ON MEMORY, A PERSONAL PHOTOGRAPHIC PROJECT

You may or not know already, I am working on a personal photographic project on the subject of memory.

+ Since I were a young girl I keep a diary, with stories and mementos of things I did such cinema tickets, little notes people give me, lots of scraps. I started keeping a diary, I guess, because I could not remember my childhood years and the thought of it was very unpleasant to me.

++ Recently I realised some things of my past had faded or disappeared completely from my memory. Most of the times even without me noticing. By coincidence I read a page of my diary that tells a story I have absolutely no idea about. If it where not for my own handwriting, I could not even tell it really happened.

 

+++ From pictures we all know things about our life; even those things we cannot remember such as being in the arms of your grandad when you are just born. 

Pictures are to me another form of diary writing, maybe a better diary that can include things we can and things we can't possibly remember.

They bring up memories and old feelings and emotions as if they emerged from water. I want to find a way to express this and the way I feel about things that are no longer in my memory, but that I want to recuperate and hold on to.

This work about lost and found memory will be exhibited in a collective exhibition, in february 2015. 

For the time being I'm planning to share some work in progress. Dates and venue will be shared soon, as well.

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LISBON & A CONCERT

In the beginning of November Mr T and I went to Lisbon for a couple of days. 
We arrived in the evening, welcomed by rainy weather and a delicious homemade cinnamon liquor in our rented apartment.

We were looking for delicious portugese food but ended up having dinner at Edelweiss swiss bistro, which was also super good so I really recommend it. Here you can find them on fb.

After dinner we wandered the streets in the old quarter Barrio Alto. Discovering Lisbon in the light of old streetlights was special to me.

In the morning the sun was unexpectedly shining, we walked up in a wonderful light

A perfect day for walking, walking, walking.

Lisbon beautiful tiny streets and famous tram nr 28 route

Tiles and cute balconies everywhere

The sky before rain showers

Hilly streets and tram cables. 

We walked till the sunset.

 

I vividly remember this walk towards the Coliseum theatre to see the concert I was so much looking forward to -actually the reason for this Lisbon short trip. 

Soooo excited!

Placebo. Above pictures credits: everythingisnewpt [left] and henriquelourenco[right] 

Yes, I sang from the top of my lungs together with all these people and the band, of course. Fantastic concert.

The day after the concert was time to go back home, unfortunately. 

We had yet another delicious breakfast -if you asks me coffee and pastry are wonderful in Portugal- and headed to the airport. 

... 2 days can be very short but they will stay in my heart for ever I guess.

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JUST THE TIME OF A PICTURE

3 of mine pictures from the series Hide&Seek, shown at Mediateca di San Lazzaro as part of the collective exhibition 'Soltanto il tempo di una fotografia'.

Following 
the beautiful work
by other photographers
exhibiting with me.

1.    Il volto della maschera, 2014

     Daniele Alfe' ©  

2.    I sogni a colori, 2014
       Paola de Gregorio  ©

3.    Autoritratto, 2014
       Cristina Lovadina ©

4.   Auto assassinio, 2014
       Cristina Lovadina ©

5.    Senza titolo, 2014
        Maria Grazia Palladino ©

6.   Senza titolo, 2014
       Stefania Polidoro ©

 

URBANJUNGLEBLOGGERS 13 > PLANTSHELFIE

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After missing a couple of appointments, I am happy to join today's Urban Jungle Bloggers Plant Shelfie topic and show you my shelves with few of my succulents and a super fast growing hanging plants.
I love these shelves next to our little sofa in the dining room, my reading area.

I am experimenting with plants in this area; I hope they'll do well as it is a bit far from the main window but I surely will appreciate more green friends when I am reading.

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Thanks again to Igor (Happy Interior Blog) and Judith (JOELIX.com) who started this series. Hope you liked today's contribution and maybe feel inspired to see more urban jungle inspiration from the Urban Jungle Bloggers growing community.  Every month we share ideas to create an urban jungle through styling ideas, DIYs and green tips & tricks. You can find additional inspiration on our Urban Jungle Bloggers Pinterest board and keep up-to-date via our Facebook page 

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PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION

Hi there, I am back. 
It has been pretty quiet around here, and wanted to come back so here am I.

September has been a busy and productive beautiful month. I think of september like a time for new things and change. Somehow it's like the new year starts straight after summer instead of starting in January. Well... I loved the way this new work-year started.

Today I share one of the projects I was involved with. The invite you see above is for a photography exhibition, I am happy to invite anyone nearby or visiting Bologna the coming weekend. 

I designed the invite & I have a few pictures exhibited too.
Like last year [you can read about it here and here if you like], it's an exhibition showing the work of Simone Martinetto's photography students. 
I followed his course Fotografare con la luce -photograph with light. It has been great fun as well as a meaningful learning curve. Can't tell you how much I enjoyed our night excursions in the woods with Mrs Canon, tripod and a bunch of really lovely people around. Even more I enjoyed Simone's teaching/coaching.
I would recommend his photography courses to anyone.

Opening is on Saturday 27 September at 19:00, info about location you find in this site.
If you pop by, we'll have a chat and I will show you around.

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DANIELA TIENI

Daniela Tieni is a free lance illustrator based in Rome, whose work I loved since I saw it.

+++ +++ +++ + + + ++ + + +  ++++ ++++ +     + + ++ + +            + + ++ + +    

            +++ +++ +++ + + + ++ + + +  ++++ ++++

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+     + + ++ + + 

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Her illustrations and paintings, of an esquisit
delicate and oniric imagery, 
explore various fields such as prints, magazines, 
editorials, books and many more projects she
likes to develop with other creative people.

+ Let’s start from the beginning. 
Where are you from? What do you do?
I am from Rome and work as illustrator.

Is illustration something you discovered from an early age? 
Was it love at first sight or it slowly developed?

Illustration arrived rather late in my life, speaking under the professional point of view.
I studied Scenography. For many years I followed the road of Set Design, a road connected to theatre - my first love. Yet, something inside was telling me I also needed something different. That is how I decided to fall into the world of books, into the images living in many of them where I understood that I would have liked to be an illustrator for a living. Later, I never regretted this decision, it has broadened my horizons.  

What is your daily routine like?
I wake up and, after a hearty breakfast, my sweet battle with blank paper starts, a battle that will end in the evening.  I do not have a regular routine: simply I organize my days differently -depending on work load and assignments.

What inspires you?
Inspiration arrives from everything around me, from what my eyes experience, from my ears. My senses become more sharp trying to capture signals coming from intangible things, such as air. But there is no thing such as flashes of inspiration, instead there is constant study and work: body and mind need to be educated to beauty, to its dark side as well -if you wish. Life is made of contradictions. One can not always succeed, be attent, but when one is open it's really great to see the world in this way. It helps. It's not always easy to be enthusiastic, there are moments when one feels like throwing everything away and quit illustration altogether.  But my desire of start drawing again is always stronger. I believe this is my only reason to go on. It's that it's to tough to live without it.

Is your work autobiographic? 
No doubt some feelings or moods can influence my images but generally it's not. I don't feel the need to be autobiographic. I rather say something other than about myself. 

Often one finds elements of landscape or mysterious vegetation interwined between your characters, how important is nature in your story telling?

Very important, I would say. I am fashinated by its power. Nature appears to me so unreachable in its very essence, that is impossible to resist it. I try then to establish a communication channel with it through its representation in my drawings.
Lately I often feel like drawing rocks and mountains, but I also feel the need of leaving behind vast green spaces or other kind of landscape to study and concentrate more on urban scenery.

Is there a favourite character in your work to whom you feel pacticularly attached?
Answering this question is not easy. I can tell you some works have a special place in my heart than others for various reasons. 

What are you working on at this moment?
I'm finishing in these days a project in collaboration with photographer Claudia Toloni.

At the same time I am working on other projects simultaneously: there's a lot to do, I need to work hard on them all!

3 unmissable objects on your desk.
Paper, pensil, bisquit. 

One thing you love, one you hate.
Dance, arrogance.

A dream in the closet?
Travel the world as much as possible. 

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 + + ++ + +              + + ++ + +           + + ++ + + ++++++

           ++++ ++ +++ + + + ++++       +++ ++++

A special thank you to Daniela for being guest star at Its Nice Here today.

All pictures in this blogpost are kindly provided by Daniela herself. If you felt intrigued by the unique imagery she creates follow her work on her beautiful blog or on her facebook page.

illustrations Daniela Tieni © - Technique: acrilics, pencils, brush pen 

---------------------  Intervista in Italiano ---------------------

URBAN JUNGLE BLOGGERS 10 > CREATIVE PLANT POTS

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|||| |||| || |   || || ||| ||| || ||| ||| || ||| ||   ||| ||                               | || ||| ||||| || | |                           || | |||                 ||||| ||

                                                                                            | || ||              | |||  || ||| ||| ||               ||| || ||| || ||| ||| |     Welcome again to this month appointment with Urban Jungle Bloggers. Living in urban environments makes it quite vital to create an happy place with green at home. The topic this time is how to dress up your plants with pots. 

Most of my plants are in the garden, but my small family of indoors plants is growing since I have joined UJB and I must admit I love to see more and more green foliage inside aswell. Many of my pots are made of simple white ceramics that I love exaclty for its simplicity. Something else I also love for my plants though is raku ceramics. I love raku too because its ancient feel, kind of rawness quality- that relates much to nature in my view.

All my raku pots are made by Italian sculptor and friend Stefania Malferrari, based in my home town Bologna. She produces very interesting raku ceramics vessels and pots. I think her work fits plants beautifully: a sapient mix of unglazed surfaces with glazed graphic signs and embossed lettering. I like the way she works with with positive/negative colored shapes on her pots.

hanging dotted pots > raku

blue cross vases > raku ---- black stripe vase > naked raku

terracotta vases > neriage technique

--------------------You can find Stefania Malferrari's beautiful pots for sale in this beautiful City Nursery here or alternatively contact her directly at stepi2001@libero.it

All pictures courtesy of Stefania Malferrari.

Hope you liked today's contribution and maybe feel inspired to see more urban jungle inspiration from the Urban Jungle Bloggers growing community. This is a monthly series hosted by 2 bloggers: Igor (Happy Interior Blog) and Judith (JOELIX.com). Every month we share ideas to create an urban jungle through styling ideas, DIYs and green tips & tricks. You can find additional inspiration on our Urban Jungle Bloggers Pinterest board and keep up-to-date via our Facebook page 
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