Parnu

Last year when I was artist in residence at Polymer I rarely left the factory and never when outside Tallinn, so this time I promised I would get out there. The trip to Tartu and the culture factories in the south was disappointingly postponed so Sandra suggested we hitchhike to Parnu the holiday capital of Estonia.

In the morning I did another workshop with the students from the university. This time we tried out cyanotypes and I got a lend of a blow heater so that we could dry the treated paper and use t immediately. There was still not much sun so it would still take a few hours to expose. In the meantime we made paper and discussed photography.



After 12 Sandra turned up so I got ready and we headed out on the road. It was raining but our outlook was positive and we saw this as being an advantage for us; in that drivers would feel sorry for us. We took a trolley bus to freedom square, got some tea and then caught the 18 to the edge of the city. It took about an hour but as we drove the sun came up and it stopped raining.



We were only on the road for 5 minutes when a camper van stopped. He only had one seat and wasn't going very far so we politely declined the offer of a lift. A couple of minutes later a brand new Lexus pulled over. He was going all the way to Parnu - result!!


We drove in silence, listening to cheesy 90 love songs on the radio. We stopped briefly for coffee and got back on the road. The countryside was so pretty in the sun reflecting off the rain soaked roads. On either side miles of natural forest (with bears I'm told).


We arrived in Parnu after 3 and our driver dropped us off outside the gallery were Sandra currently has an exhibition.

Our driver agreed to be documented!

Sandra's exhibition included her series of stand-up shows and caramel sculptures of a giant tongue which seems to have been captured in the act of eating meting sugar brains. In one of her stand-up shows Sandra talks about being a hypochondriact. One she had convinced herself she had diabetes, and although she feared seeing a doctor eventually she went and was told she was fine. Although the results of the test show the facts Sandra seems to doubt this.


After the show we went across the road to a really cute cafe and I had a giant piece of cake with my coffee. I couldn't eat it all so after her soup Sandra ate the rest of it. We browsed some magazines and after some time decided we would walk to the beach. It was a terrible idea because as we walked the rain got heavier and it was almost impossible to see anything. We gave up and decided to browse the shops before going to the opening of Mina Balti's show at the Town Hall.

The cafe was featured in and interior design magazine.

At the show after the speeches most people went up to the artist with flowers, chocolates or wine. It seemed like such a lovely gesture, maybe I will start to do this when I go to openings - start a trend.
The artist had been on a 7 month trip at sea and made the painting in response to this experience. The sailors had brought rum so as well as the beautiful display of fruit punch, traditional Estonian open sandwich/cake and fruit bowl there was a bunch of people in one room necking rum. As I floated from room to room all around was the sound of live folk music. It was a very sensual experience.

After cocktails at a trendy bar Sandra and I disappeared into the night...