireworks

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My recent excitement about photography, aside from the work I have been doing to update my product photography portfolio, was taking photos of the Canada Day fireworks. Well, it was quite a convenient “job”, as I was able to do it from my balcony. The only unfortunate fact was, that a tall building in my area was covering some of my view. I am definitely no longer into the loud boom and bangs, as I was sitting and taking photos with the earplugs on. The only “pay” was getting some decent enough fireworks photos.

July silhouette

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Summer, summer is here. Probably the most relaxed month of the summer. When you work all the time the only difference is that the days are longer and the air is warmer. Elderberries are ripe and colour the sidewalks dark purple or give you some solace while urban harvesting the kind bushes. More walks in nature, as honestly, nature calls.

I took this photo years ago during a summer music festival which no longer is, at Schilling. If you are an Estonian, then you know without any extra information who this person is. He is Peeter Volkonski. Maybe the closest thing to Mick Jagger. I like the vibes of this photo, the July vibes. Nice and warm summer nights, with music, friends and photography.

Enjoy the moment, as this is all you have.

Photographing the (old) dorm rooms at Tartu College

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A little while ago I had a chance to take photos of various dorm rooms at Tartu College. They have several room options in downtown Toronto for students who have been arriving in Toronto all around the world. It was my first so-called real architectural photoshoot. And I must admit that I loved it. Wouldn’t mind doing it again. If you are interested, shoot me an e-mail and let’s make the photos happen.

View of an old twin room. One of the rarest rooms available.

I guess the most fun thing was setting up the rooms, so they are ready for the shoot. One thing is to put things out you think is the best way. And the other is looking at the whole view through the viewfinder. Gathering the things and spreading them around in different rooms, so to have rooms look authentic and personal, was so much fun.

So-called old west facing kitchen. They call them old because these rooms are not recently renovated.

And the shooting. Well, it was somewhat challenging, as the windows were always bright, so the outside was oftentimes washed out. As I took these photos at the beginning of June when it was very sunny and hot. But at least you can still get the idea of the rooms. They are still pretty cool, I think. I like the two-desk situation and plenty of light. Perhaps not so much of a storage place, but at least a warm cozy corner one can call their own after being far away from home.

Single southside facing room.

As I said these are the photos of the old rooms, where the upgrade hasn’t happened. Next time I will share the photos of the renovated rooms and kitchens to show you the difference.