Photo Corners headlinesarchivemikepasini.com
A S C R A P B O O K O F S O L U T I O N S F O R T H E P H O T O G R A P H E R
Enhancing the enjoyment of taking pictures with news that matters, features that entertain and images that delight. Published frequently.
Matinee: 'Women Trees'
21 August 2021
Saturday matinees long ago let us escape from the ordinary world to the island of the Swiss Family Robinson or the mutinous decks of the Bounty. Why not, we thought, escape the usual fare here with Saturday matinees of our favorite photography films?
So we're pleased to present the 410th in our series of Saturday matinees today: Women Trees.
In this 4:22 video by Hülya Tokur-Ehres, 100 women walk naked out onto a clear-felled area on a foggy morning in May. They are "free to wander and find their place," creating a tribute to the forest, the trees and the women.
It was the brainstorm of Swedish photographer Tiina Tahvanainen, based in the Åland Islands, who works in Finland and Sweden.
The liner notes explain, "This project is dedicated to the independent women of the world." We thought it particularly timely now.
Tahvanainen's portfolio is full of product, interior, food and nature photography. She describes her focus, "My strength is delivering a depth and specific mood to a picture. I am also fascinated by the worn and love to study odd places. You can also often see a poetic tone in my pictures and I love to see the small things in life."
The video, accompanied by a composition for the cello by Eric Satie, shows the women walking out onto the field and finding a place to stand for their picture. You can also find a few stills from the project on her Exhibitions page and her Instagram page that show more individual poses.
The stills were recently exhibited at Galleri Skarpans in Kvarnbo in a show that ended July 30. The gallery described the project:
With her pictures, Tiina Tahvanainen has once again created a suggestive world. The exhibition reflects a timeless place where women and trees are portrayed side by side. Wordless and beautiful. Poetic and thought-provoking. Bark and skin.
At the end of the video, we see the 100 Åland women all walk back to the staging area and get dressed. Simple as that.
And yet, nothing is as simple as that.