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Müürileht


In January 2024, I was part of Müürileht newspaper’s three-month residency program. Initially, my role was expected to focus mainly on managing the newspaper’s visuals and creating new segments.  I was also able to focus on my thesis topic, which explored contemporary culture scenes and playing with mediums.

Over three months, we established a collaborative structure. I took on the responsibility of managing the newspaper’s visuals, which are central to this residency, while Müürileht provided me with a platform to work on my thesis topic. 


#138 : KULTUUR JA RAHA

I took a more concept-driven approach since I was the only visual maker.  The central theme was “KULTUUR JA RAHA“ , exploring how art is shaped by investors and benefactors. I analyzed each article, identifying its essence and translated it into a visual form that tried to challenge the written content. This process required ensuring that each visual element served as an extension of the narrative rather than a mere illustration. All images made a whole, to create a unified look for the whole newspaper. 

RESIDENCY WORK ,,HI-HI-HI-HIPI”

My residency and thesis  drew inspiration from Liina Pääsuke’s spontaneous documentation on her instagram accound @veri.viljandi. I wanted to capture people around me as specific sub-groups and get their essence while playing with my author position and implementing it as a whole between Müürileht’s pages. On the second month I tried straight photography approach of f/64 members like Ansel Adams and Edward Weston. While testing it many times and trying to let my technical side take over more than my understanding of the places, i failed and got really mid-pictures. I tried a new approach - I aimed to contrast the idealized,  almost mythical portrayal of Viljandi with a more constructed, ironic perspective, referencing author Justin Patrone’s romanticized vision of the city. By selecting subjects and elements with Müürileht’s team, I created images emphasizing controlled aesthetics and used square format to reinforce the narrative.




Müürileht #139 : TÄHELEPANUMAJANDUS

My last topic at Müürileht was TÄHELEPANUMAJANDUS. Together, with Müürileht’s team, we decided to make a special cover design that would highlight the topic. I invited Diandra Rebase to our team, and tackled different aspects of the topic together. The idea was to make the entire newspaper as flashy and eye-catching as a glossy magazine at the dentist’s office.

Concept: Aleksander Tsapov, Diandra Rebase, Johanna Reinvald
Photography: Johanna Reinvald
Graphic Design: Diandra Rebase

Müürileht #139 : RESIDENCY WORK

For my final work, I explored on what I know best—my family. I had tried to remove myself as an author and failed for 2 months straight. I finally wanted to create something that would have a soul. I photographed my 15-year-old brother, Johann Georg Reinvald, whose ego had not found itself yet. I tried to capture him as unfiltered as possible,  allowing him to be authentic and in his room. I paired him with an image of our backyard grass. These two black-and-white photos, published side by side, symbolized growth and discovery for me, yet sadly staying unrecognizable to the reader.