The Travellist Issue 2 March 2015 | Page 46

Spotlight SANDRA LÄÄNE ARTIST AND PAINTER SANDRA-ART.EU WHEN I WAS FOUR YEARS OLD, GROWING UP IN A COUNTRY HOUSE IN THE MIDDLE OF BEAUTIFUL ESTONIAN FIELDS AND FORESTS, MY FATHER HAD ME CONVINCED THAT HE WAS ACTUALLY AN ASTRONAUT BUT INSTEAD OF A SPACESHIP HE TRAVELLED WITH A LADDER. HE MADE ME BELIEVE THAT HE HAD AN INVISIBLE LADDER IN THE FIELD BEHIND OUR HOUSE. AND HE TOLD ME THAT WHENEVER THE MOON WAS FULL AND THE SKY WAS CLEAR, HE WOULD CLIMB THE LADDER TO OUTER SPACE. SOMETIMES AT NIGHT OUR WHOLE FAMILY WOULD GO OUT FOR A WALK AND EVERY TIME WE WOULD STOP AT THE PLACE WHERE THE INVISIBLE LADDER STOOD. FATHER WOULD SHOW US THE PLACES WHERE HE HAD LEFT HIS FOOTPRINTS ON THE MOON. I SAW THE PRINTS AND IT WAS PROOF ENOUGH FOR MY LITTLE HEAD. I REMEMBER HOW MY OLDER SISTER MADE FUN OF ME FOR BELIEVING IT, BUT IN MY MIND IT HAD TO BE TRUE. MY FATHER TAUGHT ME THAT EVEN IF PEOPLE SAY THAT SOMETHING IS NOT POSSIBLE IT DOESN’T NECESSARILY MEAN THAT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE. YOU JUST HAVE TO CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE. THROUGH THAT BEAUTIFUL LIE I FOUND MY OWN WAY TO TRAVEL TO SPACE. MY INVISIBLE LADDER COALESCED AND TOOK SHAPE THROUGH MY EXPLORATION OF ART. I LOVE MIXING SOMETHING REAL WITH SOMETHING ALIEN. AND TO HAVE ALTERNATIVE UNIVERSES BUT WITH THE TASTE OF HOME. STRANGE WOMEN, DARK MOONS AND AN ALOOF SETTING ARE THE CENTRE OF MY WORK AS WELL AS COLOURFUL, LARGER THAN LIFE IMAGES. 44 March 2015