Lost At E Minor

Lost At E Minor is an online publication of inspiring art, design, music, photography and pop culture. Full content and images at the Lost At E Minor website.

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Lauren Bath is Australia's first professional Instagrammer

For those who love to travel, snap pictures and are obsessed with social media, Lauren Bath has your dream job. As Australia’s first professional Instagrammer, Lauren has travelled all over Australia and the world, taking photos of camels on Cable Beach, foxes in Japan’s Zao Fox Village and the exquisite landscapes of the Middle East.

But her journey involved a big risk in the beginning, as Lauren quit her job as a talented chef to pursue her passion for photography, social media and travel (read more about her story here).

As part of our brand new series spotlighting Aussie Instagrammers, we spoke to Lauren and asked her about her life as a travelling photographer and social media expert.

You were a chef by trade before you became Australia’s first professional Instagrammer. Can you tell us a little more about that and what led you to changing fields?

‘It’s a bit of a long story but I’ll give you the short version. I was a chef by trade working on the Gold Coast when I got my first iPhone and stumbled onto Instagram. I had no idea what the app was about but soon realised I had to take photos and I did so on my iPhone originally. As an early adopter and a very enthusiastic user I started to grow followers almost immediately and soon purchased my first DSLR camera to see if I could continue to grow as a photographer.

‘Within a year I had close to 200,000 followers on Instagram, from August 2011 when I started to the end of 2012. I was in the right place at the right time for growth as the platform was exploding that year and my account was very engaged and my photography was improving. I was starting to get small opportunities including a couple of travel invitations in Australia and I started to think about where this could all get me. I had some great contacts in tourism through Instagram and eventually reached out to Jesse Desjardins, the head of social media for Tourism Australia for advice.

‘After a particularly difficult New Year’s Eve at work, I decided that I was going to take a risk and quit my job. My plan was to keep improving my photography and to say yes to every opportunity that came my way. That soon changed into chasing opportunities and eventually I discovered a love of business and marketing. I wanted to do three things when I quit my job and I even wrote them down… 1) Photography 2) Travel and 3) Social Media. Now I have my own company that hires people to work on campaigns, I will have my first employee by the end of the year and I sell a full suite of social media services including campaign management, education and consultancy.

‘I quit my job on the second January, 2013, and haven’t looked back. I’m generally booked out at least six to twelve months in advance and I have the best clients. I am in love with business and more so with the business of travel. I love to inspire and I still love my photography too.’

Where have you travelled since changing professions?

‘I travel a LOT! I am generally travelling three weeks out of a month and sometimes more. I do a lot of domestic work in Australia and have had the chance to see parts of my country that many people never see. Other highlights include seeing the Northern Lights in Finnish Lapland, swimming with wild dolphins in Kaikoura, New Zealand, exploring Alberta, Canada (my favourite place in the world), and finally discovering the Middle East with work in Dubai and Oman. I’ve also started skiing thanks to my work and have followed my passions and interests all the way’.

Are you a self-taught photographer or did you study the field before joining Instagram?

‘I’m a self taught photographer THROUGH using Instagram! I was learning photography with my best friend Garry Norris who also happened to be my boss at work. Now he has a huge Instagram account too and regularly travels with me’.

When do you decide to snap a photo, is there a lot of planning involved?

‘Absolutely not. My philosophy towards my photography is to capture a destination as a visitor might experience it. I shoot a variety of content and subject matter and never ever pre-plan. I shoot to whatever weather conditions there are and whatever season it is. To me that’s the joy of travel, spontaneity’.

When you’re working on a campaign, do you get a lot of say in how you want to present the images?

‘I have full creative control in the images that I take and I communicate with new clients pre-campaign to make sure they are comfortable with me, the medium I use for marketing, and my beliefs in social media as an asset. I provide a free workshop to every new client on how they can get the most out of Instagram too and turn down work that isn’t a fit for my personal brand’.

You’re living the life many of us want to live! Can you give us any tips on following in your footsteps?

‘The first thing that people need to realise is that this work is really hard. Most people just see the travel and cool experiences and think that I have the best life ever when the truth is that most days I am barely keeping my head above water, work wise. I am definitely a success story in this space but I have made a lot of sacrifices to get to where I am.

‘The next piece of advice I have is to not rush it and to get into this with the best intentions. I think you genuinely need to love travel, photography and social media to do this job well and it’s very transparent when you’re just doing things to get what you want.

‘Finally, my best tip is to just be a good person. Help others, build relationships and respect everyone, clients and your peers alike’.

With so many amazing photos, Lauren Bath is definitely on our Instagram must-follow list. Follow her on Instagram here, on Facebook here, and check out Lauren’s website here.

Is everybody ready to say “Awwwwwwww”? This is a New Zealand Fur Seal and I love him! Of course I also have a funny story about this photo! Firstly we approached him and were a safe distance away taking photos. All of a sudden he decided to come closer and waddled over to us, of course we’re not going to back away because photography. Lol. After some time passed we edged a little closer and finally Jewels decided to lie down and try to get a seal selfie. Lol. Needless to say we got in trouble from the awesome volunteers that watch over the wild colony. That was a lesson to me to be respectful even when animals are in the wild, difficult when seals are so inquisitive and friendly but important for them. @christchurchnz #canterburynz

A photo posted by Lauren Bath (@laurenepbath) on Oct 21, 2015 at 6:51pm PDT

Kia Ora, greetings from New Zealand. I’m in Canterbury on an adventure of a lifetime to promote the lesser known coastal and wildlife areas of my favorite region. (Yes I say that about all the regions ;)) We’ve come straight in from Christchurch to Kaikoura for whale watching, dolphin swimming and seal spotting plus a huge instameet this afternoon. I can’t wait to share all my adventures, but first here’s a quick aerial I snapped on the way over. It really is THAT easy to find amazing shots in Canterbury. @ChristchurchNZ #CanterburyNZ

A photo posted by Lauren Bath (@laurenepbath) on Oct 16, 2015 at 4:25pm PDT

If you go to Townsville promise me that you’ll eat at Rambutan! It’s a “glam-packers” resort and the food is served pool side. We ate there twice and didn’t regret it! I rarely post food photos but this was too colorful and delish to resist! @TownsvilleNorthQueensland #TownsvilleShines

A photo posted by Lauren Bath (@laurenepbath) on Aug 2, 2015 at 3:16pm PDT

More green, more Schönbrunn! I know, I know. This is such a classic “Instagram” shot but I’ve never shot it and it’s cool for a reason you guys. Lol. I’ve never seen hedges so tall, like never! This was easily three times as tall as me and I am not short. I’ve nearly posted all my favorite Vienna shots which means I can soon start to show off Innsbruck. @VisitAustria #MyAustria #VisitAustria

A photo posted by Lauren Bath (@laurenepbath) on Jun 21, 2015 at 9:21am PDT

So the most “Broome” thing to do in Broome is a camel ride on cable beach at sunset. If you time your trip right you even get these low tides as you ride. I mean the ride is the same but how pretty does it look with a reflection? @WesternAustralia #ThisIsWA

A photo posted by Lauren Bath (@laurenepbath) on Mar 25, 2015 at 2:34am PDT

So I’m back in Australia and I’ve just heard the news that @tasmania has been named the 4th best region to visit in the WORLD! And by @lonelyplanet no less! I’ve been to Tassie half a dozen times this past 18 months and this still remains my favorite moment – photographing the stars in Narawntapu National Park. (Tasmania has the cleanest air in the world!) Go Tassie, I couldn’t be more proud! #discovertasmania #bestintravel

A photo posted by Lauren Bath (@laurenepbath) on Oct 22, 2014 at 10:40pm PDT

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Introducing Gordon Becker and his awesome ocean photography

We love discovering awesome new photographers, and when we found Gordon Becker’s photography, we knew we had to shine a spotlight on his work.

This talented Aussie first got into photography when he was just 12 years old, and has since produced a portfolio of work any seasoned photog would be envious of.

We are particularly taken with Becker’s ocean photography (after all, who doesn’t love a good surf in the morning?), so we interviewed him to find out how he got into the photographic world and what’s behind his incredible images.

Can you tell us how you got into photography? What were you doing before that?

‘I first got into photography when I was 12. I went through my school years taking photos of my friends surfing. To pay for the many rolls of film, I sold the photos back to them for $2 each.

‘I wasn’t sure if I wanted to follow photography as a career or if it was just more of a passion. So I moved to Margaret River and studied winemaking. I worked in various wineries in Australia and Germany as a cellar hand for six years before finally deciding I wanted to be a photographer.

‘I completed three years of study to receive my advanced diploma in photography. I now work full-time for two newspapers as the photographer, and also work under my business name Gordon Becker Photography, covering weddings and commercial work’.

We’re in awe of your ocean photography. What made you want to photograph it?

‘I grew up beside the ocean so I’ve had a strong connection since childhood. I have always been in awe of how the ocean can change in an instant. How the wind, sun, tides and lighting all make a massive impact. When out surfing with my friends I would see amazing moments and wish I had my camera on me. I put the board down and now just concentrate on documenting what I see in the water. I love the questions people ask me about my work. The questionable looks on their faces as they try to decipher what’s happening in the image makes me smile’.

Where are your ocean photos taken? All in the same spot?

‘The majority of my images are taken in the state I live in, Western Australia. There are so many diverse regions in WA. The water colour, conditions, landscape all vary. I have a handful of spots close to home where I can sneak down for a sunrise swim before work or a backlit session on sunrise. Some spots are a little further.

‘A 15-hour drive will take you to a place where the sand is dark red and the water and sky are a deep blue. Head in the opposite direction and you will reach some of the whitest sand, matched with the clearest water in the world. This is a special part of this amazing world we live in’.

How much time and effort goes into taking the perfect picture of the ocean?

‘I haven’t taken the perfect picture of the ocean and I probably never will. For me, the capturing of those special moments in the water and sharing them with friends, family and complete strangers is what it’s all about. Lighting is everything when shooting the ocean. You need to go that extra mile to chase the light and conditions.

‘Last week, I travelled a 900-kilometre round trip for a 45-minute session in the water. It was a memorable session and well worth it’.

You’re also skilled in commercial and wedding photography. Do you have a subject you love photographing the most, and why?

‘I never thought my main photography workload would be shooting weddings, but it is and I love it. I love capturing the overall emotions on a wedding day. The smiles, tears and laughter. I take the candid approach when covering weddings. Those special moments that come and go so quickly. I am constantly trying to push myself and top my last piece of work’.

When you’re not photographing, what are you doing?

‘I enjoy exploring new regions. Scoping out areas I’ve never been before and just enjoying nature, really. Travelling is always on the cards. I have a long list of places I am meaning to travel to. I am very family orientated. I have a very supportive family and partner that I share this amazing life with’.

See more of Gordon Becker’s work on his website and don’t forget to follow him on Instagram, here.

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Wife gets her revenge on hubby with a very NSFW bento box

When your husband plays ‘naughty’ video games behind your back, there’s only one thing to do. Embarrass him in front of his work colleagues. This doesn’t involve calling up his workmates or talking to his boss, but rather sending him to work with a very raunchy NSFW bento box that’ll surprise him (and make him turn red) the minute he sits down for lunch.

This is exactly what a Japanese wife did when she found out her hubby was going behind her back to play sexually graphic video games. And by the looks of it, she’s well-talented in her bento skills… perhaps she’s had to do this before? We won’t go into explaining what the bento box contains – the images say it all.

Revenge is a dish best served cold.. or a bento box served with a little sausage in the middle!

彼がまた隠れてエロゲしてたから、復讐弁当作ったった(o´・∀・)o 今度はフェラばーじょんや。 職場で笑われてこーい！！( ;ﾟ皿ﾟ)ﾉｼ 時間なくて卵焼き作れなかったのが残念ですわぁ。 pic.twitter.com/2GeCaNs4GR

— リアン姫*＠ハピ森(ネタ担当) (@mohimohimikachu) September 10, 2014

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Naked human bodies beautifully arranged like ink blots (NSFW)

French photographer Oliver Valsecchi’s Klecksography series shows us the symmetry and beauty in the naked human body. Klecksography is the art of making images from inkblots and these human bodies look just like Rorschach tests in their provocative poses.

In a recent interview with Stitch, Valsecchi said: ‘The Rorschach test was the starting point of the series. I was rewarded with the Hasselblad Masters Awards 2012 and was asked to shoot a new series with their new material. The theme was “Evoke”. I thought it fitted perfectly. Rorschach tests are not so different from looking at the clouds and see[ing] shapes. I looked at the inkblots and started to see people in them. The idea wasn’t to imitate the inkblots but to create my own photographic tests’.

If Valsecchi’s Klecksography series inspires you, head on over to his website to take a look at his other projects.

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Can someone explain why this beautiful park in Korea is full of penises? (NSFW)

Venture out of the city and to a small town called Sinnam in Gangwon Province on South Korea’s east coast. Here you’ll find the serene and picturesque Haesindang Park. This park offers beautiful views, relaxing surroundings and penises. Plenty and plenty of penises.

Korean artists installed these penis structures for ‘joy, spirituality and sexuality’. You’ll find many phallic symbols here and many selfie opportunities that will look great as Facebook profile pics (just sayin’). There’s a small Folk Museum attached to the park that showcases penis-related art through the ages, too (probably not the museum to take Grandma to).

You really want to know why this beautiful park is full of penises, right? Legend has it after a virgin died in a storm, fishermen were unable to fish anymore, so they began to build giant penises to appease her spirit. Because that’s what you do when a virgin dies, didn’t you know? Anyway, apparently building these phallic symbols appeased the gods and the villagers were able to fish again. So don’t know the whole building of penises idea.

There are penises here for everyone. Small penises for snoozing on, flat penises for picnicking on and laughing penises for pointing at.

I know what you’re thinking – so many penis structures, so little time. Nevermind, entry into the park costs around $3 so you can come and go as you please.

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What EXACTLY is your brain doing when you're on the Internet? Lost At E Minor finds out

A simple yet brilliant question was posed to Redditors a couple of days ago in the /r/askreddit community: ‘What’s your earliest memory of the internet?‘ Many users reminisced about the ‘screeching demon’ modems of the early nineties or the basic chatrooms where users would start every question with ‘a/s/l?’ 

My earliest memory of the internet was as a young teen. We didn’t have enough money to afford a computer at home so I would spend every Saturday at an Internet cafe, talking to as many new people as possible (on Yahoo chat, of course) and searching the web on AltaVista for things like movie showtimes or ‘how to make my own Geocities web page‘.

Image via Jeffrey Zeldman/Flickr

Back then — this was the mid to late nineties — the Internet was a novelty and while fun to play around with, was hardly an everyday-use kind of thing like it is now. In fact, back in the mid-nineties, there were just under 200 million Internet users, compared to a whopping 2.9 billion today.

The Internet has become the centre of our lives. We talk to our boss through email, we chat with our friends through Gchat, we order our gifts from Amazon — but have you ever stopped to ask yourself what happens to us as we spend more and more time online?

Your Brain On The Internet

Zach Parton from the Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease Center (CNADC) reminds us that everything we do affects our brains physically.

‘Every stimulus we encounter, every behavior we engage in, every habit we form changes the wiring, composition, and reaction of our brains to future stimuli’, he says. ‘We are a constantly learning, constantly changing system that is one of the most highly adaptable to have emerged in the course of evolution’.

And so your brain is affected by your time on the Internet. You see, our brains are reward-driven and wired to seek out new information. The Internet, as you know, is full of new information — it’s an information lover’s fantasy — so when you log onto the net, search for something and then find it, your brain actually releases small amounts of dopamine.

Dopamine is released in all sorts of everyday scenarios, like when you eat or have sex.

Dopamine works as a neurotransmitter to send signals to nerve cells in your body to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, among other things. Dopamine is released in all sorts of everyday scenarios, like when you eat or have sex. But dopamine also delivers big hits in cocaine and heroin use. Those warm, fuzzy drug highs all result from altered dopamine levels in your body’s system.

This dandy little neurotransmitter is also released when we learn something new on the Internet. You know that warm and fuzzy feeling you felt when you read about the dog who was rescued by strangers? Or that TIL Reddit post that taught you all about ice sculpting techniques? Yeah, that was dopamine doing its job.

But guess what we want after we’ve received that pleasurable reward of dopamine? More. We want more. We’ll get back to dopamine in just a little while…

Your Brain Is Changing With Each Click

In a recent interview with The Huffington Post, journalist and Pulitzer Prize finalist Nicholas Carr spoke about the effects of the Internet on our memory.

‘Technology definitely has an effect on our memory’, Carr says. ‘What happens is that to move information from your conscious mind (what’s known as the working memory) into your long-term memory requires a process of memory consolidation that hinges on attentiveness. You think about the information or rehearse it in your mind in order to form a strong memory of it, and in order to connect it to other things that you remember.

‘If you’re constantly distracted and taking in new information, you’re essentially pushing information into and out of your conscious mind. You’re not attending to it in a way that is necessary for the rich consolidation of memory’.

Technology definitely has an effect on our memory.

Zach Parton echoes Carr’s views on this: ‘I believe this is the crux of the interent’s effect on our brains. Besides the fact that people don’t feel the need to commit facts to long-term memory (queue cliché ‘Because it’s always there to be ‘googled’), I think that Internet use (the way that most people use it) has a much more insidious effect targeting memory’.

‘In some ways, the internet introduces an entropy into our thoughts that discourages and conditions us against building large, complex, and detailed behaviors’, Parton continues.

‘The shifting patterns with low-impact consequences for retention train our brains to accept and crave novelty, and makes it extremely hard to take a deeply-critical position towards something, because the larger context is truncated with the illusion that it has been accurately summarized, or is dispensable’.

How else is the brain affected by the Internet? Well, strap in for the next piece of information because this one’s juicy: Our brains actually adapt to our experiences and environment (this is called neuroplasticity).

This is where things get interesting. A study of London taxi drivers revealed that those who had been driving the streets of London for two years or more (and who had memorized London’s 25,000 streets and landmarks) ‘displayed a measurable increase in the size of the posterior hippocampus, a selection of the brain associated with spatial memory’. So the longer a cabbie had been driving, the larger this part of his/her brain would likely be.

Carr further explains this notion of neuroplasticity: ‘Neuroscientists have discovered that the brain is plastic, meaning that it’s very malleable or adaptable. Our brains are constantly adapting at a physical level to our environment. You can imagine that what’s really changed our environment in the past 10 or 20 years is the Internet and social media’.

The internet introduces an entropy into our thoughts that discourages and conditions us against building large, complex, and detailed behaviors.

Internet Addiction On The Brain

You can get addicted to alcohol, cocaine, food — but the Internet? Can you really get addicted to the Internet? Sadly, yes.

Remember that neurotransmitter dopamine? Well as it turns out, people can actually become obsessed with seeking out those pleasurable feelings that dopamine sends to your pleasure centres. After all, why would you stop pleasurable experiences? They make us feel happy!

Through brain scans, research has shown that screen addiction (in the gaming context) can cause gray matter atrophy, cortical thickness abnormalities which correlates to impaired task performance, and impaired cognitive functioning.

And get this — research back in 2011 found that cravings for Internet gaming were similar to drug cravings.

To delve even further into how we become addicted to the Internet, we spoke to Dr. Andrew Zalesky, a researcher at the University of Melbourne, based at the Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre.

Image via Wikipedia

‘Remarkably, the disruptions in brain connectivity we see in individuals with excessive Internet use resemble those disruptions seen in other disorders associated with addiction, such as pathological gambling and drug/alcohol dependence’, Dr. Zalesky said in an email.

‘This suggests a shared phenotype between Internet addiction and the classic forms of addiction. One of the neural signatures of addiction is disruption to the striatal circuits of the brain. In particular, neural communication between striatal regions and other areas of the brain are reduced in addictive disorders, including Internet addiction.

‘However, the pattern of connectivity disruptions seen in individuals with excessive Internet use appears to also involve brain regions that are not commonly seen with other forms of addiction. Further research is needed to determine the unique neural markers of Internet addiction and those that are shared with other forms of addiction’.

You might be a robot if you’re not fascinated and in awe of these findings.

And get this piece of information about what’s happening to our brain, from Zach Parton:

‘Studies have shown that the brain responds to ‘notifications’ in a similar way that it does cocaine. This means there is dopamanergic excitation in a manner that conditions us to want more. This happens with everything from candy to sex.

‘However, we do see that there is a general pleasurable response to using Internet-technologies, and that there is an up-tick when a novel stimulus is presented. This engenders chasing behaviors.

‘The result is that Internet-technology use mirrors the experience of stimulant use (and subsequent addiction) in a particularly striking manner. The pull one has to look at their phone or respond to a communication has a closer relationship to stimulant addiction behaviors than the drive to talk to someone face-to-face’.

But when do you know you’re addicted to the Internet? When does it become a problem? Does checking my email 30 times a day mean I’m an Internet addict?

Internet Addiction Is When…

To understand the effects of Internet addiction, we reached out to the reSTART Internet Addiction Treatment Program in Washington State. reSTART was founded in 2009 and is currently home to the only dedicated Internet and Gaming use program in the United States.

In a phone interview with Hilarie Cash, Ph.D., LMHC, CCO, and co-founder of Internet/Computer Addiction Services and the reSTART Internet Addiction Treatment Program, we asked when she thought Internet use becomes an addiction.

‘It’s at the point where it becomes compulsive’, she tells us. ‘The addiction now controls the individual, rather than the individual being able to control the behaviour. Addicts typically say ‘I’m not going to do that anymore‘ and then the cravings override the rational decision.

A rational thought but it’s overridden by the impulse, and that is typical of addiction.

‘If you’re a student in college and say ‘I’ve got to get my schoolwork done, I’ve got to get to class. I’m going to play for just an hour or two and then go to bed and sleep‘ — that’s a rational thought but it’s overridden by the impulse, and that is typical of addiction’.

Another leader in the Internet addiction treatment field is psychiatrist and colonel in the People’s Liberation Army, Tao Ran. His name might ring a bell because he’s been in the media over his Chinese ‘Internet boot camps‘ — the ones with military-style discipline for teens.

In an interview with The Telegraph, Ran gave his opinion on Internet addiction: ‘Internet addiction leads to problems in the brain similar to those derived from heroin consumption. But, generally, it is even more damaging. It destroys relationships and deteriorates the body without the person knowing. All of them have eyesight and back problems and suffer from eating disorders.

‘In addition, we have discovered that their brain capacity is reduced by eight percent, and the psychological afflictions are serious. If someone is spending six hours or more on the internet, we consider that to be an addiction’.

I’m Addicted, Now What?

Internet addictions aren’t taken as seriously as drug or alcohol abuse because the world wide web is seen as just a harmless tool in everyday life. But when that harmless tool becomes a harmful one, it’s time to take action.

Image via Wikipedia

We asked Hilarie Cash about the reSTART program and how they help Internet users battle with web addiction.

‘The first thing is to keep them away from digital media — put them on a digital fast — for a minimum of 45 days. The second thing is helping them think through and develop a plan which will be their blueprint of how to move forward post-reSTART, and have a healthy relationship with digital technology.

‘We have a strong emphasis on health, also. And so they are exercising and on a very rigorous fitness regime five days a week. They are eating healthy food and sleeping for 9 hours a night. All of that begins to restore and build their health, their stamina and their physical fitness.

‘All addicts are poor at regulating their emotional state, so we give them new skills on how to handle their emotions. We are teaching them social skills, communication skills and life skills’.

As to whether or not an Internet addict can fully recover, Cash is optimistic but points out that it also takes a lot of lifestyle changes to get over such an addiction.

‘I think people can recover from Internet addiction but, as with all addictions, you have to be very mindful in the ways the brain has been changed forever. Therefore, you as an addict are going to be forever vulnerable to relapse. So it really does require living a different lifestyle and you have to live life a different way in order to stay healthy and not be turned to addiction’.

I think people can recover from Internet addiction but, as with all addictions, you have to be very mindful in the ways the brain has been changed forever.

The Internet Isn’t Evil (No, Really!)

While it’s possible to become addicted to the net, it doesn’t necessarily mean using the Internet is all bad.

A 2008 study actually found that older adults who were first-time Internet users had their brain function boosted after just a week!

‘We found that for older people with minimal experience, performing Internet searches for even a relatively short period of time can change brain activity patterns and enhance function’, said study author Dr. Gary Small.

Dr. Small is a professor of psychiatry at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA. He’s also the author of iBrain, a compelling book about the impact of technology on the human brain (give it a read, it’s fascinating).

So while the Internet becomes a source of brain exercise to some, it can lead to nasty addictions in others. The solution? Probably what your parents always told you — everything in moderation… including visits to Lost At E Minor.

To learn more about Internet addiction, check out the PBS documentary Web Junkie. And learn more about the Internet addiction recovery services provided by reSTART here.

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Iconic artists Gilbert & George are coming to Hobart's Mona

You’ve probably read about our love affair with Hobart’s Mona (Museum of Old and New Art). We visited earlier this year and were blown away by the incredible architecture of the museum, and of course, the daring exhibitions on show. Now we’re excited by another art exhibition at the Mona and this is one you definitely don’t want to miss.

Gilbert & George The Art Exhibition is coming to the Mona from November 28, 2015 to March 28, 2016. The artists will be showcasing a whopping 97 pictures from 1970 all the way to 2014, taking up the entirety of Mona’s touring galleries.

The pair are known for their amazing (and controversial) large-scale photographic works. One of their most famous works was London Pictures, in which Gilbert & George dealt with topics such as religion, race, and patriotism.

In a video to promote the exhibition, Gilbert & George mention that their pictures ‘deal with the great universals: death, hope, life, fear, sex, money, race, and religion’.

While the pair have seen their work appear at Tate Modern in London, the Brooklyn Museum, Galleria d’Arte Moderna in Bologna, and the National Art Gallery in Beijing, this will be the artists’ very first Australasian retrospective.

Grab your tickets and find out more about Gilbert & George The Art Exhibition right here.

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8 incredible Jamaicans that changed the path of history

Jamaica might be home to only 3 million people, but this island nation boasts a long list of people who have changed the path of history forever — from some of the best musicians the world has ever known to spectacular sports stars. Here are just eight incredible Jamaicans who have changed the path of history for all of us.

1. Marcus Garvey

Marcus Garvey was a civil rights activist from Jamaica who founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA). He moved to the U.S. and encouraged African-Americans to be proud of their race and heritage. He also founded the Negro World newspaper, the Negro Factories Corporation, and a shipping company called Black Star Line. Today, schools, buildings and even highways have been named in his honour, not only in Jamaica, but across the world.

2. Grace Jones

If you love Lady Gaga, Madonna and even Annie Lennox, you have this very talented Jamaican to thank! Grace Jones has worked the runways of Paris and Milan, recorded Top 40 singles and appeared in a host of films. But it’s Jones’ iconic androgynous appearance that has kept this headliner in the public eye for more than 40 years. If it wasn’t for Grace Jones, we’d never have seen musicians or models test the waters with appearance creativity — and that’s a fact.

3. Bob Marley

Compiling a list of Jamaicans who changed history and not including Bob Marley is like enjoying ice cream without sprinkles! Bob Marley changed music forever — throughout Jamaica and the world — for his unique songwriting and singing styles. He was a revolutionary who gave a voice to the downtrodden, inspiring generation after generation.

4. Linton Kwesi Johnson

Even if you haven’t heard of Linton Kwesi Johnson, chances are you’ve read his work. This renowned poet has written numerous works on the experience of being an African-Caribbean, on British foreign policy, and Margaret Thatcher’s government. He’s shone a spotlight on police brutality over the years and given silenced people a voice with his rhythmic poems. Johnson has also established a charitable educational trust to help underserved Jamaican schoolchildren.

5. Usain Bolt

Before Usain Bolt came onto the scene, many other countries had dominated the 10-second barrier for the 100-metre sprint. But it was Bolt who not only broke the barrier, but smashed the world record in the process. He’s currently the fastest person in history, the first person to win six Olympic gold medals in sprinting, and he’s also become the most successful athlete in the history of the Athletics World Championships. He’s definitely helped put Jamaica on the map.

6. Louise Bennett-Coverley

Most people know Louise Bennett-Coverley as ‘Miss Lou’, the woman who gave Jamaicans pride in their country and heritage. She was a trailblazer by writing poems in her native Jamaican Patois (Jamaican Creole), which helped promote the language and influence other great Jamaican creatives.

7. Portia Simpson-Miller

Portia Simpson-Miller is the first elected female Prime Minister of Jamaica, paving the way for politicians of all genders and backgrounds around the world. Since taking office, Simpson-Miller has fought for free healthcare for Jamaican children and has become the first head of government in Jamaica to endorse civil rights for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community.

8. Devon Harris

You know the 1993 movie Cool Runnings for its quirky adventure in bobsledding, but did you know the movie was based off a real life story? Devon Harris was a founding member of the very first Jamaican national bobsled team which competed in the 1988 Winter Olympics. While the Jamaican team was seen as the underdog, Harris and his founding members paved the way for other Olympic hopefuls in bobsledding and other less recognised sports.

Jamaica has a lot of world firsts and you might be surprised to learn that Jamaica’s Appleton Estate Rum has the world’s first female Master Blender, Joy Spence. Her unique distillation and blending methods result in beautifully complex and aromatic rums designed for sipping and blending.

Intrigued? So are we, and to celebrate the essence of Appleton Estate Rum, Sydneysiders are being treated to a three-weekend Appleton Estate Rum showcase. These unique events boast iconic Jamaican music, lush, bespoke venue styling, and of course, signature cocktails crafted by Appleton Estate Rum.

The Appleton Trail will kick-off with a takeover of the Village Inn, Paddington from November 20-21, moving to Sweet Hearts Rooftop from November 27-28, with the trail concluding at Taylors Bar in the Sydney CBD on December 4-5, 2015.

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Ukraine turned a Lenin statue into Darth Vader to make it better

Instead of tearing down a statue of Vladimir Lenin in Odessa, Ukraine, artist Alexander Milov (previously) improved it by turning it into the galaxy’s most beloved villain, Darth Vader.

The Soviet-era statue was set to be demolished after new laws mandated all remnants of the country’s communist past be removed. Milov though, had a better idea. He kept Lenin’s signature pose but added a longer cape and a helmet – which contains a Wi-Fi hotspot – to give the statue a sci-fi twist.

‘The bronze Lenin was left inside, so that the grateful or not-so-grateful descendants could exhume him, if needed’, Milov said.

During the inauguration, storm troopers and the Sith Lord himself graced the event. All went well and no Force chokes were given out during the ceremony. Milov hopes that the Darth Vader statue would boost tourism in the area, especially with The Force Awakens hitting theatres in a couple of months.

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Mum makes bento box art to encourage her kids to eat

In order to improve her kids’ eating habits, Filipino mum Nikki Garcia decided to play with their food, albeit in an artsy way with the Japanese tradition of bento lunch boxes.

Garcia had been having trouble getting her three children to eat healthy when she came across the concept of bento boxes on social media. Using her passion for arts and crafts, she was able to make culinary art (quite literally) out of her kids’ meals. And they loved it!

‘Like many other mums, I barely have time for myself. Bento-making allows me to exercise my creative ‘me’ time. [But] best of all, my kids benefit from my healthy food-art creations’, she told BuzzFeed.

Her bento boxes – or ‘imbento boxes’, a play on the Filipino word ‘imbento’, which means ‘invent’ – feature characters her kids love, like Super Mario, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Spongebob Squarepants.

‘We all share ideas for new designs and themes for tomorrow’s bento. The kids are excited to open their lunch, while I get excited when [I can] sneak in their veggies’, she adds. ‘Every morning, I allow myself time to ‘invent’ and put together fun and healthy meals for my kids to enjoy’.

‘Like a painter’s blank canvas, the possibilities are endless with bento making’.

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Cat steals neighbor's toy, proves cats really are jerks

This gives a whole new meaning to the term ‘cat burglar’. Somewhere in Slovenia, YouTube user Borut Birsa’s cat is out terrorising homes with its cuteness thievery.

According to Birsa, the cat ‘borrowed’ a plush toy tiger from one of the neighbors. It then tried to scale a fence with loot in mouth but failed. It succeeded on the second try and eventually went into its secret lair where it celebrated in a way only cats know how.

As of writing, the video has already gotten more than two million views, with plenty more ‘Calving & Hobbes’ references.

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We interviewed the genius company bringing class to cat beds!

Having a cat is tons of fun, but having to put up with clunky cat beds is not. So we’re kind of obsessed with the designs from Meyou Paris. The people behind this company have created a line of cat beds that are making us all purr with contentment, and we got to interview them!

Meyou Paris’ current collection is on Kickstarter, so we had a few questions about why they chose to crowdfund their idea, as well as a few other questions about cats. Because… cats.

We’ve seen a lot of cat beds but nothing that garnered so much attention as the Meyou cat bed. Are you surprised by how popular your design is with cat lovers? We were confident we were onto something, but founding the project in 9 days was not really something we expected.

To crowdfund was a very strategic choice. Since the beginning, we knew that we wanted to do a Kickstarter campaign (even if Kickstarter didn’t allow French projects at that time). We wanted to have a feedback from cat lovers. We always said that if we didn’t get the necessary funding we would give up because it would mean that people are not interested in the concept. This feedback really means a lot to us and we are glad that it is so positive.

What led up to you creating this cocoon cat bed? Was there a lot of research involved? The idea came from a TV report I watched about dictators. Some designers had created scratching pads with effigies of Putin or Kim Jong-Un. They had succeeded in mocking the political regime and creating a rather successful buzz. This documentary triggered awareness about the fact that cat accessories have never been considered on a design level.

Before starting to design our products, we did 3 months of research to understand a cat’s behavior, but also to find out what other companies were doing or what cat lovers were expecting. We identified a benchmark, did a mood-board and when we finally had Meyou’s DNA, then we started designing our cat beds.

Do you have cats of your own who could test out the beds as you designed them? We only have one, Lee, a Chartreux female. She’s our mascot, she tries all our products. And as she’s still a kitten, she’s really testing them without any reserve!

But as we didn’t have her when we started this adventure, I worked with a French association called “Prête-moi ton chat” and hosted several cats at my home to make them test our products. Therefore, I received all kinds of cats, some very shy, some others very curious, and we had the opportunity to understand what was working and what we had to improve.

Can you tell us a little bit about Meyou’s social ethos? I was really committed to include a social ethos in our project. I had heard about establishments dedicated to rehabilitate people with disabilities through work and I went to meet them.

Igor Jamin, the manager of one of those establishments, understood our needs and constraints right away. He allowed me to meet with his team of disabled workers, as well as to do a few work sessions in their workshop. Working with such establishments require more availability and more explaining, but in the end, it’s a real pleasure. They are very enthusiastic and very curious too. We are delighted to have them craft our products.

Your designer cat beds are currently on Kickstarter — can you tell us about the perks you’ve offering if people pledge to your campaign? By pledging on Kickstarter, people can benefit from big discounts (up to 46% off). It is our way to thank them to their support!! By pre-ordering our products, they give us a chance to launch our company. So we thought we would offer our best prices!

Does Meyou have other designed in the works? We do have other projects, and in fact people keep asking us to work on other cat products. It is very exciting to see that people are responsive to our projects and designs and that they keep asking for more. They have asked us to work on litter boxes, cat trees and scratchers. We already have 2 concepts ready for a litter box and a cat tree, but we were missing the funds we needed to develop them. As we already reached our first goal, we are adding stretch goals to potentially be able to develop these new products.

Exciting stuff! The Meyou cat furniture Kickstarter campaign is ending November 5th so get in quick to have your own classy cat furniture at home! And be sure to follow all the latest from Meyou on Facebook, here.

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WTF? Mum claims Huggies gave one of its babies a 'thigh gap' in ad

One angry mum took to Reddit last week accusing the nappy brand Huggies of Photoshopping a ‘thigh gap’ onto a baby in one of their ads for Huggies Little Movers Slip-On Diapers.

Melody, a mum of an 11-month-old baby, asked the BabyBumps community: ‘Is it just me or did this Huggies ad photoshop thigh gap on a toddler?’

In an interview with Yahoo!, Melody noted: ‘The picture looked manipulated, really manipulated — like what you see in fashion magazines to make models too thin and too perfect’.

With Melody’s observation and comments going viral, Huggies had to step in and set the record straight.

‘All babies are different – we look to celebrate those differences and everyday tests and messes in our photography and communication’, Huggies spokesperson Terry Balluck said in a statement.

‘We always use real-life customers and users of our products, and do not airbrush the bodies of the babies in our advertising and photography’.

SMH.

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Old TV parts and rubber springs bring the characters 'Los Boludos' to life

Using original vacuum tubes from old black and white TV sets, LA-based artist Ramiro Cairo creates his bizarre and quirky set of characters — Los Boludos.

The eyes of each Boludo are made from small rubber springs (originally found under the keys in old computer keyboards), while noses and mouths are sourced from clothing and accessory manufacturing parts.

Cairo explains what Los Boludos are on his website: ‘Pioneers of a forgotten technology, displaced by modernity, Los Boludos lay dormant in the bowels of old black and white television that was last switched off in the year 1980. These strange, curious and amusing creatures are outcasts of the technological world but are determined to find out just where it is they belong’.

Too cute! Los Boludos are available for purchase here, and you can keep up with Ramiro’s other work here.

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Glass sculptures of insects so realistic they make our skin crawl

Ukraine-based artist Nikita Drachuk makes glass sculptures of spiders, scorpions, snakes, and other creepy crawlies so realistic, they’ll make you scream and cower in fear.

Using a technique called ‘lampworking’, Drachuk heats rods of coloured glass until they begin to melt. He then manipulates the material to form different shapes and patterns to form various flora and fauna. Perhaps even more amazing is how he managed to squeeze in so much detail in pieces only two inches long!

We may not be the biggest fans of spiders and scorpions, but in this case, I think we can make an exception. Head on over here to purchase some of Drachuk’s works, which also include frogs, fish, turtles, and flowers.

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Pinkymon: Pokemon figurines that can fit on top of your finger

Just when you thought Pokemon couldn’t get any cuter, they just did with Philadelphia-based artist Ruby Huang’s miniature clay figurines called ‘Claybies’.

Using polymer clay, Huang recreates all 151 first-generation Pokemon in a project she calls ‘Pinkymon’. Each piece is so small, it can easily balance on top of your finger. They’re pretty easy to lose, so better keep them inside their Pokeballs just to be safe!

As of writing, Huang has already finished 66 of the original 151, with Machop being the latest. You can check back on her Instagram page to see updates on this adorable project

A photo posted by Ruby // Lonelysouthpaw (@claybies) on Oct 2, 2015 at 7:48pm PDT

A photo posted by Ruby // Lonelysouthpaw (@claybies) on Oct 9, 2015 at 7:32am PDT

A photo posted by Ruby // Lonelysouthpaw (@claybies) on Oct 8, 2015 at 1:41pm PDT

A photo posted by Ruby // Lonelysouthpaw (@claybies) on Oct 12, 2015 at 3:16pm PDT

A photo posted by Ruby // Lonelysouthpaw (@claybies) on Oct 13, 2015 at 10:11am PDT

A photo posted by Ruby // Lonelysouthpaw (@claybies) on Oct 13, 2015 at 3:22pm PDT

A photo posted by Ruby // Lonelysouthpaw (@claybies) on Oct 14, 2015 at 10:03am PDT

A photo posted by Ruby // Lonelysouthpaw (@claybies) on Oct 20, 2015 at 3:37pm PDT

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White squirrels are so rare, there are only four of them in the UK

At Marbury Country Park in Cheshire, England, wildlife photographer Andrew Fulton made a one in a million discovery when he snapped a photo of a rare white squirrel.

With over 5 million grey squirrels in the UK, this squirrel is a rarity given only three others have the same white fur. Their appearance is caused by a mutated gene – called leucism – that makes them snowy white but keeps their eyes colour black (meaning they don’t have seeing problems like albino squirrels who have pink eyes).

Fulton, who had seen the squirrel a week earlier, waited patiently in the park to get a good photo. ‘It took me a while to find the squirrel even though I knew there was one in the park due to word of mouth and other people reporting it’, he said. ‘It was my first time seeing a white squirrel as they are so rare, but hopefully it won’t be the last’.