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Top 5 Wedding Photography Trends to Watch

Wedding photography has always been about freezing those fleeting moments of pure joy, but 2025 is bringing some seriously exciting shifts to how couples want their love stories captured. Gone are the days when everyone wanted the same Pinterest-perfect shots. Today’s couples are craving authenticity, creativity, and images that actually reflect who they are as people.

If you’re planning your big day or you’re a photographer looking to stay ahead of the curve, these five trends are absolutely worth your attention. They’re not just passing fads – they represent a real evolution in how we think about wedding photography.

The Rise of Documentary-Style Storytelling

Forget the endless lineup of posed family photos that leave everyone’s faces aching from forced smiles. The hottest trend right now is documentary-style photography that captures weddings like a beautifully unscripted film. These photographers become invisible observers, catching the grandmother wiping away tears during the ceremony, the best man’s nervous laugh before his speech, or the bride’s sister helping her fix her veil in a quiet moment.

This approach creates wedding albums that feel more like intimate memoirs than traditional photo collections. Couples are specifically seeking photographers who can blend into the background and capture the raw, unguarded emotions that make each wedding unique. The result? Photo stories that transport you right back to those feelings years later, rather than just showing you what everyone looked like in their fancy clothes. For couples looking for New York’s best wedding photographer, this style is a perfect match, as it focuses on storytelling and the moments that truly matter.

Film Photography Makes Its Triumphant Return

Digital photography might be convenient, but there’s something undeniably magical about film that’s drawing couples back to this classic medium. Film photography creates images with a dreamy, nostalgic quality that digital simply can’t replicate. The grain, the color saturation, the way light behaves – it all adds up to photos that feel timeless rather than trendy.

Many photographers are now offering hybrid packages, shooting both digital and film to give couples the best of both worlds. The anticipation of waiting to see how film photos turn out adds an extra layer of excitement to the post-wedding experience. Plus, film naturally creates that coveted “vintage” aesthetic without any heavy editing or filters. Couples browsing inspiration on wezoree.com are increasingly requesting this timeless film look for their special day.

Drone Photography Opens New Perspectives

Aerial photography has completely transformed how we can capture wedding venues and celebrations. Drones allow photographers to showcase the full scope of outdoor ceremonies, revealing breathtaking landscapes and providing context that ground-level shots simply can’t match. Imagine seeing your entire wedding party arranged in the garden from above, or capturing the moment you and your partner walk down the aisle with the stunning venue architecture framing the scene.

The technology has become sophisticated enough that skilled drone operators can capture incredibly intimate aerial moments – like the newlyweds sharing a quiet dance on a terrace, surrounded by twinkling lights and the natural beauty of their chosen venue. It’s not just about showing off; it’s about adding genuine artistic value to the wedding story.

Creative Lighting Becomes the Star

Lighting has always been crucial in photography, but 2025 is seeing couples and photographers get seriously creative with how they use light as a storytelling tool. We’re talking about dramatic sunset silhouettes, creative use of string lights and candles, and even incorporating neon signs or colorful LED installations into the wedding design specifically for photos.

The golden hour remains popular, but photographers are pushing beyond that to create stunning images during blue hour, or using artificial lighting to create moody, cinematic scenes. Some couples are even planning specific lighting moments into their wedding timeline. Here are some of the most popular creative lighting techniques making waves this year:

  • Sparkler tunnels and exits – Creating magical pathways of light as couples make their grand departure
  • Backlit ceremony moments – Using natural or artificial backlighting to create ethereal silhouettes during vows
  • String light canopies – Installing overhead lighting that creates a dreamy, romantic atmosphere for reception photos
  • Colored uplighting – Using LED lights to wash venues in specific colors that match the wedding theme
  • Candlelit intimate portraits – Incorporating dozens of candles for warm, romantic couple shots
  • Neon sign statements – Custom neon signs featuring the couple’s names, wedding date, or meaningful phrases

Social Media Integration Done Right

While some couples are going completely unplugged for their weddings, others are finding smart ways to integrate social media that enhance rather than distract from their celebration. The trend isn’t about having phones everywhere, but rather about creating specific moments designed for sharing that also look amazing in traditional wedding albums.

This might mean designing a stunning hashtag display that doubles as ceremony decor, creating Instagram-worthy food and drink presentations that photograph beautifully, or setting up a dedicated photo moment that guests can share while the couple enjoys their reception. The key is making social media feel like a natural extension of the celebration rather than an obligation.

Conclusion

These photography trends reflect a broader shift in how couples think about their weddings – they want experiences that feel authentic, personal, and true to who they are as individuals and as a couple. The most successful wedding photographers in 2025 will be those who can adapt to these changing desires while maintaining their own artistic vision.

Beyond the T-Shirt: The Versatility of Screen Printing Explained

When the term “screen printing” comes to mind, most people immediately visualize custom t-shirts, hoodies, and athletic wear. Indeed, its dominance in the apparel industry is undeniable as colorful, long-lasting designs can be created to grab attention and establish a niche identity. Yet confining one’s idea of screen printing to primarily just fabric would be deeply underestimating its capabilities. As an ancient method that keeps evolving, this printing method possesses the advanced characteristics of utmost versatility, having become one of the favorite methods for a huge level of applications that stretch far away from the sphere of regular garment design. From industrial parts to fine art, the application of ink through a screen stencil onto a substrate is a very adaptable technique. For companies and individuals in search of custom-designed applications other than apparel, this opens up a myriad of creative and practical uses if they embark on an investigation of the vast opportunities screen printing Toronto suppliers have to offer.

The screen printing method basically involves using a stencil formatted over a mesh screen and forcing ink through the open areas of the stencil onto the material below. Its versatility comes from being able to use several different inks, almost any flat or fairly flat surface to print on, and its ability to deposit thick layers of ink that maintain opacity. That grants them excellent brightness for the colors, even over dark substrates, and wear resistance. While the name came from its application in the fashion industry, it shows brilliance in other industries, too, unnoticed by the simple observer.

The other side where screen printing is better for uses is signage and display graphics. Consider outdoor banners that carry through its marketing promise even with the harsh climate of Canada, bright posters, and point-of-purchase displays, or even large-format billboards. All these can be sized by screen printing methods, along with application of inks formulated for resistance to weather, UV stability, and long-term outdoor exposure. The ability to print bright, opaque colors is essential for grabbing attention in busy commercial environments.

On the industrial and electronics front, screen printing plays an unsuspected but vital role. It’s used for printing conductive ink onto circuit boards, manufacturing membrane switches for keypads (think microwaves and control panels), and applying precise markings or warning labels onto parts of machinery. Its precision allows specific thicknesses of inks to be deposited, an ability crucial to electrical conductivity or insulation specifications. This is to say that the technique is capable of being employed for highly technical and functional printing where aesthetics become slight secondary to exact performance specification. From automotive dashboards to appliance interfaces, screen printing entertains the functionality and user abet of innumerable products.

The other thirty-plus areas for screen printing include artistic and custom décor. It’s an artist’s tool for producing limited editions of fine art prints, often called serigraphs, that are highly sought after due to their unique texture and rich color saturation. They are beyond fine art into custom wallpaper, printed glass panels for architectural features, decorative tiles, and custom flooring. The option of printing on hard surfaces such as wood, metal, and plastic is useful for interior design and product customization, marrying practicality with the ability to turn everyday objects into personalized statements.

Then there’s packaging. Branded boxes, bags, to custom labels on bottles and containers: it’s the cost-effective screen printing way of doing high-quality graphics and branding. The ability to use materials ranging from paperboard, to plastic films, and even glass is what makes products pop on store shelves. With such a consideration of its range from art to fashion, screen printing is thus certainly an united industrial process.

In short, the custom t-shirt hardly remains a much-loved centerpiece of screen printing; screen printing’s true capabilities lie in its extraordinary versatility. The very basics of screen printing allow it to be applied to numerous substrates, inks, and purposes – which makes it indispensable everywhere from big media campaigns on the one hand to tiny electronic components and sophisticated art productions on the other. For businesses and artists all over the country, grasping this whole gamut of possibilities presented by screen printing opens a new range of solutions that are well beyond the t-shirt.

Why Bongs Are Better: A Comprehensive Comparison with Joints and Vapes

When it comes to cannabis consumption, choosing the right method can significantly impact your experience. While joints have been the traditional go-to and vapes represent modern innovation, bongs offer unique advantages that many enthusiasts consider superior. This comprehensive comparison explores why bongs are better than joints and vapes across several important factors including health aspects, smoothness, cost-efficiency, and overall experience.

Understanding Different Cannabis Consumption Methods

Before diving into why bongs are better, let’s establish a basic understanding of each method:

What Are Bongs?

A bong is a water pipe that filters and cools smoke through liquid (typically water) before inhalation. The basic design includes a bowl where cannabis is heated, a water chamber that filters the smoke, and a mouthpiece for inhalation. More advanced bongs may include percolators, ice catchers, and other features that enhance filtration and cooling.

What Are Joints?

Joints are hand-rolled cigarettes containing ground cannabis wrapped in thin paper. They’re the most traditional and portable consumption method, requiring only cannabis, rolling papers, and basic rolling skills.

What Are Vapes?

Vaporizers heat cannabis (either flower or concentrates) to temperatures that release cannabinoids and terpenes without combustion. They come in various forms, from portable pen-style devices to larger desktop units.

Health Effects of Bongs, Joints, and Vapes: What Science Says

When comparing the health impacts of different consumption methods, several factors come into play:

Combustion vs. Vaporization

Joints and bongs both involve combustion, which creates smoke containing potentially harmful compounds. However, bongs filter this smoke through water, removing some harmful substances. Research indicates that water filtration in bongs eliminates certain toxins like acetaldehyde and acrolein that are present in joint smoke.

Vaporizers operate at lower temperatures (around 390°F compared to 450°F for combustion methods), producing vapor instead of smoke. This significantly reduces exposure to harmful byproducts of combustion.

Filtration Benefits

The water filtration benefits in bongs cannot be overstated. Studies show that bongs filter out larger particles and some water-soluble toxins. Joints, lacking any filtration system, expose users to approximately 50% more harmful byproducts than bongs.

While vapes eliminate combustion entirely, they introduce other potential concerns such as heating element safety and, in some cases, additives in cartridges.

Respiratory Impact

Research indicates that vaporizer users report 40% fewer respiratory symptoms compared to smoking methods. Between bongs and joints, bong users typically experience less throat and lung irritation due to the cooling and filtering effects of water.

Bongs vs Joints: A Detailed Comparison

The bongs vs joints debate often centers around several key factors:

Smoothness and Comfort

One of the main reasons why bongs are better than joints is the significantly smoother smoking experience. Water filtration cools the smoke and removes harsh elements, resulting in less coughing and throat irritation. Joints deliver hot, unfiltered smoke directly to your lungs, which can be harsh and uncomfortable, especially for beginners or those with sensitive throats.

Efficiency and Potency

When comparing bongs vs joints, efficiency becomes a notable difference. Joints continuously burn whether you’re inhaling or not, wasting cannabis in the process. Bongs only burn the cannabis when you’re taking a hit, and the water filtration preserves more cannabinoids than you might expect. Research shows that bong users average 5.63 hits with higher subjective intoxication (43.37 on a 0-100 scale) compared to other methods.

Convenience and Discretion

Joints win in terms of portability and discretion, requiring no additional equipment beyond the joint itself. Bongs, while less portable, offer a reusable solution that doesn’t require the ongoing purchase of rolling papers.

Bongs vs Vapes: Which Offers a Superior Experience?

The bongs vs vapes comparison reveals different approaches to harm reduction and experience enhancement:

Temperature and Flavor

Vapes operate at lower temperatures, preserving more terpenes and offering potentially better flavor. However, many enthusiasts argue that the water filtration in bongs creates a uniquely smooth experience that enhances rather than diminishes flavor, especially compared to joints.

Control and Customization

Vaporizers offer precise temperature control, allowing users to target specific cannabinoids and terpenes. Bongs offer customization through different designs, percolators, and water levels. Both provide more control than joints, which offer little customization beyond the strain and rolling technique.

Initial Investment and Maintenance

The bongs vs vapes debate includes significant cost considerations. Quality vaporizers typically require a higher initial investment (ranging from $100-$300+) compared to basic bongs ($20-$100+). Both require regular cleaning, though bong maintenance is generally simpler and less technical.

Cost-Effective Smoking Methods: Comparing Long-Term Value

When evaluating the long-term economics of different consumption methods:

Initial Investment

  • Joints: Minimal (rolling papers: $1-2)
  • Bongs: Moderate ($20-$300+ depending on quality and features)
  • Vapes: Highest ($50-$500+ depending on type and quality)

Ongoing Costs

Joints require continuous purchase of rolling papers and potentially filters. Bongs have minimal ongoing costs beyond occasional cleaning supplies. Vaporizers may require replacement parts, batteries, or pods/cartridges depending on the model.

Cannabis Efficiency

Understanding why bongs are better often comes down to efficiency. Vaporizers demonstrate superior efficiency in cannabis consumption due to lower operating temperatures that preserve more cannabinoids. Bongs are more efficient than joints, which lose significant amounts of cannabinoids to sidestream smoke (smoke that escapes while the joint burns between puffs).

How the Bong Filtration System Creates a Smoother Experience

The bong filtration system works through several mechanisms:

  • Water Cooling: Smoke passes through water, which cools it significantly before inhalation
  • Particulate Removal: Water traps larger particles that would otherwise enter your lungs
  • Soluble Toxin Filtering: Some water-soluble toxins dissolve in the water rather than reaching your lungs
  • Enhanced Filtration Options: Percolators create smaller bubbles for more effective cooling and filtering
  • Ice Catchers: Allow for additional cooling by placing ice above the water chamber

Many experienced users agree that why bongs are better comes down to this water filtration system that cools and filters the smoke, creating a significantly smoother experience than joints while maintaining the full-spectrum effects that some feel are diminished with vaporizers.

Pros and Cons Comparison Table

Method Pros Cons
Bongs • Water filtration reduces harshness• Cooler smoke• Filters• More• Reusable design saves money long-term• Customizable experience with different designs • Less portable than joints or small• Requires regular• Can break if made of glass• Higher initial cost• Requires water• Learning curve for proper use
Joints •• Simple• Inexpensive• Social• No charging or maintenance required • Harsh on throat and lungs• Least efficient cannabis use• Continuous burning was• No• Ongoing paper costs
Vapes • No combustion reduces harmful compounds• Temperature control options• Discreet with minimal odor• Most efficient cannabis use• Less respiratory irritation •• Battery•• Potential hardware• Different high than combustion methods• Replacement parts can be expensive

 

Why Bongs Are Better: The Complete Analysis

When considering health impacts, cost efficiency, and smoothness, it becomes clear why bongs are better for many cannabis enthusiasts. They represent a middle ground that combines the traditional smoking experience with meaningful harm reduction features.

The primary advantages that make bongs superior include:

  • Balanced Harm Reduction: While vapes may reduce harm more significantly, bongs offer substantial filtration benefits while maintaining the full spectrum of effects that many users prefer from combustion.
  • Superior Smoothness: The water cooling system dramatically reduces throat and lung irritation compared to joints, making for a more enjoyable experience.
  • Cost-Effective Long-Term: Though requiring more initial investment than joints, bongs are reusable and more efficient, saving money over time without the higher costs associated with quality vaporizers.
  • Customizable Experience: Different bong designs, water levels, ice additions, and percolator styles allow users to customize their experience to personal preferences.
  • Ritualistic Satisfaction: Many users appreciate the ritualistic aspects of using a bong, which offers a more satisfying experience than the simplicity of joints or the technical nature of vapes.

Understanding different cannabis consumption methods helps users make choices aligned with their preferences, and for many, the balanced benefits of bongs make them the superior choice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are bongs really smoother?

Yes, bongs are significantly smoother than joints and many users find them smoother than vapes as well. The water filtration system cools the smoke and removes harsh particulates before inhalation. Research confirms that water filtration reduces both temperature and certain irritants, resulting in less coughing and throat irritation. Advanced bongs with percolators or ice catchers provide even smoother hits by enhancing the cooling and filtration process.

Do bongs waste less weed?

Yes, bongs waste less cannabis than joints but slightly more than vaporizers. Joints continuously burn between puffs, wasting up to 60% of the cannabis through sidestream smoke. Bongs only burn the cannabis when you’re actively inhaling, and the bowl can be covered to extinguish the burn between hits. Vaporizers are the most efficient, extracting cannabinoids without combustion, but many users prefer the effects from bongs despite the slight efficiency difference.

Are bongs better for medical cannabis users?

Many medical cannabis users prefer bongs because they provide fast-acting relief with less respiratory irritation than joints. The water filtration makes consumption more comfortable for those with sensitive lungs or throat conditions. However, for patients with severe respiratory issues, vaporizers or non-inhalation methods may be recommended by healthcare providers.

How often should I change the water in my bong?

For optimal cleanliness and function, change your bong water after each session. Stagnant bong water can harbor bacteria and mold within 24-48 hours. Additionally, resin-filled water filters less effectively and can negatively impact the taste of your cannabis. Regular water changes are the simplest way to maintain your bong and improve your smoking experience.

Conclusion

The evolution of cannabis consumption methods has led to innovations in both traditional and modern approaches, giving users more options than ever before. While each method has its place depending on individual preferences and circumstances, bongs offer a compelling balance of tradition, harm reduction, and experience enhancement.

When examining why bongs are better than alternatives, the combination of water filtration, efficiency, and customizable experience makes them the preferred choice for many cannabis enthusiasts. Whether you’re concerned about health impacts, seeking the smoothest possible hit, or looking for cost-effective long-term value, bongs deliver advantages that are difficult to match with other consumption methods.

Understanding these differences allows you to make an informed choice based on your personal priorities, whether that’s convenience, health considerations, or the quality of experience.

The Culture of Competence: Why CEU Credits Should Be Non-Negotiable in Behavioral Health

Competence isn’t just a credential. It’s a commitment. In a field as sensitive and complex as behavior analysis, staying sharp isn’t optional—it’s ethical. And while most professionals are required to complete Continuing Education Units (CEUs) to keep their certifications valid, the deeper value of ongoing learning often gets overlooked. CEUs aren’t just about compliance. They’re about elevating practice, protecting clients, and holding the field to the highest standard possible.

This article isn’t about checking boxes. It’s about changing mindsets—about seeing CEUs as part of a culture of excellence that separates the merely certified from the truly effective.

CEUs: More Than a Paper Trail

Let’s be honest—when people think of CEUs, they often think of them the way they think of flossing or filing taxes: necessary, but annoying. But when it comes to behavioral health, that attitude is a liability. Real lives are impacted by the decisions of behavior analysts. Whether it’s supporting a child with autism, helping a teen manage aggression, or designing interventions for complex behavioral needs, staying current matters.

The field evolves. So should its practitioners. That’s why platforms such as Behavior Analystce play an increasingly crucial role—not just in helping professionals meet requirements, but in building accessible pathways to meaningful, relevant, up-to-date education. The goal isn’t just to stay certified. It’s to stay competent.

A Quick Comparison: Behavior Analysts vs. Other Disciplines

Let’s zoom out for a second. In medicine, ongoing education is non-negotiable. You’d never want a surgeon who hasn’t studied new techniques since the early 2000s. In law, lawyers attend mandatory ethics trainings and keep current with legislative changes. Even cosmetologists are expected to renew their skills as products and safety standards change.

Now look at behavioral health. Despite the emotional and psychological stakes, CEUs in behavior analysis are sometimes treated like an afterthought. This undermines the credibility of the field and the trust that clients place in it. If other high-stakes professions demand rigor, why shouldn’t we?

The CEU as a Professional Compass

Good CEUs don’t just recap textbook theories. They point professionals toward emerging research, social trends, and cultural competencies that matter today. They help practitioners:

  • Adapt interventions to diverse populations

  • Stay updated on diagnostic criteria or treatment guidelines

  • Learn about intersectionality and client context

  • Avoid outdated, ineffective, or even harmful strategies

A CEU can be the difference between a professional who “once learned” and one who is still learning. That’s a crucial distinction in any care-based profession.

Protecting Clients Through Education

Let’s talk about risk. If you’re a behavior analyst relying on 10-year-old frameworks or ignoring updated best practices, you’re not just out of touch—you could be causing harm. Misapplied strategies, culturally insensitive interventions, or ignoring trauma-informed practices aren’t just lapses in judgment. They’re ethical failures.

CEUs act as a preventative tool. They force practitioners to step outside their routines and reconsider their methods. They introduce new voices, new ideas, and sometimes, uncomfortable truths that challenge the status quo. And that’s a good thing. Comfort rarely leads to growth.

Cultural Competence Starts with Continuing Education

Clients aren’t checklists. They’re human beings with unique identities, histories, and environments. A good CEU program doesn’t just focus on technical skills—it teaches cultural humility. It asks professionals to examine their assumptions, biases, and blind spots. In today’s increasingly diverse society, that’s not a luxury. It’s essential.

Courses that include modules on working with LGBTQ+ populations, underserved communities, or non-Western behavioral norms can be eye-opening for even the most seasoned analysts. Without CEUs that challenge existing frameworks, behavior analysts risk becoming not only outdated, but out of touch.

Burnout Prevention and Intellectual Recharge

Burnout is real—and rampant—in the behavioral health world. Long hours, emotional fatigue, and high caseloads can wear down even the most passionate professionals. CEUs might seem like one more task, but done right, they offer a chance to re-engage intellectually.

Instead of viewing CEUs as chores, they can be reframed as opportunities to explore something new. Whether it’s learning about tech-based intervention tools, gamified therapy methods, or the neuroscience behind behavior, fresh ideas can reignite motivation. Education, when it’s interesting and relevant, is a form of self-care.

Online CEU Platforms: Convenience Without Compromise

Gone are the days of driving to a conference room on a Saturday morning for a dusty PowerPoint presentation. Online CEU platforms have made it possible for behavior analysts to learn on their schedule, in their space, and at their own pace.

But convenience shouldn’t mean compromise. The best online CEU providers vet their instructors, update their content regularly, and incorporate feedback to keep things engaging and credible. Accessibility can coexist with quality—and the best platforms prove it.

CEUs as Career Currency

Let’s talk ambition. If you’re a behavior analyst who wants to climb the ladder—whether it’s into supervisory roles, clinical leadership, or academia—your education record matters. A robust portfolio of CEUs in advanced topics can differentiate you from peers.

Plus, certain CEUs can directly translate into new skills: data visualization, functional communication training, or supervision strategies that prepare you to mentor others. In this way, CEUs aren’t just about maintenance—they’re about momentum.

What Happens Without a Strong CEU Culture?

When a field lowers its expectations, it lowers its outcomes. If CEUs become perfunctory, shallow, or poorly regulated, the field as a whole begins to suffer. Think of the knock-on effects:

  • Agencies hiring underprepared staff
  • Clients receiving outdated or ineffective care
  • Ethical violations due to ignorance, not malice
  • Loss of public trust in behavioral science

This isn’t hypothetical. These are real risks when continuing education is treated like a formality. It’s not just about staying compliant—it’s about staying accountable.

Raising the Bar (and Keeping It There)

To create a true culture of competence, it’s not enough to mandate CEUs—we have to care about their content, quality, and relevance. That means:

  • Encouraging diversity in course offerings
  • Inviting experts from intersecting disciplines
  • Integrating client feedback into educational priorities
  • Supporting professionals to pursue areas they’re passionate about

It also means holding course providers to higher standards. Are they updating their content regularly? Are they using evidence-based material? Are they responsive to learner feedback?

In short: If CEUs are going to be mandatory, they better be meaningful.

A Collective Responsibility

Creating this culture doesn’t fall on behavior analysts alone. Agencies, licensing boards, CEU providers, and academic institutions all have a role to play. Incentivizing high-quality learning, providing time and resources for continuing education, and modeling lifelong learning from leadership down—these are all parts of the puzzle.

Even clients, indirectly, benefit from this ecosystem. When they work with a professional who is constantly evolving, they receive care that is more personalized, more effective, and more empathetic.

Making Competence Cool Again

We don’t talk enough about how empowering it feels to be really, truly good at your job. Not just good in theory—but good in practice. Confident, ethical, informed. That’s what CEUs help build. A professional who can walk into a session and know they’re bringing their best—not because they “have to,” but because they want to.

Let’s ditch the mindset that continuing education is tedious. Let’s treat it like what it is: a privilege to grow, to learn, and to lead.

Final Thought

Behavior analysis isn’t static, and neither should its practitioners be. CEUs may be required by licensing boards, but their real value lies in what they build: a smarter, more ethical, more engaged field.

Competence isn’t something you achieve once. It’s something you commit to over and over again. That’s what makes it culture. And that’s why CEU credits should never be seen as optional—or worse, irrelevant.

Daedalus Li: Exploring the Poetics of Surface and a Design Philosophy Rooted in Pause

Minneapolis is now home to a unique voice in the design world: Daedalus Guoning Li, the Walker Art Center’s 2025-26 Mildred S. Friedman Design Fellow. Li, a graphic designer, artist, and exhibition designer, operates at the intersection of image, language, material, and space, bringing a deeply considered and emotionally resonant approach to their craft. Their work, informed by a rich academic background including an MFA in Graphic Design from Yale School of Art and a dual BArch and BFA in Architecture from the Rhode Island School of Design, challenges conventional notions of design, prioritizing sensory experience, spatial awareness, and poetic expression.

Li’s journey has been shaped by experiences at renowned design studios such as Pentagram, where they contributed to the immersive experience of Rolling Stone’s legacy for Illuminarium Las Vegas, and Isometric Studio in New York. At Isometric, Li contributed to major cultural projects such as Contemporary Muslim Fashions at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, re: collections at Rose Art Museum, and the AIGA-recognized project Company, merging architectural sensibility with typographic precision to create spatial identities grounded in equity-driven storytelling. This diverse portfolio showcases their ability to seamlessly blend artistic vision with practical application, creating design solutions that are both visually compelling and deeply meaningful.

Now, at the Walker Art Center, Li is poised to further explore their unique design philosophy. So, what exactly is Daedalus Li’s design philosophy? In their own words, it’s about “the misuse and appropriation of language, material, image, and body through design.” Their research-driven work often illuminates the nuances of Chinese cultural identities within foreign contexts, engaging cultural materials and techniques to explore the connotations, expansion, and depth of surface.

“I create work that lingers—less about instant impact, more about something that haunts or hums beneath the surface,” Li explains. “My philosophy centers on threshold moments: the edge of legibility, the residue of touch, the flicker between form and feeling. I want design to be both precise and poetic—grounded in structure, but open to ambiguity.” This commitment to nuance and emotional depth is evident in their approach to every project.

One key aspect of Li’s work is the addition of “conceptual depth.” This isn’t achieved through superficial embellishment but through a deep understanding of the subject matter and a collaborative approach. “When collaborating with artists, the process is more relational,” Li says. “I often spend time in their studio, observe their process, and ask questions about how they think, make, and feel. That intimacy allows me to create designs that extend their work, not decorates it.”

A prime example of this is their design for Paloma Izquierdo’s solo show, “Jealousy.” Recognizing Izquierdo’s use of digital fabrication and laser etching as methods of mark-making and form-finding, Li chose Hershey, an early computer-era typeface, as the typographic entry point, further on customizing it, adding depth and texture The typeface’s mechanical, line-based structure mirrored Izquierdo’s own art-making process, creating a conceptual echo of the artwork itself. This thoughtful approach demonstrates Li’s ability to create design that goes beyond mere aesthetics, functioning as an integral part of the artistic expression.

Li’s design philosophy is deeply intertwined with the emotional weight carried by materials. They believe that “design isn’t just visual—it’s embodied.” Texture, scale, density, and context all contribute to the emotional charge of a material. “A sheet of etched acrylic might read like a whisper or scar; a wall can feel cold or tender depending on its surface, light, or temperature,” Li explains. “Even digital environments hold an atmosphere: a website’s rhythm, motion, or contrast can register as intimate or alienating.”

This understanding of material as a carrier of emotion is central to Li’s work. They often return to materials like Chinese mulberry paper and wheatpaste, traditionally used in classic painting and calligraphy, ritual, and craft. By appropriating these materials in unconventional ways, they explore how materials can “misbehave” and how that misbehavior can hold cultural and emotional weight. “Wheatpaste, in particular, feels like an embodiment of Chinese queerness to me: formless, translucent, slippery, hard to define,” Li shares. “But when laminated onto another surface, it reshapes, giving form to something new. In that act, I see potential—of intimacy, of inheritance, of transformation.”

This transdisciplinary approach, bridging geospatial infrastructure with design history, is evident in their 2023-24 exhibition identity for “Groundwater Earth: The Before and After of the Tubewell” at the Yale School of Architecture. Drawing inspiration from cylindrical drilling diagrams and tubewell mechanism, Li created a visual system that resonated with the exhibition’s themes, showcasing their ability to create a resonant narrative field through layered editorial, spatial, and tactile methods. The exhibition has received critical applause from The Architect’s Newspaper, Arts Council of Greater New Haven, Times of India, etc., and has traveled to Venice for the 2025 Venice Biennale.

Remarkably, Li’s design philosophy remains consistent across mediums, from analog art books to coding websites. The guiding principle is one of “layering and subtracting—both visually and conceptually.” Li is interested in revealing what lies beneath the surface: the cultural echoes, historical traces, and emotional residues that shape our perceptions. “Design, for me, is a way to reveal what’s unsaid or overlooked, to fold affect and history into form,” they explain. This translates into the use of translucent papers and hand-bound sequences in analog formats, as well as the creation of interactive digital spaces where images accumulate, overlap, and mimic the feeling of something half-visible.

Ultimately, Daedalus Li aims to create work that invites a “pause.” This concept is not simply an absence of motion but a space where sensation gathers. In the face of constant digital stimulation, Li seeks to create moments of stillness, a disruption of pace that allows for deeper engagement. “I design for those interstitial beats—a hover, a hesitation, a lingering gaze,” they say. “That pause might be triggered by an unexpected texture, a slow fade, a typographic glitch, or an unfamiliar material surface that resists immediate consumption.”

Li views this “pause” as a form of care, opening a space where feeling has time to arrive. It allows what’s fragile, ghosted, or peripheral to come into view. In their work, Daedalus Li invites us to slow down, to engage with design on a deeper level, and to experience the emotional resonance that lies beneath the surface. Their presence at the Walker Art Center promises to be a period of exciting exploration and a valuable contribution to the landscape of contemporary design.

Roux Chen: Illuminating the Next Era of Music Videos Through Authentic Storytelling

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In the dynamic landscape of music video production, Roux Chen is carving out a distinctive niche. The Taiwanese-born, Los Angeles-based cinematographer is known for his buzzworthy film and music video projects, which are characterized by a blend of technical prowess and a deeply ingrained artistic vision. 

At the heart of Chen’s philosophy lies a profound belief: “All light exists to serve the script and story.” This guiding principle shapes every frame, ensuring that each visual element, from the subtlest shadow to the most vibrant highlight, contributes meaningfully to the narrative and emotional core of the music.

Chen’s expertise extends beyond mere technical proficiency; it encompasses a keen sensitivity to lighting that allows them to meticulously sculpt the mood and emotion of each scene. This dedication to narrative integrity guarantees that every project, regardless of scale or budget, reaches its fullest potential, resonating with audiences on a deeper, more impactful level. Effectively multitasking and collaborating with a diverse array of professionals, Chen seamlessly integrates their refined artistic vision with the technical demands of modern filmmaking, positioning them as a key creative force in the industry.

The allure of music videos, as Chen explains, lies in their unique creative freedom. “Unlike commercials, which are often product-driven, music videos allow for visual experimentation,” Chen notes. “They’re a hybrid form—somewhere between narrative and mood—that lets me explore different visual languages.” 

This flexibility allows Chen to delve into the artist’s sonic world and translate it into a compelling visual experience, offering a fresh perspective for the viewer.

A recent testament to this philosophy is Chen’s work with the popular Taiwanese punk group 831, who released their first album in 2007. Chen worked with them on their music video for the song “Don’t Want to Let You Know.” This project, which garnered over a million views on YouTube, was a collaborative effort with the band’s lead singer, A-Po. “He’s the lead singer of the band, so it naturally made sense for him to take the lead in the music video, as well,” said Chen. “His presence and performance really help carry the emotional tone of the piece, which was important for the story we were telling visually.”

“We aimed to create an intimate and emotionally resonant atmosphere,” Chen said, explaining the decision to shoot in a natural forest setting. This choice was deliberate, intended to “mirror the vulnerability and sincerity in the lyrics.”

The music video captures an acoustic session featuring the band’s singer. Chen’s directorial vision was to keep it minimal. “This was a stripped-down acoustic version of the song, and the director I collaborated with specifically hoped for a setting that felt raw and close to nature,” he said. “That’s why we chose the woods—it visually matched the tone of an unplugged guitar performance and created a calm, introspective atmosphere that aligned with the emotional core of the song.”

The remarkable success of the video’s wide viewership is attributed by Chen to its authenticity. “The group has a strong and loyal fanbase, but I think what really resonated was the authenticity of the video,” said Chen. “It stands in contrast to their more polished productions—it’s raw, intimate, and unfiltered. I believe that sincerity helped it connect with people on a deeper level.” 

The forest location, situated outside of Los Angeles, was chosen for its natural ambiance. “We wanted a natural location that could act as an emotional backdrop without feeling too staged or artificial,” Chen explains.

Chen’s journey into the world of music videos began with their very first project for artist Jolie B. This formative experience, undertaken shortly after graduating from film school, holds a special place in their career. “That project was incredibly meaningful to me because it was my first real experience after graduating from film school,” Chen recalls. “We had almost no budget, but I poured everything I had into it. It was a time when I had nothing to lose and everything to try—it set the tone for how I approach my work now: all in, always.”

The Jolie B music video, shot in Taiwan with a minimalist setup, was unique in its objective. Jolie B, initially a YouTuber focused on English cultural education, aimed to utilize popular songs as a tool for language learning. “That intent shaped how we approached the project—it wasn’t just about performance, but also accessibility and relatability,” Chen said. The video’s success, according to Chen, stemmed from its inherent authenticity and the seamless integration of educational aspirations with musical expression. “I think the success came from its authenticity and the way it blended educational goals with music in a very natural and appealing way.”

Chen also highlights the inherent charm of low-budget music videos. The limitations, rather than being a hindrance, often serve as a catalyst for innovation. “Constraints spark creativity,” Chen explains. “When you can’t rely on flashy gear or heavy post-production, you’re forced to ask: what’s the core idea, and how do I make that hit? That pressure, oddly enough, often brings out the most inventive and emotionally powerful work.” 

This unique perspective underscores Chen’s commitment to prioritizing artistic merit and storytelling over sheer production value.

Looking ahead, Chen’s approach signals a promising direction for the future of music videos. As the industry continues to embrace diverse formats and creative expressions, Chen’s dedication to authenticity, narrative depth, and the evocative power of light positions them as a significant contributor to this evolving art form. Their ability to translate sonic artistry into compelling visual narratives, even within budgetary constraints, ensures that music videos will continue to thrive as a vibrant and impactful medium for artists and audiences alike. Chen’s recent credits, notably the short films “WRATH” and “Beats Down,” alongside music videos for Jolie B, 831, YIFEI, and VivasSwan, along with documentary work such as “Chhaupadi: The Ritual,” demonstrate a versatile and impactful creative output that continues to push boundaries and illuminate stories.

For more info, visit rouxchen.com.

Fragments That Breathe: The Subtle Power of Caijing Kuang’s Art

Caijing Kuang’s prints feel like the inhalation of a quiet room. You don’t notice the change at first — not right away– but something softens. Something shifts. And then you are in it.

Her work does not speak in grand absolutions. It whispers. It wanders. It occupies that invisible space between image and memory, between seeing and feeling. Be it the layered inscape of Growing in Blue; the solitary hush of Shadow; or the spiral of ache in Voice; Kuang’s prints ask something rare from us as viewers. Not to be interpret, nor to even understand, but simply to sit with what stirs.

There is a kind of emotional magnetism that draws you to what she is doing — a feeling that her monoprints are not simply made but excavated. The texture, the human frailty, the tattered edges of her figures — they all feel like something half-remembered, something that has come to the forefront from somewhere just below conscious thought.

Growing in Blue, her nine-square monoprint, is the clearest window into her visual language. Each square is a scene different from the others, collected as from pages of a dream journal left in the rain. Human silhouettes move between watery brush strokes. Birds drift among forms, some whole and some not; all pausing in moments that haven’t quite resolved. There are ladders without endings, footsteps without destinations, and limbs that belong to no-one, yet somehow everything feels right. None of it is lost. Everything seems to exist exactly in its right place — not in respect of narrative, but of feeling.

It’s in this space — this fragmented, floating, emotionally open space — where Kuang’s gift really lives. She understands something that can’t be taught: that the body holds memory in pieces, and that sometimes, the act of creating is less about clarity and more about holding space for what can’t be named.

While still feeling it intensely in Shadow, the figure remains both present and dissolving. The ink has faded just enough to obscure her features, to blur her edges – and yet, that absence presents itself louder than presence. You don’t need to see her face. You know her. Or maybe more correctly, you feel the part of yourself that is her. The part that has been hidden, forgotten, or simply allowed to wear thin with time.

This is where Kuang separates herself from the decorative or the illustrative. She produces prints that are emotional mirrors. You do not look at them within the context of outside viewing, you enter into them.

In Voice, there is a shift – the palette deepens, the shapes grow looser, and more abstract. In the center is a spiral, dark blue, intense, and pulsing, and inside it are possibilities of a bird, or a breath, or a thought that you just can’t put a name to. It doesn’t matter. Kuang isn’t illustrating a concept, she is working with a sensation. There is tension in that spiral – not panic, but an intimacy, a closing in, like if you were to listen too closely to your own heartbeat.

What makes her work so destructive is not only emotional weight, it is how lightly she rides it. These are prints done with air and silence, with smudges and gently applied pressure. There is nothing over-rendered or over-worked. She simply trusts the medium to say what it needs to say. She trusts us, the audience, to meet her halfway.

That trust is crucial, because her themes are not easy ones. Kuang navigates memory, lost, and displacement, and identity by inviting us, the viewers, on the journey with her, with a calm bravery. Critical to her practice is that she simply gives us an experience of these themes without necessarily needing to articulate them to us. There is no manifesto here and no didacticism, just feeling — layered, contradictory, unarticulated feeling. She captures the rhythm of remembering: how it loops, how it gets stuck, how sometimes it can feel light and sometimes it feels heavy.

You can see her cultural background bleeding into the work in a beautiful way — not as decoration, but as emotional infrastructure. The plants that are threaded through her prints hold more weight than just symbolic motifs. They stand in for breath, survival, becoming. Growing up in the mountainous province of Guizhou, Kuang has spiritual residue from that landscape that feeds into her cluster of memories — time unfolds readily around trees, nature carries stories. Her use of flora is not symbolic in the Western sense, but visceral. These are not metaphoric — they are memory, with roots.

And when you see those branches weaving around a body or those leaves mingling with footsteps, you do not say, Oh that means healing, you just feel it. In your chest. Like a truth you already knew.

There is something incredibly generous about her process. The chaos of monoprinting – the ways ink is unpredictable, in how textures appear uninvited, is reflective of the emotional landscapes she is navigating. She does not push against the medium and instead, allows the medium to speak. Their relationship of impulse and control becomes a kind of remarkable visual understanding.

And this is why her work continues to gain traction — not because it is fashionable or polished, but because it is real. You cannot fake what she is doing. You cannot teach it. You can only feel your way into it — and she has. Completely.

And yes, the art world is taking notice. From the World Illustration Awards shortlist to exhibitions in the UK and France, Kuang is certainly in the rising star spotlight that is well deserved. But I think as pertinent, she is creating something that many contemporary artists struggle to achieve: work that does not demand your attention, but captured it. Work that does not perform feeling, but embodies feeling.

Rewriting the Act of Looking: Tactile Narratives in Yijing Miao’s Practice

In an increasingly image-saturated culture, where articulation is often synonymous with visibility, London-based artist Yijing Miao’s practice takes a more elusive route—one that listens where others speak, that holds space where others fill it. Working across installation, sensory environments, and research-driven inquiry, Miao has developed a distinct visual and material language that foregrounds the silent systems that shape bodies, identities, and mechanisms of control.

Rather than delivering overt messages, Miao’s work performs a quiet unraveling of the visual order. She turns attention to the limits of language, the thresholds of visibility, and the bodily experience of shame, regulation, and erasure. Her installations are often marked by a refusal of finished form. They privilege tactility, decomposition, and haptic response over clean aesthetic resolution—generating affective fields in which viewers become active participants in the perceptual and ethical stakes of the work.

In Ac’me, for instance, Miao constructs an environment that simulates the unstable surface of acne-prone skin using expired marshmallows. The sugar forms are tender, decaying, and disconcertingly corporeal. They act not as metaphor, but as material critiques of how adolescent bodies are culturally coded through dermatological imperfections. Rather than sanitising or valorising the skin condition, she implicates the viewer in the regime of shame that surrounds it—turning “acne” into a political texture.

Figure 2, Ac’me exhibiting in London
Figure 3, Installation of Ac’me

Miao’s refusal of linguistic or aesthetic containment is further evident in her ongoing investigations into censorship and bodily visibility. A recent research-led project, Nipplicate explores the algorithmic suppression of nipples on digital platforms. Instead of offering a critique in the form of protest, she envisions a speculative database—an open-access archive of de-gendered, non-classified bodily imagery. Here, the body is not captured or categorised, but allowed to exist outside codified meaning. What emerges is not just a challenge to censorship, but a rethinking of how we ‘read’ the body, and whose narratives dominate digital representation.

Figure 4,  Research of Nipplicate

Her work rarely takes the form of the declarative. She constructs structures that hum, resonate, and invite. In this way, Miao’s practice is deeply embedded in feminist and posthumanist thinking—particularly in its interrogation of the politics of visibility and its alignment with new materialist approaches to non-verbal communication. She is not interested in representation, but in modulation: in the tremors, silences, and half-formed gestures that unfold between body, viewer, and environment.

This tendency is set to deepen in her current project-in-progress, a sensor-based installation that bypasses visual and textual cues altogether. Instead, she uses ambient technologies—vibration, scent, temperature flux—to create a non-verbal system of perception. The piece functions as a kind of silent score, or as she describes it, “a space to read without reading.” It draws on somatic experience as a form of epistemology, opening up new vocabularies for sensation and shared understanding beyond language.

Figure 5, Work in Progress

Miao’s time in the UK has clearly catalysed this trajectory. Exposure to an interdisciplinary ecosystem—from critical theory to expanded media practices—has allowed her to cultivate a form of practice that is as much attuned to speculative politics as it is to material craft. In many ways, her installations operate less as objects than as situations—sites in which bodies, meanings, and materials are placed in mutual tension.

To encounter her work is to enter into a space of uncertain agency. One is not shown what to see, but asked how one looks—and what that looking might cost. In a time when immediacy and spectacle dominate our visual culture, Yijing Miao offers an ethics of hesitation, a grammar of slowness, and a quiet but persistent challenge to what can—and cannot—be seen.

The 100 Season 8: Cast, Rumours & Release Date

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Fans are constantly asking if The 100 will continue after season seven. Seeing as there are so many questions left unanswered along with an abundance of great characters, the idea of the eighth season is still in the air, whether it is in podcasts or social media. Are these thoughts just hopeful thinking, or have we concluded the saga? Let’s delve into what we know and what we don’t know.

Is There a Season 8?

Currently, there is no word one way or the other from the showrunners or The CW regarding a season eight. The seventh season wrapped up stories that provide a semblance of closure, but fans continue to hold out hope for an eventual full return to the stories we have come to love. Without an official announcement, the fate of The 100 has yet to be determined. If the show did return, it would be available on various streaming platforms.

Cast

If the show were to return, it’s likely that many familiar faces would come back, including:

  • Eliza Taylor as Clarke Griffin
  • Bob Morley as Bellamy Blake
  • Marie Avgeropoulos as Octavia Blake
  • Lindsey Morgan as Raven Reyes
  • Richard Harmon as John Murphy
  • Paige Turco as Dr. Abigail “Abby” Griffin
  • Devon Bostick as Jasper Jordan
  • Christopher Larkin as Monty Green
  • Isaiah Washington as Thelonious Jaha

These actors defined the show and would probably return if the story continues.

What Might Happen in Season 8?

There are no plot specific details available, but many fans speculate that Season 8 could focus on rebuilding life on Earth after the crumbling of the previous structure in Season 7. Many believe there could be a new series of characters with conflict and a quest for survival returning as themes, in addition to some other themes like leadership and what it means to be human in an unforgiving world.

Recommendations for Things Like The 100

If you enjoyed The 100, you might enjoy:

  • Battlestar Galactica – A gripping space saga exploring humanity’s survival.
  • Lost – A mysterious island adventure and character drama.
  • The Expanse – A politically charged sci-fi epic.
  • The Walking Dead – Post-apocalyptic survival drama exploring community and conflict.

Kurt Vile and Luke Roberts Announce New EP ‘Classic Love’ , Share Song

Kurt Vile and Nashville singer-songwriter Luke Roberts have announced a new EP, Classic Love. It’s set to arrive July 25 via Verve. It spans five tracks, including a cover of Beach House’s 2016 song ‘Wildflower’. There are also two versions of the title track, one of which is out today alongside a Lucky Marvel-directed video. Listen to the warm, breezy single below.

Speaking about the track, Vile said:

I always thought “classic love” was the epitome of a song that belonged on the radio. When I heard Luke and Kyle [Spence’s] recording of this (they even got Kyle’s old Harvey Milk bandmate, Creston Spiers to play some on it) it just floored me: like this could be old or new, just a timeless track… I figured the best way I could help it reach the masses was to just get myself up in that track as well and move ‘er through the KV/Verve machine. I believe in Luke so much, and yeah, this song in general has been my and Kyle’s religion for some time. Luke is just a great songwriter, man. Now it can be immortalized in the canon of classic songs! The minute I heard this song, I just wanted to be involved. Love ya, Luke!

Vile’s last release was 2023’s Back to Moon Beach, an EP that clocks in at almost an hour.

Classic Love EP Cover Artwork:

Kurt Vile Classic Love

Classic Love EP Tracklist:

1. classic love
2. hit of the highlife
3. classic love (kv version)
4. slow talkers ’22”
5. wildflower