Beyond Places, Notes from Tallinn

Beyond Places is a photographic project that grew out of walking and careful observation of the city. It began without a clear plan or a predefined idea, driven instead by curiosity and a desire to notice places and scenes that usually remain outside the field of attention. I am interested in courtyards, back streets, quiet corners, and the textures of the urban environment. These are not tourist routes or destinations, but spaces most people simply pass through. They lack events and any obvious purpose, yet they shape the city as a lived, everyday environment. At the beginning of the project, I did not perceive myself as a full participant in urban life, and my attention naturally shifted toward places where it was possible to be without having to assume any particular role. These spaces without status became my point of entry into the city and largely defined the direction of my gaze. Many of the photographs contain no people, yet their presence remains perceptible — in traces of use, in objects, in altered surfaces, in the way space has been created and left behind, and in a state of quiet waiting that these places seem to hold. I am interested in this indirect presence, where the human figure is absent, but its influence continues to be part of the scene. The project is shaped by walking, observation, and chance encounters. Scenes are not sought out deliberately or repeated intentionally. What matters is the process itself — being in the space, noticing small shifts, temporary states, and simple combinations of form and light. The title Beyond Places refers not so much to geography as to a way of seeing. For me, a “place” is not a point on a map, but a moment of attention — an opportunity to see the familiar differently. Most of the project was created in Tallinn, but it is not limited to this city and can continue in other contexts while maintaining the same mode of perception. Tallinn, Estonia, 2021–2025