Lena Sanver, a Swedish artist and photographer, has released a beautiful series of nature photos named Morning Light Over the River. This eye-pleasing series reminds us of visuals of from films such as Mirror and The Sacrifice by the late Russian film director Andrei Tarkovsky.
Writing about the series Lena Sanver stated: “I miss the subtle colours of winter when the colours of spring is getting more intense. But I love the variations that the seasons bring us. These photos are from last summer an early morning by the river.”
Tauras Beliavcevas, a Lithuanian photographer who focuses much of his work on minimalism, has released a splendid series named Architecture Minimalism. In the series Tauras, explores the beautiful and eye-pleasing archtecture of Lithuania through a minimalistic lens.
Writing about the series Tauras stated: “All the photos were taken in Vilnius. I love my hometown and wander the streets and spaces when I have time. Here you will meet old and new architecture.”
You can find more work by Tauras Beliavcevas here.
Setting foot first with his lovely composition Rebirth is the vastly-gifted composer and artist Juan Sánchez. In this emotionally driven piece, Sánchez dives in with a beautiful melody and well-structured progression.
Catching Flies Opals
Coming in with pure bliss is the amazing artist known by the name of Catching Flies. In this piece Catching Flies delivers a mellifluous composition that will have you in awe from the first note. The piece utilises small yet rich sounding elements throughout, adding layers of life into this truly majestic piece that is Opals.
KLANGPLANETVoyage
Making a comeback on our Sound Selection is the beloved music producer KLANGPLANET. In his piece Voyage, the Munich-based artist delivers a fantastic piece that flows with the well-known aesthetic of KLANGPLANET. This is a must-listen.
Chong the Nomad Two Colors
The final song to enter this Sound Selection is by Chong the Nomad named Two Colors. In this dynamic piece, Chong the Nomad delivers lilting synths with soft vocals that create an ear-pleasing combination. This one is for the playlists.
Landon Speers, a Brooklyn-based photographer, has released an eighty-page photography book named Wild Rose. The book features stunning photographs displayed through the vibrant eyes of Landon Speers who zings the nature of the photographs into life through stunning colour and lighting.
Mary Stuart, an Italy-based photographer who is vastly experienced in commercial and private photography, has released a stunning futuristic series named Another World.
According to Mary Stuart, the series focuses on changes in “life skin, life, love, death, end, snake, alien, birth, Space, air, choke, lines, chaos.”
Karen Jerzyk, a US-based photographer, has released a splendidly creative series of photos named Earth From Above which Jerzyk took using a drone. Jerzyk has utilised vibrant colours with creative imagery to create an eye-pleasing series of photos.
Stephen Merchant’s Fighting with My Family tells a charming, inspiring, and triumphant tale of Paige (Florence Pugh) and her brother Zak (Jack Lowden). Through their journeys, it expresses the message that achieving a promising dream is far from “fixed”, like the nature of professional wrestling.
Based on a true story (previously adapted as the Channel 4 documentary The Wrestlers: Fighting with My Family in 2012), the film follows Paige, her brother Zak, and their loving family of professional wrestlers from Norwich, England. Together, they live a difficult but happy life running an independent wrestling promotion. One day, the family receives a phone call from WWE, the biggest wrestling company in the world, giving once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to Paige and Zak to try out for them. While they both give their all, only Paige has been given a spot in NXT, the company’s competitive training programme. Without her brother by her side, Paige has to leave her family to face the tough and harsh world of the WWE alone, hoping to achieve the dream to make it at the top of the wrestling world for her family.
With Stephen Merchant, the co-creator of the Office (UK) on board to write and direct this comedy-drama, Fighting with My Family marvellously balances the charming humour with dramatic moments throughout.
There are a couple of scenes from the get-go that I really liked, in which we see the daily life of the wrestling family. We see Paige and Zak teaching other teenagers, including a blind boy, to wrestle. Meanwhile, we also see the parents, Patrick (Nick Frost) and Julia (Lena Headey), planning a show wherein a wrestler has to take a bowling ball to the crotch. Not only are those scenes ridiculously funny, they also help us emotionally relate to the characters as a bonkers yet very humane family. When the dramatic moments appear, Merchant isn’t afraid to hold back the gags to approach them in a serious manner.
The thing that really stands out for me is the expression of loneliness and isolation in the hardships of the characters. Paige is often alone, struggling to fulfil her and the family’s dream in a completely different and tough environment. The film achieves such emotional expression not only by the brilliant writing and the direction of Merchant, but also the performances from Florence Pugh and Jack Lowden who both merge with their characters’ emotions extremely well.
The film inhabits the world of professional wrestling, and lays out the fact that it is fixed, rather than it is fake. However, the film struggles to maintain this fact throughout the film for the sake of keeping the business side of professional wrestling a secret to general audiences. Understandably, films often take creative liberties when adapting real-life stories. However, as I have followed the WWE program for a long time, I cannot help but point out that the film simplifies the development brand NXT from an exciting wrestling programme to just a training ground. As a result, the film leaves out some of Paige’s major career highlights. Her time as the inaugural NXT woman’s champion and involvement in the brand’s first network special are integral factors which bring back the excitement of wrestling in WWE at the time.
To conclude, Fighting with My Family is well crafted with humour and emotional notes. This character-driven underdog story thankfully does not require you to know about professional wrestling beforehand to enjoy, making it much more accessible to audiences.
Tom Hoying, a US-based photographer, has released a splendid series named Scenic View which explores tourist culture and the bond between the experience and photography as a tool.
Writing about the series Tom Hoying stated: “Every year millions of people visit countless landmarks, lookouts, monuments, and museums in search of an authentic lived experience. The nostalgia ofplace can be overwhelmingly powerful. Often the anticipation of a photographed experience, and the memories associated with the photographs produced are more potent than the lived experience itself. Scenic View is a series of photographs that attempt to explore tourist culture and the relationship photography has as a tool to mediate and document lived experience.”
Cappa, a rising name in the world of pop music, has released her single I Do. In this latest playlist-must have track, CAPPA delivers some sweet-sounding vocals and an energy that will have you hooked from the get-go. If this song does not get you excited, not much will.
Zaia BLUE
Coming in with a blast of a track is Zaia, a twenty-year-old music producer who combines wonderful bass and majestic-like vocals to create a truly splendid atmosphere throughout the track BLUE. This one is for the playlists.
Fool Child Bend
Fool Child, a Melbourne-based Indie Pop duo, have presented us with Bend, a melancholy driven song that utilises dreamy-like vocals with simple yet effective and ear-pleasing production. Having released Bend, we are thrilled to see what is next for Fool Child.
Choosey & Exile Low Low feat. Aloe Blacc
The final song of this Sound Selection is by Choosey & Exile featuring the beloved singer-songwriter Aloe Blacc. In this energetic and catchy track named Low Low, Choosey & Exile deliver quite the journey with top-notch jazzy production, smooth vocals and an overall vibe that will keep you listening for days and weeks to come.
