Luying Dong’s shift from the stage to visual art is a trip paved by wonder and invention.Sparked by an obsession with harmonising technology and imagery into live acts, she’s carved out a style that stitches age-old techniques into cutting-edge ideas. Her work wrestles with where we belong and how we relate, refusing tidy labels to drop audiences into vivid, kinetic realms instead. As both a projectionist and a visual artist, she sears haunting visuals into the heart of performances, turning abstraction into something you can almost touch.
From gallery photography in New York to experimental installations for London’s theatres, Luying’s projects map her evolution. A patchwork of influences sharpens her vision—one that merges storytelling’s raw ache with the physicality of live art. This alchemy doesn’t just define her voice; it pulls others into her lifelong hunt for what stitches us together.
Red
Luying’s Red series burns with cultural soul-searching and primal feeling, treating the colour as a weapon and wound. Each frame grapples with suffocation and release, slashing crimson against the skin to stage silent rebellions. Cracked paint and cling-wrap morph into metaphors—trapped breath, stubborn hope—while smeared pigments dissolve reality into something feverish. These images don’t just depict struggle; they make your pulse race.
Anchored in Chinese symbolism yet fiercely modern, the work tangles folklore with private battles. One shot tells a tale of fables; another screams a secret. By keeping details half-hidden, Luying tosses viewers a puzzle—What’s your story here?
Red
Verdant Embrace
Verdant Embrace lays bare the delicacy of interpersonal relations in a reality flooded by screens. Stripped to essentials, the video art lingers on two bodies meshed in a quiet clutch, their forms cradled by emerald leaves. The humming foliage hums with a hunger for real intimacy—the kind that fractures when phones buzz. Their unhurried, fragile, deliberate sway hints at how to trust blooms once we shut out the digital noise.
The imagery heightens this dance through intense shadows and a sealed, greenhouse-like world. This tiny Eden shields them from the frenzy out, echoing our craving for pockets of serenity. As scenes melt from crisp to gauzy, the work nudges us to ask: What do we lose when we never look up? Less elegy than a manifesto, Verdant Embrace insists that connection survives in life’s uncurated moments—the ones we feel, unfiltered.
Still from Verdant Embrace
Beijing Opera
Luying cracks open tradition with Beijing Opera, honouring its history even as she prods its seams. Her monochrome photos crackle with performers mid-roar—their iconic makeup and robes stripped of colour to expose sweat, calluses, and history’s burden on living shoulders. Close-ups strip away grandeur: a trembling lip, a scarred knuckle, the human beneath the myth.
Wider shots freeze figures in barren spaces, their poses hovering between ritual and revolt. Here, heritage isn’t static—it’s a shouting match between what was and what’s next. By seizing these variances, Luying doesn’t just archive an art form; she asks us to hear its heartbeat, alternating with the same fight to stay alive that haunts all fading customs.
The global ESports industry keeps on growing and it shows no signs of slowing down in 2025. It was worth approximately $2.3 billion in 2024, with that figure expected to rise to as much as $7.03 billion by 2029 . People around the world simply can’t get enough of Esports.
What’s great is that there are many ways to get involved. As well as playing the games themselves, you can watch famous players stream their gaming sessions, follow competitions and tournaments, and even place bets on the biggest sports. A growing number of online sportsbooks accept bets on Esports and GGBet is one of them. This is a sign that Esports are fast growing in popularity.
It’s safe to say that Esports will become even bigger throughout 2025, but what about changes? Will there be anything different this year compared to previous years?
Demographics
One thing that people have noticed about Esports is that it’s a very male-dominated industry. Not just that, it’s also very youth-dominated. While adults create the games, run the events and keep the industry going, it’s well known that most of the players who turn up to the top-level competitions and tournaments are young men.
Throughout 2025 and beyond, there’s a good chance that this key demographic will change. There are already efforts being made to make Esports more welcoming to women and girls , and an increasing number of females have been getting into Esports since the pandemic. There may never be a 50-50 gender balance, but females will no doubt become a lot more noticeable at all levels of Esports in the near future.
Betting Partnerships
Towards the end of 2024, it was announced that Riot Games was going to start allowing betting sponsorships to happen. Riot Games is a key player in the industry as it’s behind the very popular games League of Legends and Valorant. From 2025 onwards, teams for both of these games will be able to form sponsorship deals with betting companies .
This hadn’t been allowed for quite a few years, presumably because Riot Games didn’t want to encourage gambling. The reason the company has relented is money. Its games are among the biggest in the industry and allowing betting companies to sponsor teams that play them could be a very lucrative move. This is part of Riot Games’ ongoing efforts to generate more revenue. The company previously raised the minimum age for tournament competitors from 17 to 18 to enable new advertising streams, i.e. from alcohol companies.
Consolidation
While the Esports industry is huge, some would say it’s not as interconnected as it should be. This is because some games are popular in one part of the world and not another and the biggest games seem to have their own way of doing things when it comes to tournaments.
There’s been a significant effort to consolidate Esports and bring the many different parts of the industry together. This will come to a head with the inaugural Olympic Esports Games, which will take place in Saudi Arabia. Other, similar ones have taken place, though this will be the biggest and most significant in the history of the industry to date.
One of the previous events was the Olympic Esports week which was held in Singapore in 2023. This was a sort of test to see how a full-scale Olympic event could work and whether there would be enough demand for one. The first official Olympic Esports Games will adhere to Olympic values while also promoting gender equality within Esports and engaging the younger generation. It should also give the industry a much larger global platform and attract new people to it.
AI
Though controversial, AI has become widely used and is being adopted in more and more industries. The world of gaming has always been keen to explore new technologies, showcase the latest software and push the boundaries of what computer programming can do. Naturally, embracing AI is the next major step for the industry. While some companies are already using AI, it could become more widespread in 2025, especially when it comes to Esports.
There are many ways AI can benefit Esports . For example, it can improve the games themselves and make them more immersive and responsive to players’ input, analyze large amounts of gameplay data more efficiently and help teams develop strategies that are more likely to succeed.
The key advantage of AI is that it can do in no time at all what it would take multiple people a long time to do. It’s much faster at providing results and its results are often more in-depth and detailed than what people would produce. When it comes to any sort of decision that involves looking at data, there’s every reason to turn to AI. Teams can use it to pick the best new player to add to their roster, betting fans can use it to more accurately predict tournament winners and the players themselves can use it to improve their performance.
Art and technology have become increasingly intertwined, creating a fascinating dialogue between human creativity and technological advancement. From ancient inventions like the camera to modern breakthroughs like artificial intelligence and virtual reality, technology has consistently expanded the boundaries of artistic expression.
Today, we find ourselves in an era where art is no longer confined to paint and canvas; instead, it thrives in the digital realm, where algorithms, data, and interactivity shape its form.
The Evolving Relationship Between Art and Technology
Art and technology have shared a symbiotic relationship throughout history, but the scale and depth of their interplay have grown exponentially in recent decades. Early technological innovations, such as the printing press and the invention of photography, democratized art and altered its production and consumption. Fast forward to today, and the landscape has shifted dramatically with the advent of artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), and blockchain technologies.
Digital tools now allow artists to transcend traditional mediums, giving rise to interactive and immersive experiences. Technologies like 3D modeling and motion capture have bridged the gap between various forms, enabling collaboration between visual artists, filmmakers, and game designers. The integration of these advancements has pushed the boundaries of art, making it more accessible and multidimensional than ever.
How Technology Enhances Creative Expression
Technology enhances creative expression by offering tools and platforms that revolutionize how art is conceptualized, created, and experienced. Digital innovations like Adobe Photoshop or Procreate allow artists to manipulate textures, lighting, and forms with unprecedented precision, enabling them to execute their visions in ways traditional methods cannot match.
A compelling example lies in interactive digital forms, such as the Divine Fortune demo slot machine, which offers a captivating journey into the world of ancient Greek mythology. Its design integrates artistic storytelling through detailed symbols like Medusa and Pegasus, presenting mythology-inspired visuals on every spin.
This mix of technology and creativity shows how digital tools bring stories to life in exciting new ways. As technology grows, it gives artists more chances to explore their ideas and connect with people everywhere.
The Role of Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence is one of the most groundbreaking tools in contemporary art, challenging traditional notions of authorship and creativity. Programs like OpenAI’s DALL-E and Google’s DeepDream allow artists to create AI-generated art works by inputting descriptive prompts. This capability raises the question: Is the resulting work a product of the machine, the artist, or a combination of both?
Artists like Refik Anadol embrace AI as a collaborator, using machine learning algorithms to analyze massive datasets and translate them into stunning visual installations. These works often bridge the gap between art and data science, offering viewers a unique lens through which to interpret the digital world.
Virtual Reality and Interactive Experiences
Virtual reality and augmented reality have revolutionized how art is experienced. These technologies enable audiences to step inside virtual galleries, explore immersive installations, and interact with digital environments in ways that were once unthinkable. Artists use VR to create spaces where viewers are not just passive observers but active participants in the narrative.
For example, artist Rachel Rossin creates VR installations that blend surreal imagery with interactive storytelling, allowing audiences to explore fantastical digital worlds. Meanwhile, museums and galleries worldwide have embraced AR, overlaying digital content onto real-world exhibits to provide deeper context and engagement.
The Future
The future of art and technology is brimming with possibilities. Emerging fields such as bio-art, which incorporates living organisms into artistic creations, and generative design, which uses algorithms to produce complex patterns and structures, demonstrate how innovation continues to reshape creative expression. These advancements explore the boundaries of culture and technology, as artists use cutting-edge tools to address societal questions, traditions, and the evolving role of creativity in a tech-driven world.
Rather than replacing human creativity, technology is likely to continue acting as an extension of it, offering tools that amplify and diversify artistic expression. As artists adapt to new mediums and technologies, they will continue to reshape the cultural and creative landscapes, ensuring
Expanding a business to multiple locations is an exciting milestone. But when it comes to local SEO, managing several branches or offices can feel overwhelming. Each location needs to stand out in its local area while maintaining consistency with the overall brand. Whether you’re operating a chain of retail stores, restaurants, or professional services, tailoring your SEO strategy is essential for success.
If you’re a business owner in a competitive area, like managing SEO in Sarnia, you’ve likely realized the importance of localized strategies for each branch. Let’s dive into the best practices for handling multiple locations in local SEO.
Why Local SEO Matters for Multi-Location Businesses
Local SEO ensures that your business appears in search results when customers look for products or services nearby. For businesses with multiple locations, effective local SEO can mean the difference between thriving in the local community or being overshadowed by competitors.
For instance, potential customers are likely to search for “near me” queries or use location-specific terms. If your branches aren’t optimized, they may not appear in search results, and your competitors could win the traffic you deserve. If your branches aren’t optimized, they may not appear in search results, and your competitors could win the traffic you deserve, especially in the absence of the guidance of the home services online marketing experts.
Challenges of Multi-Location SEO
1. Maintaining Brand Consistency
It’s crucial to ensure that every location aligns with your brand image while catering to local audiences. Inconsistent information across platforms can confuse customers and harm your credibility.
2. Avoiding Content Duplication
Creating content for multiple locations without duplicating can be tricky. Duplicate content can hurt rankings, as search engines may struggle to determine which page to prioritize.
3. Keeping Listings Accurate
From addresses to phone numbers and business hours, keeping your local listings accurate across all platforms is a time-intensive but necessary task.
Best Practices for Managing Multiple Locations in Local SEO
1. Create Dedicated Location Pages
Each location should have its own webpage, known as a location landing page. These pages should include:
Unique content tailored to the location’s offerings or community
For example, if you’re creating a page for your Sarnia location, mention what sets it apart, such as community events or locally relevant services.
2. Optimize Google Business Profiles (GBP)
Google Business Profiles are vital for local SEO. Here’s how to get it right:
Create a GBP for Each Location: Each branch should have a separate listing.
Use Accurate NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number): Ensure uniformity across all profiles and platforms.
Add Photos: High-quality images of your storefront, interior, and team can build trust.
Encourage Reviews: Positive customer reviews can enhance visibility and credibility.
3. Use Local Keywords Strategically
Incorporating location-specific keywords helps each branch rank for local searches. However, avoid overusing the same keywords. Instead, use variations and long-tail phrases. For instance:
Instead of repeating “best coffee shop in Sarnia,” consider phrases like “locally roasted coffee near Sarnia.”
4. Leverage Structured Data Markup
Structured data markup, or schema, helps search engines understand your content better. For local SEO, use LocalBusiness schema to provide search engines with precise details about each location.
This includes:
Address
Phone number
Business hours
Geo-coordinates
Adding structured data increases the chances of your business appearing in rich snippets, enhancing visibility.
5. Centralize Management with SEO Tools
Handling multiple locations is easier with the right tools. Platforms like Moz Local, BrightLocal, and Yext can help manage listings, monitor reviews, and track rankings across all locations.
Centralized management ensures:
Consistency across platforms
Efficient updates for new locations
Streamlined review monitoring
6. Generate Location-Specific Content
Each branch should feel like part of the local community. Here’s how to create engaging, location-based content:
Highlight Local Events: Share blog posts or social media updates about events happening near your locations.
Create Location-Specific FAQs: Address questions that customers in each area might have.
Feature Local Testimonials: Include reviews or stories from customers in the area.
For example, a bakery in Sarnia could share a blog about sourcing ingredients from local farms or participating in community fairs.
7. Manage Online Reviews Carefully
Online reviews are a cornerstone of local SEO. Positive reviews can boost rankings, while negative ones, if ignored, can deter customers. Here’s how to handle reviews effectively:
Encourage Feedback: Politely ask satisfied customers to leave reviews.
Respond Promptly: Thank customers for positive reviews and address negative feedback professionally.
Use Review Monitoring Tools: Tools like Reputation.com or BirdEye can help you stay on top of reviews for all locations.
8. Monitor Analytics by Location
Tracking performance for each branch helps you refine your strategies. Use tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console to:
Measure traffic to each location page
Identify top-performing keywords
Analyze customer behavior patterns
For example, if your Sarnia branch’s page receives fewer visits, you might need to revisit your keywords or enhance the content to better engage the audience.
9. Build Local Backlinks
Backlinks remain a powerful SEO tool. Focus on earning backlinks from local sources, such as:
Local blogs or news outlets
Chambers of commerce
Sponsorships of community events
For example, sponsoring a charity run in Sarnia could earn your business a valuable mention on the event’s website.
10. Keep Citations Consistent
Citations—mentions of your business on the web—are a critical component of local SEO. They don’t necessarily need to include a backlink, but they must be consistent. Ensure that your NAP information matches across all:
Online directories
Social media platforms
Review sites
Inconsistent citations can confuse search engines and hurt your rankings.
11. Use Social Media for Local Engagement
Social media offers an excellent platform to connect with local audiences. Here are a few tips:
Share location-specific updates, promotions, and events.
Engage with followers by responding to comments and messages.
Use location-based hashtags to improve discoverability.
For example, a boutique in Sarnia might use hashtags like #SarniaFashion or #ShopLocalSarnia to attract local shoppers.
12. Regularly Audit Your Local SEO
SEO isn’t a one-and-done process. Regular audits help identify areas for improvement. During an audit, check:
GBP accuracy for all locations
Citation consistency
Keyword performance
Mobile-friendliness of location pages
Routine updates ensure that your SEO strategy stays effective as search engine algorithms evolve.
Wrapping It Up
Handling multiple locations for local SEO can seem daunting, but it’s entirely manageable with the right strategies. By creating tailored content, maintaining consistency, and leveraging tools, you can boost visibility for all your branches while connecting with local audiences.
Whether you’re managing SEO in Sarnia or optimizing for other locations, staying organized and proactive is key. By implementing these best practices, you’ll not only enhance your online presence but also drive more customers to each of your locations.
Start small, measure results, and refine your strategy as needed—your multi-location business will thank you!
This February, conceptual art pioneer Charles Gaines displays his latest series, Numbers and Trees, The Tanzania Baobabs, at Hauser & Wirth West Hollywood. Following a prominent 2023–24 museum survey and celebrated public commissions, Gaines returns to Los Angeles with his most intricate iteration yet of his Numbers and Trees series. This series was originally conceived in 1987.
The exhibition will run from the 19th of February until the 24th of May, 2025.
Inspired by photographs of baobab trees taken during a trip to Tanzania in 2023, nine large-scale triptychs are featured in the exhibition, along with watercolor diptychs. In Gaines’ ongoing exploration of the relationship between perception and meaning, these trees, known as the “tree of life,” serve as a focal point. Using trees as a motif since the 1970s, Gaines has transformed them into geometric forms that challenge traditional notions of artistic subjectivity.
Gaines uses a sophisticated system of rules and procedures to assign colors and numbers to each baobab tree in this new series. As a result, a series of Plexiglas works are layered with intricate visual details. In some pieces, the back panel shows an enlarged detail of the tree crown, breaking down the image into individual cells, inviting viewers to question their perceptions.
Bringing home a new puppy is an exhilarating experience, filled with love and excitement. However, it also comes with the responsibility of ensuring your home is ready for your new furry family member. From providing the essentials for comfort and training to ensuring their safety, there’s a lot to consider. One crucial tool that should be on your must-have list is a canine GPS tracker. In this article, we will explore the essential items you need for your puppy’s seamless transition into your home, and why investing in a canine GPS tracker is vital for their safety.
A Comfortable Space for Your Puppy
Dog Bed: Choose a bed suitable for your puppy’s size, ensuring it’s made from durable materials that can withstand occasional chewing.
Crate: A crate can help with house training and provide a safe space for your puppy. Ensure it’s large enough for your puppy to stand, turn around, and lie down comfortably.
Blankets: Soft, cozy blankets can provide added warmth and comfort in their bed or crate.
Proper Feeding Equipment
Your puppy’s diet is crucial to its health and happiness. You’ll need:
Food and Water Bowls: Opt for stainless steel or ceramic bowls, as they’re easier to clean and more durable than plastic.
High-quality Puppy Food: It’s essential to consult your vet for puppy food recommendations, considering their age and breed.
Measuring Cup: To ensure proper portion sizes according to the feeding guidelines.
Grooming Essentials
Proper grooming contributes to your puppy’s overall health and well-being. Stock up on:
Brush: Depending on your puppy’s coat type, choose a suitable brush to help reduce shedding and matting.
Shampoo: Use gentle, puppy-specific shampoo that won’t irritate their skin.
Nail Clipper: Regular nail trims are essential for your puppy’s comfort and health.
Training Supplies
Training your new puppy lays the foundation for good behavior. Essential training supplies include:
Collar and Leash: Choose a comfortable, adjustable collar that’s appropriate for your puppy’s size and a sturdy leash for walks.
Training Treats: Keep a selection of treats on hand to reward good behavior during training sessions.
Puppy Training Pads: Useful for potty training, especially in the early days.
Toys for Fun and Engagement
Toys are vital for keeping your puppy entertained and stimulated. Consider:
Chew Toys: Durable toys that can withstand chewing help satisfy your puppy’s need to gnaw and promote healthy teeth.
Interactive Toys: Toys that challenge your puppy mentally can keep them engaged, providing physical and mental stimulation.
Fetch Toys: Balls or soft toys that are suitable for playing fetch can promote bonding and exercise.
Identification and Safety Measures
Alongside physical and emotional needs, focusing on your puppy’s safety is crucial. This is where a canine GPS tracker becomes essential. Here’s why:
Lost Pet Prevention: Puppies are curious and playful; they can slip away before you even realize it. A canine GPS tracker helps ensure you can locate them if they wander off.
Geofencing Alerts: Many trackers offer geofencing capabilities, alerting you if your puppy crosses a predetermined boundary, helping you prevent potential accidents.
Real-time Tracking: The ability to see your puppy’s location in real-time through a mobile application provides peace of mind, allowing you to act quickly if necessary.
Health and Vet Essentials
Ensuring your puppy’s health is paramount. Don’t forget to:
Choose a Veterinarian: Establish a relationship with a trusted veterinarian who can guide you in vaccinations and overall health care.
Set Health Insurance: Consider getting pet insurance to help with potential medical expenses.
Pet First Aid Kit: Keep a basic first aid kit for your puppy, including bandages, antiseptics, and any recommended medications.
Socialization and Interaction
Puppies require socialization for their emotional development and behavior management:
Puppy Classes: Enroll in puppy training or socialization classes to expose your pet to other dogs and people in a supervised environment.
Playdates: Arrange playdates with well-behaved dogs to help your puppy learn social cues and proper interaction.
Conclusion
Bringing a new puppy into your home is a joyful occasion that requires preparation and planning. From creating a comfortable space and selecting the right food to investing in essential training tools, every step contributes to your puppy’s happiness and well-being. Among these essentials, don’t overlook the importance of a canine GPS tracker. It provides an added layer of safety and security, allowing you to keep tabs on your adventurous puppy and enjoy those special moments together without worry.
Proper preparation, including assessing and documenting artwork, is essential to ensure safe relocation.
Professional movers with expertise in delicate handling can significantly reduce risks during transit.
Packing with high-quality materials and clear labeling helps protect artwork from damage.
Thoughtful unpacking and installation in a clean, stable environment preserve the integrity of your collection.
Moving fine art is no ordinary task. Each piece tells a story, holds value, and deserves to be treated with utmost care. Unfortunately, the process of relocating delicate artwork can feel daunting, especially in a bustling city like New York. From avoiding scratches to ensuring climate control, every detail matters.
In this post, you’ll learn essential tips for protecting your cherished artwork during a move. We’ll cover how to prepare, pack, and transport your pieces with precision. Whether you’re a gallery owner, collector, or artist, these steps will help ensure a seamless transition for your fine art.
The Art of Preparation
The first step to safeguarding your fine art during a move is thorough preparation. Before touching a single piece, assess the condition of each item and take detailed notes. In a city like NYC, where storage spaces and apartments vary greatly, understanding the dimensions and fragility of your artwork is crucial for planning.
Documenting your collection is another vital task. Take clear photographs and make an inventory list. This is especially helpful if you need to file insurance claims. Ensure your insurance policy covers transit, as the dense traffic and unpredictable weather of New York can present unique risks during a move.
Finally, gather the right supplies. Acid-free paper, custom-sized crates, and padding are non-negotiable for protecting artwork. Local art supply shops in NYC often stock high-quality materials, saving you from unnecessary delays. Proper preparation lays the foundation for a smooth, damage-free move.
The Importance of Professional Assistance
Relocating fine art in NYC calls for expertise. With crowded streets and limited parking, moving fragile pieces yourself can be risky. This is why you should hire fine art movers in NYC, as they typically offer tailored solutions for safe and efficient transport.
Professional movers bring more than just muscle—they bring experience. They understand how to handle delicate sculptures, oversized paintings, and multi-panel pieces. Many reputable movers in New York also offer climate-controlled vehicles, ensuring artwork remains unharmed by sudden temperature shifts or high humidity.
When choosing movers, prioritize those who specialize in fine art. Look for testimonials, check their track record, and ensure they have the right certifications and insurance coverage. A skilled mover is not just a convenience—they’re a safeguard for your valuable pieces.
Packing Artwork with Care
Packing fine art requires precision and patience. In NYC, where space is often limited, organizing your packing area is key. Begin by selecting high-quality materials like acid-free paper, bubble wrap, foam, and custom crates. These ensure your artwork is protected from scratches, vibrations, and external impacts during the move.
For paintings, use corner protectors and wrap the piece in acid-free paper to prevent discoloration. Sculptures and three-dimensional art need extra cushioning—custom foam inserts or padded crates are ideal for safeguarding fragile edges and protrusions. Mirrors or glass-covered pieces should be cross-taped to minimize the risk of shattering.
Label each package clearly. Indicate which side should remain upright and specify that the contents are fragile. This is especially important if you’re relying on movers unfamiliar with your items. NYC’s fast-paced environment can lead to hurried handling, so detailed labeling helps minimize risks.
Lastly, pack in a logical sequence. Place lighter items on top and heavier ones at the bottom. Keep a detailed list of what’s in each box, as this will make unpacking in your new space much more manageable.
Ensuring Safe Transit
Navigating NYC’s busy streets while moving fine art is a unique challenge. The right vehicle and transport conditions can make all the difference. Opt for vehicles equipped with climate control to prevent temperature fluctuations, which can harm sensitive materials like canvas and wood.
Vibration-reduction measures are another must. Professional moving companies in NYC often use padded trucks or specialized harness systems to secure fragile items during transit. If you’re moving artwork yourself, ensure that every piece is tightly packed to prevent shifting during the journey.
Traffic and parking regulations in NYC can also complicate your move. Confirm that your movers are familiar with local restrictions and have permits for parking in high-demand areas. This foresight avoids unnecessary delays and risks to your items.
Tracking your shipment adds an extra layer of reassurance. Many NYC fine art movers offer GPS tracking so you can monitor the location and condition of your artwork in real time. Taking these precautions ensures your fine art arrives safely, no matter how chaotic the city streets may be.
After the Move – Unpacking and Placement
The final stage of relocating fine art is unpacking and installing your pieces with care. Once your artwork has arrived at its destination, inspect each piece thoroughly for any signs of damage. Take your time—small scratches or dents can go unnoticed but might require attention later.
When unpacking, work in a clean, open space. In NYC apartments or galleries, where space might be tight, clear an area to ensure nothing obstructs your movements. Begin with the largest or most delicate items, and use proper tools like box cutters to carefully remove packaging without harming the contents.
Placement is equally important. Ensure the walls or surfaces where you display artwork are stable and clean. For heavier pieces, consider wall anchors or professional installation services. Pay attention to lighting and humidity in your new space, as these environmental factors play a significant role in preserving the integrity of your collection.
By handling this final step thoughtfully, you ensure your fine art is not only moved but also displayed beautifully in its new setting.
Conclusion
Relocating fine art requires a combination of meticulous planning, specialized packing, and careful handling. From the initial preparation to the final placement, each step plays a vital role in preserving the value and beauty of your collection.
By taking the time to prepare properly, enlisting professional help, and ensuring safe transit, you can protect your cherished pieces from start to finish. Whether you’re moving across town or to a new borough, these strategies will help you navigate the process with confidence and care.
Have you ever wondered why people spend hours in front of a screen to play games? Several psychological benefits come with this form of entertainment. With the growth of the digital era, mobile e-games, casinos, and all forms of mobile games have become easily accessible and fun, and there is a wide variety of genres to choose from. Let’s explore the psychology of gaming and explore some benefits you gain when you enjoy your favorite game.
You Satisfy the Thirst for Exploration
We are naturally curious beings and look for a chance to explore uncharted territory or dig unknown histories. This is one thing that games have mastered perfectly. For example, most e-games take you to a hypothetical digital world where you are exploring, conquering, or defending it from invading forces. On the other hand, most slot titles explore specific themes like Ancient Egypt, Nordic mythology, or an Asian jungle. They give you a feeling like you are actually in that world.
Digital games invite you to embark on adventures that are only limited by your imagination. The sense of discovery keeps players engaged and satisfies their desire for new experiences. This makes them entice.
Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivation
Games provide a form of enjoyment that is both intrinsic and extrinsic. The intrinsic enjoyment comes from the feeling of happiness and achievement that comes with the game. For example, live immersive roulette games like those explained by Roulette.Guide is so intriguing that each win brings a smile to your face.
On the other hand, extrinsic enjoyment comes from the rewards that you derive from the games. For example, you may get real money wins in a casino, NFTs, loot, and weapons in e-games. The pursuit of these rewards causes you to play the games for long periods.
A Sense of Community and Social Interaction
Gaming is a powerful medium for social interaction. Many multiplayer games provide players with opportunities to connect with strangers and friends alike. They may team up to meet a specific goal or have a friendly competition. This fosters a sense of community and belonging. Some players even create friendships that extend beyond the digital world.
Another dimension of gaming that has brought interaction is streaming. Game streamers have created communities on YouTube and Twitch that enjoy and learn from them. These interactions are key to driving engagements across the gaming world.
Skill Development and Cognitive Engagement
Some games require players to think, strategize, and solve problems to meet the set milestones. This provides a form of cognitive engagement that rewards and stimulates the brain. Several soft skills come with gaming, including hand-eye coordination, teamwork, strategic thinking, and goal-setting. It is great to try strategy and luck-based titles to mix entertainment and skill development, even as you have fun.
Games also allow players to explore different identity aspects by role-playing. Many titles allow them to customize their characters and take on different emotional, intelligence, and skill profiles. The engagement helps in self-exploration and self-discovery.
Fun Emotional Comic Effect and Coping Mechanism
Gaming is a great form of emotional distraction. It offers your mind a chance to escape the real world, which provides a reprieve from the stresses of daily life. Many people deal with anxiety, emotional challenges, and depression by getting their hands on a game. Its immersive nature makes players focus their minds on a different reality, which may not be available in the natural world. Besides, the challenges that these games present teach players ways to be resilient and not give up on their goals.
Digital games provide excellent opportunities to have fun, achieve, make cash, and engage your mind in ways you will not find in the natural world. Different titles have varying experiences and opportunities. So, your choice depends on the goals you wish to achieve with the game play, like general achievement, fun, or making money. Try a game today and see what benefits you enjoy from the list we have explored above.
The online gaming industry is booming in 2025, with platforms like SeeBetAsia standing out as the official destination for downloading trusted gaming applications such as Pussy888, 918kiss, and Mega888. Renowned for offering seamless experiences, secure downloads, and a variety of games, SeeBetAsia continues to be a favourite among online casino enthusiasts.
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jasmine.4.t. is the moniker of Manchester-based singer-songwriter Jasmine Cruickshank, who started playing guitar after her late uncle passed down his instrument to her. She cut her teeth playing in punk and garage rock bands, self-releasing music via Breakfast Records, the label she co-founded with friends in Bristol, which put out her debut EP, Worn Through, in 2019. One day, she got a message from Lucy Dacus inviting her to be an opener on her Historian tour in Europe; now that Dacus is preparing to tour its follow-up, she’ll be supporting her again. During the pandemic, facing complications from myalgic encephalomyelitis and long COVID, Cruickshank underwent heart surgery and was bed-bound for almost half a year. It was then that she decided to come out as trans, end her abusive marriage, and escape to Manchester, where she found – and was able to write through – her queer community. Backed by an all-trans band, jasmine.4.t. became the first UK signee to Phoebe Bridgers’ label Saddest Factory Records, and Bridgers, Dacus, and their boygenius bandmate Julien Baker all produced her remarkable debut full-length, You Are the Morning. Treading the line between intricate, tender-hearted folk and stormy indie rock, the album swoons with the rush of new love, spins catharsis out of the wildest lows, and reimagines the past into a light-filled future. It’s in the throes of hope and change, Cruickshank reminds us, that we see each other best.
We caught up with jasmine.4.t. for the latest edition of our Artist Spotlight series to talk about when she started writing songs, the making of her debut album, working with boygenius, and more.
Do you feel like people are taking in the record as a whole, and as its own journey, differently than the individual songs you’d been rolling out?
Yeah, and it’s really interesting to hear people’s interpretations of the whole thing. A lot of people understand it to be a coherent kind of story, and a chronological one, which it’s not – the order was very much based on the feel of the songs and how each side of the record kind of rides out. That was actually down to Lucy, mostly. Lucy is the mastermind behind the track listing. She had this massive whiteboard in the studio with each of the tracks and each of the instruments as columns. It was this big table, and she filled in each one with little notes and stuff. She’s very organized like that; she’s famous for keeping an extensive Google Drive of everything.
I feel like the singles that came out were a really good representation, and that’s why we chose them. We wanted the singles to each make a statement. For example, one of the contenders for the first single was ‘Breaking in Reverse’, which is a really lovely song about queer healing. But for me, it was like, “This is too much of a tame love song.” I love that song and I’m proud of it, but it doesn’t say what ‘Skin on Skin’ says. ‘Skin on Skin’ very explicitly expresses that this is about trans people having sex; it’s about that healing experience, experiencing physical trans love for the first time. There aren’t any other songs out there that do that in the same way, as far as I know, and that’s why we chose it to be the first single. The response to that was phenomenal – trans people from all over the world being like, “You’ve nailed this in a way that I haven’t experienced before.” That was really what we were trying to do, so that was incredible. But I think the way people are now reacting to the individual songs and the album as a whole is quite different. It feels like it’s being perceived as an entire body representing healing and hope, which is what it is, rather than these individual snapshots.
People have been interpreting the songs in such amazing ways, seeing things I had never seen before. For example, ‘New Shoes’ was originally written about my then-spouse in 2012, at the beginning of that relationship, maybe 2013, and then it was released in late 2019 on my debut EP when we were married. I re-recorded it in this new setting, and when I was singing it, I was trying to sing it about my chosen family, and it’s wonderful that people have interpreted it that way. But also, some people have interpreted it as being about transition and seeing things in yourself that you haven’t seen before. That’s “the light I have seen,” you know? That wasn’t at all what I wrote the song about, but now I’m wondering, was it? Was I just writing a song about being trans without realizing it? And I was, ultimately, I think. The mental health issues I had at the time were very much associated with my experiences of dysphoria, and those were things that were very deeply repressed. I tried to come out as a teenager, and I failed, and I kind of just forgot about it for that whole period.
It’s really interesting to hear about how the track listing came out about, because I think especially the run from ‘Skin on Skin’ to ‘Breaking in Reverse’, and then ‘New Shoes’ to ‘Elephant’, really affects the resonance of these songs.
Yes, fully. I’m so glad that Lucy did those things, because that’s something I would never have thought of. Also, the idea of splitting it into sides – growing up with CDs, I kind of considered the entire arc of the record as a whole. But Lucy’s approach, and Phoebe was a big part of that as well, deciding to end the first side with ‘Best Friend’s House’ and start the second side with ‘Guy Fawkes Tesco Dissociation’. What I find quite interesting there is the use of the discontinuity of flipping the record over and how that feels symbolic in that context. because I was staying at my best friend’s house, at Han’s house, while writing this song about feeling disconnected at Tesco. There are just so many things you can pick out from that.
I really love how ‘Roan’ is framed on the record as well. A lot of this record is about my first trans relationship, but after that ended, I met Roan, who is one of my current partners, and we’ve been together for two years now. This record actually came out on zer birthday, so it was kind of a birthday gift on the DL. That was also a re-recording of a demo I made, but we reused the original synths from the demo. We just pitched them up because my voice has changed so much since then. The way that is sat in the sequencing as well makes that moment feel incredibly healing and really emotional.
In a statement you shared about ‘Guy Fawkes Tesco Dissociation’, you mentioned a persistent vision you were having of yourself and your late uncle in miniature. I know you were really young when he passed, but do you trace your relationship with music back to him?
Yeah, fully. He was a huge Black Sabbath fan, and I am too.
I mean, you’re wearing an Iron Maiden T-shirt.
[laughs] Yeah. When I opened for Lucy in Birmingham on the Historian album tour, we did a cover of ‘Paranoid’. I feel like I wouldn’t have done that if it weren’t for him, and I wouldn’t have gotten into hard rock and probably punk. Maybe, I don’t know – I feel like a huge part of my getting into punk was probably because of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2, to be honest, as it is for a lot of trans girls. But ultimately, that experience of losing him was devastating for me and my family, obviously, and the circumstances surrounding that were horrendous. And I think it had a huge effect on my relationship with mortality.
When I tried to come out as a teenager, when I started experiencing dysphoria around puberty, I was suicidal at that time. I was thinking a lot about my uncle, and part of the therapy I did recently in healing from these experiences, the EMDR therapy – I think I talked about it in the press release – was about visualizing, because I was having these hallucinations at the time. Part of reprocessing the horrors of losing my uncle in such a terrible way involved visualizing how I would interact with him as an adult now. I imagined taking him to the local gay bar, just hanging out and chatting, and that was just imagining him in good spirits, like I remember him. That’s the therapy I’m singing about in the second verse of ‘Tesco’. He’s definitely an important part of why I make music, but also an important part of the music I’ve been making.
Is that when you started writing songs?
Yeah, definitely. I’ve written songs my whole life, and the first song I ever wrote was very shortly after my uncle died. It was just a very sad song about someone leaving you. I think it would have been an emo pop banger had I written it properly. [laughs] I wrote a lot of songs heavily inspired by Elliott Smith all the way through my childhood, or teenage years, really. II heard Basement on a Hill, which my dad’s friend introduced me to. I wrote a lot more punky stuff, and I recorded an album of Daniel Johnston covers. I got really into Jeffrey Lewis for a bit, and I was playing in punk bands. I was in a band called Gnarwhals. We started off just doing covers of songs from the Tony Hawk soundtrack at friends’ parties, and we were sort of locally popular in Bristol.
That was a very different thread, but with my more personal songwriting, I had a few other projects where I collaborated with my Breakfast Records friends. We had a garage rock project called Human Bones. I was also very inspired by others in the Bristol scene, especially SLONK, Joe Sherrin, who is a phenomenal and prolific songwriter. I definitely recommend checking out Songs About Tanks, which is my favorite of his albums. I played violin on that – my violin kind of sucks, to be honest, but it’s an incredible record. Then, through uni, I was really into Big Thief and Adrianne Lenker’s solo stuff. I got really sick of uni, and I was listening to a lot of Adrianne Lenker and writing a lot in that vein, more folky stuff. I got really into fingerstyle guitar playing and listened to classic folk guitarists like Davey Graham. There’s this contemporary Appalachian folk singer named Sam Amidan, who I’m a huge fan of, and through him, the rest of the Bedroom Community label. Recently, I’ve just been drawing a lot on Elliott and Adrinne, not really thinking too much consciously about genre or style, and just writing.
My collaborator, Phoenix, is an incredible composer. She wrote an opera called Songs of Descent, which retells the story of Persephone descending into hell, but through a trans lens. It’s about dysphoria, and it’s just incredible. Phoenix and I have been working together on writing and demoing recently – since recording, actually, and we’ve just been doing projects here in my bedroom. It’s been really rad. We recently recorded a demo that I sent to Phoebe, which she loved, so hopefully that will be on a future record. It’s a lot more eclectic; she draws a lot of influence from electronic and classical music, and those are things I don’t typically draw on. There are moments that are very different from what was on this album. When I was in LA, too, I was writing constantly while recording this record. I wrote an EP of heartbreak songs from the roof of the studio – I was just going there between takes. It had a really beautiful view of the sunset and the train tracks. I ended up writing five songs while I was out there, and they’re all kind of grunge because that’s how I demoed them. I sent those demos to everyone who helped out on the record, including the boys.
I don’t really know why I’m monologuing so long; I guess I’m trying to classify my songwriting genres. But I’ve been writing so much recently – since transitioning, really. I haven’t really stopped. I do think that coming out and accepting myself – I guess I mean cracking my egg, coming out to myself, being unrepressed in my identity – has really helped me not be repressed in terms of my writing as well. I think people have picked up on that in their responses to the album, too.
I love the more ornate and orchestrated moments on the album, so I’m excited to hear what comes out of your ongoing collaboration with Phoenix. I will say, in terms of personal songwriting, going from Elliott Smith to Adrianne Lenker does feel like a full-circle moment.
Yeah, definitely. My girlfriend and I recently watched this interview where Elliott is just sitting in a café, and the interviewer asks him how it feels to write about these very personal moments. I think he mentions Iron Maiden – like, even Iron Maiden, when they’re singing about shouting at the devil, it’s still very personal for them. [laughs] I love that. But I feel like it’s easier to interpret things as personal when you’re not shouting at the devil. There’s so much weird Elliott lore woven into this record as well. Have you watched Strange Parallel?
I haven’t.
It’s this – I want to say documentary, but it’s almost like a mockumentary that he co-created. The story is that the label wanted to make a documentary about him, but he wasn’t playing along nicely – they sent some filmmakers to go make this documentary, and he just kept giving them the wrong address. This is all in the documentary. When they finally caught up with him, he said, “I don’t want to make a documentary – can we just make a video about my dreams?” He came back the next day with these crazy ideas he had in his dreams about, like, the label trying to make him replace his hand with a robot hand so he could play guitar better. That was actually going to be in the music video for ‘Elephant’ originally. Harv, who’s this incredible director, a trans girl, directed the music videos for ‘Elephant’ and ‘Tesco’. She created an entire robot suit, including an amazing robot hand, which was all made out of cardboard, but it was raining on the day, so we couldn’t use it. I’m really hoping at some point in the future it will get used, because she put so much time into that. That was all going to be a reference to Strange Parallel. Niche lore for you there!
I know this record went through several stages; one of the songs even dates back to the Worn Through EP. Was there a moment or period of time where the album really came to life for you?
When I’m writing songs, I’m not thinking, “Oh, what record is this going to be on?” I think it kind of happened when – let me see if I can find the screenshots. I recently went back through my messages with Joe Sherrin, who I mentioned earlier. So, this was on the 17th of June 2022. I sent Joe a demo of ‘Tesco’, and his response was, Oh, fuck yes baby! Now that’s what I call a chorus! You should ask Lucy to see if Phoebe Bridgers will release it on her label. You’ve got so many bangers now, bitch.” [laughs] And I said, Hihi thanks angel, maybe I will. And he said, Worth a bloody punt 🙂. I think that was the moment.
Obviously, there ceased to be a “maybe” at one point.
Well, I had 30 songs, starting with ‘Woman’, which I wrote immediately after coming out to my then-spouse. Until that moment, I had 30 songs, and I didn’t really want to go back before then because they didn’t feel so relevant. Obviously, Lucy talked me into doing ‘New Shoes’ again. So, my friend Octavia – who’s another trans singer-songwriter from Manchester, she’s awesome – and another friend of mine, Cleo – who co-founded the Just Do the Thing trans meet-up in Manchester, which is where I met Eden O’Brien and Emily Abbott – helped me whittle it down from 30 tracks to about 10. Of those, Lucy played four tracks for Phoebe: ‘Elephant’, ‘Tesco’, ‘You Are the Morning’, and ‘Woman’.
After it was decided that Lucy, Phoebe, and Julien were all going to be producing, they wanted to have a say in the tracklist as well. Obviously, they would put whatever I wanted first, but they were interested in hearing some other demos. So I sent over the full list of my back catalog up to that point. There were a few songs that didn’t make the album that we were hoping to record in the sessions as well, but we ran out of time. Those include a song called ‘Did You Know’, a song called ‘Find Your People’, and ‘Daffodil Cup’, which is a reference to a cup I have on my desk somewhere, but I can’t see it right now. [laughs] Those three songs were going to be on the album, but we only had 12 days – it’s pretty mad that we managed to record a song per day for those 12 days. That’s kind of how the album took shape from a loose collection of songs.
A loose collecton of songs, many of which started out as voice memos. I’d love for you to talk about some of the most surprising or magical parts of having a group of people – be it your live band, boygenius, or the Trans Chorus of LA – interpret and build upon the songs.
I think the main one is how Lucy edited the title track, ‘You Are the Morning’. The original demo is so long, like 7 minutes, which is ridiculous. Lucy did an incredible job of saying, “You don’t need to re-sing that part.” What I think is so genius about what she did with that song is that she took the last two verses, and there used to be choruses in between there – it’s got such a weird structure, right? It goes: chorus, verse, chorus, two middle eight sections, and then verse, solo, verse. I’ve never heard of a song like that before, but it just has this beautiful symmetry. My favorite thing about the way Lucy created this structure is that final verse/solo/verse, because there’s so much meaning packed into those verses. I had created that meaning, but the way Lucy condensed it into just two verses is really beautiful.
It’s talking about leaving, and when I was writing it, I was contemplating suicide – the lyrics say, “Now, my time here has been undone/ Just know I’m glad I’ve been the one/ To hold you through the darkest night/ To see you in the morning light.” But over the course of the solo, the other path is followed, and it’s ike, “And if I stay, if just for one more year/ To place your hair behind your ear/ To stroke your wrist from left to right/ As you hold me in the morning light.” It’s almost like these two roads. I just find the way that whole song is really nicely symmetric very incredible, and I think that’s 90% Lucy’s contribution.
There are a few moments, like in ‘Highfield’ and ‘Breaking in Reverse’, where all the boys were recording their vocals together. I think they kind of had ideas going into the live room that they had discussed beforehand, but it was basically improvised. And just watching them live, improvising these three-part harmonies as a hive mind was fucking incredible. I have this really cool video that I’ll probably post at some point because it’s an amazing moment: Julien just stops everyone and says, “You know what? I think I should just go down chromatically at that point.” And everyone was like, “Fuck yeah!” [laughs] And then they just start again, and Julien did this beautiful stepwise chromaticism. The way they all knew what that was going to go do, and are so enmeshed, was so satisfying to see.
That was at the end of ‘Breaking in Reverse’, and it was recorded on the final day. It was the final thing we did on the final day. We’d recorded the choir, and the choir had left, and we were like, “What can we do with these last few hours?” We were just riffing so hard at that point. We had been through this boot camp recording session and got to know each other really well, and we were just so happy and comfortable in each other’s presence. It was completely mad, but it was so fun collaborating with those guys. Honestly, it’s just a dream come true.
Had you been a longtime fan?
I didn’t really know who Julien was until I saw them at the End of the Road festival. It was such a life-changing moment for me, honestly. There was so much going on there [laughs] in terms of my internal, repressed queer identity. I was on stage with Lucy, I was playing banjo. We did a cover of Alex G’s song ‘Bobby’ together as a secret set, which was really cool. That was the first time I met Julien. Just seeing them perform felt… it’s being faced with the sun from the planet Mercury. It just feels like this ball of energy right in front of your face. It’s like, how is so much energy coming out of one person? So much raw emotion, so much virtuosic guitar playing. And to have that on my record now, so many years later, post-transition, after that being a major part of my journey to come to terms with my own gender identity and sexuality – it’s just nuts. It’s really nuts.
We worked out recently as well that the first time I saw Phoebe was at The Thekla in Bristol, the year after Stranger in the Alps came out, which was 2018. The stage is on the hall of a boat, which is really cool. Lucy, who I was on tour with at the time, took me to see Phoebe’s show. Lucy got on stage with Phoebe and sang ‘Me and My Dog’, and that was such a jaw-dropping moment, seeing these incredible musicians gel in that way. And now, being able to say, “I did that too. I made music with those people.” I’m such a huge fan of them. When boygenius’s record came out, I listened to it on repeat, obviously. And now, my record sounds very much like it’s produced by boygenius; you can really hear them. Being part of that canon is such an honor for me.
Circling back to ‘New Shoes’, of all the things that transformed from the EP version to this one, one detail that strikes me is the resonance of the word “you” – with Lucy’s voice in the mix, with the audience on the other end. How does that ring out to you now that the record has been released?
I think this is something that Paste Magazine brought my attention to as well, but it was actually in the context of ‘Elephant’. I realized that I’m no longer really singing the songs about what I wrote them about. For example, with ‘Elephant’. there’s this bit: “Look at this, it’s all for you.” When I wrote that, I’m dolling myself up, doing my nails and makeup for “you”: my first trans crush. But when we performed that in the studio, it felt like “Look at this” was saying, “Look at what we’ve created here. Look at this moment in history.” And “it’s all for you” being the listener, a queer person, or a trans woman just coming to terms with her identity. That’s what it felt like, and that’s what it feels like when I sing it as well. When I sing ‘You Are the Morning’, I’m very much singing about my audience and the hope I want my audience to have.
And then, ‘New Shoes’ – that’s one that really hurt to sing. When I wrote it, it was about the relationship that became my marriage. When Lucy asked me to put it on the record, I initially sas like, “No fucking way.” But after thinking about it for a while, I realized this could be a song about my chosen family. I spoke about it with my chosen sister, Bola, who I live with, and I decided to go for it because I could sing it about that, right? But in the studio, on the day, I just couldn’t. I kept having these images of my dog that I lost in the divorce, and that’s what I was crying about when I was trying to sing it. I don’t think I could ever sing that live. I cry on stage all the time anyway, and it would be so difficult for me to do that. But I do feel that when I listen to it now, it is about chosen family and queer family. I think there is that implication that “you” is the listener there. We’re talking about this incredible connection we’re making through the music, but also, we’re talking about the network of solidarity that queer people have worldwide.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.
