A textile exhibition inspired by nature photographs open at Toompuiestee forest house 27.10

Laidla mainly finds inspiration in bogs, forests and the sea and uses plants and mushrooms to dye her textile works.


When asked about the process of creating her textile works, Laidla said, “I have so many textiles at home that whenever I see a photo I’ve taken, I already know which textile to use.” In addition to textile, she also uses natural materials such as wool or yarn.

Laidla said that she has been capturing nature photos for 12 years. During this time, she has also collected a wide array of textiles. “I realised that I could use these nature photos as inspiration to create textile works,” she said.


Laidla’s first textile works, “A Nature Photographer’s Pocket” and “Pocket of Surprises”, were more practical in nature. The former piece contains a number of different items useful for a nature photographer, such as a map or a bottle of mosquito repellent. The latter piece contains more random, yet fun items, such as small rocks.
“Both works can be continuously added to,” she said.

Laidla recalls that after taking the nature photography course in Tartu Folk High School, she also used to take part in its summer courses for five years to go to the sea. This is the reason most of her photographs and textile work are inspired by the sea. “As I live in Tartu, I really enjoyed these trips to the sea as I couldn’t have gone there alone,” she said.

In addition to the sea, Laidla has also captured photos and created textile works of bogs, forests, and landscapes located near Tartu. However, she has also been inspired by beautiful snow flowers on her balcony window.

This is not Laidla’s first time working with RMK. Her handmade carpets and wool moss were showcased at the “Tracks in the forest” travelling exhibition.

Her exhibition also includes a cutout of a newspaper – a photo of cyclists from the Estonian Fund for Nature taken in Laeva Village near Tartu. Laidla can be seen in the background. “It is a meaningful photo for me as it is taken in Laeva, the village where my grandfather once worked as a forest ranger,” Laidla said.

Külli Laidla’s textile works and nature photography exhibition will remain open at Tallinn Forest House (Toompuiestee 24) until 30 November. The exhibition is free. The Tallinn Forest House, also known as the RMK Tallinn information point, is open on working days from 9:00-17:00.

Further information:
Kristiina Viiron
RMK Communications Specialist
kristiina.viiron@rmk.ee
+372 5199 1549