"Her Northern Roots" is a book about women with Northern roots. A synergy captured in photos by Una Taal and text by Kristīne Kutuzova.
'Her Northern Roots' is a journey back to explore the impact of the lineage, succession in developing every woman's world view. The project itself started in spring 2019, and within a timespan of almost two years authors have searched to find as many things in common as possible to advocate for the importance of empowerment, encouragement and sisterhood in every community regardless the generation.
order
SHE KNOWS HOW TO PAINT A RAINBOW EVEN IN
A MURKY SKY
Visually Compelling
UNA TAAL
CO-AUTHOR, Photographs
When I first saw myself captured by Una, I wrote: “She sees me, because she was one of the brushes that painted me.” Perhaps then my words literally applied directly to us. We have known each other for over fifteen years, but I dare to affirm my message has obtained an even bigger, more symbolic meaning. Each woman who has had a chance to stand on the other side of Una’s camera eye has witnessed her wise look. Little girls with their long braids, closest friends and peers and even those women, whom she admires and was scared to her core to address – they all were charmed by their time together. Why? Because we all spoke the same language. The language of compassion and acceptance – the one we all long for.
Una has chosen black and white photography as her tool of expression. It is hard to find a more honest way how to show others to the world. It would be even harder to find a more generous way to spotlight the depth, the beauty and the worth of a woman.
IG @UNA_TAAL
KRISTINE KUTUZOVA
CO-AUTHOR, TEXTS, TRANSLATION
Daring to write about woman. The fear would end the sentence with a question mark, but the doubt dressed as society would promote it to the exclamatory! All I had were a couple of dots, and I used them after each word to begin with. Daring. To write. About. Woman. I start reading from the end quite often. It makes it easier for me to enjoy the details with less hustle when I know the ending. Singing or painting are not my talents, so my offer to Una was to dance or to tell the female story. I feared to write. I doubted if I was allowed. I had a chance, and I chose to take it. I dared.
IG: @NORTHERN_KRISTINE
LI: @KUTUZOVAKRISTINE
— SANITA REINSONE, DR.PHILOL.
WRITER, RESEARCHER, LATVIA
kind words
Northern daughters, as portrayed by both authors of the book, demand for an undivided attention. It seems, the mind has to be immaculately sharp. An hour during the rush of the day or a moment in the evening, burdened by daily fatigue will not work. The text is dense with metaphors, finely decorated with sensual depictions, reminiscences and half word stylistics.
— Inta ruka
photographer, latvia
Beautiful, unembellished portraits of women, and almost untouched nature. Many photographs are poetic. Nothing has been left out. Good set-up, details, excerpts. Everything holds up well: the photographs, the environment, the text and the character of each woman in her monochrome story. The portrayal of individual significant woman for Latvians is especially delightful and can be considered as the expression of humble respect and the show of gratitude for their courage and valour from the authors of this book.
Get In Touch
