Ghost Stories.

Coldplay’s recently released Ghost Stories, unlike their past albums, draws focus away from the raw, emotional, romantic ballads that they’re so renowned for, such as Yellow and Fix You. Instead, the album shines a light on the remnants of Martin and Paltrow’s “conscious uncoupling”, presenting a prominent haunting and stripped-down sound across the nine songs.

One thing I love about Coldplay’s musical artistry is their ability to construct an album so perfectly; with each song flowing into one another purposefully, and the album, as a whole, taking the listener on a journey through poignant aspects of relationships and life experience. 

Despite some negative reviews floating around, I believe that Ghost Stories is no exception to this beautiful construction. Tracks like Oceans and Ghost Story team Martin’s rich falsetto with acoustic guitar strums to highlight the mournful aspects of a break-up. Alternatively, the Avici-assisted A Sky Full of Stars – the album’s most euphoric track – measures the prospects of eternal love. My current favourite, Ink, presents a stream of lyrics that reflect the bittersweet personal importance of Martin's tattoo that symbolises his love for Paltrow, teamed with a metaphorical representation of a love that lasts a lifetime.

An album of transitional light and shade, Ghost Stories captures the power and force of love, and the harsh reality of coming to terms with loss of love. A very bold album, indeed.

- N

Coldplay live in Sydney, 2014.

Coldplay's Ghost Stories (2014) 

People Profile: Stephanie Comelli.

Stephanie Comelli, founder of Comelli Pictures and contributor to Mosaik Magazine, is insanely passionate about photography. I sat down with her and asked her a few questions about how she started with photography, where she sees Comelli Pictures heading, and what inspires her work. 

What is Comelli Pictures all about?

Comelli Pictures is all about learning, creating, discovering and inspiring a photography culture. It’s about bending the rules, trying new things and delivering an impeccable photography service. Comelli Pictures aims to create images that capture the raw emotion of a live music gig, the physicality of a sporting spectacle, or the many emotions of an organised event.

Have you always been interested in photography?

I think it’s something that’s always been in the back of my mind. I was never artistic in school, but vividly remember loving a photography project we were given one year. I never really thought too much about it and at the time I was focused on other aspects of my education, but it’s funny how the things you enjoyed always resurface. So I’d say that there’s always been an underlying interest in viewing a great photograph, or traveling and snapping shots here and there, but it wasn’t until I had the time to shoot more often that I fell in love with it.

 

What sort of photography do you enjoy most?

I love photographing sports and live music events. I’ve always loved all aspects of a sporting environment and fell into shooting live music gigs about a year and a half ago. I enjoy both equally but I’ve nailed it down to one common thread - the people participating are there solely because they’re passionate about what they do. That makes my job so much easier when the person in front of the camera is filled with emotion, desire, and a love for their craft.

However, I’ve recently discovered a real liking toward shooting landscapes. It’s totally different to the noisy, busy, full-on environment of a gig or sporting spectacle, but it’s what I like to do to fully relax. I love chasing the sun - whether that be sunrise or sunset - and spending time shooting near the water. I lose all track of time and really take in my environment and the natural beauty around me. It’s become something I really look forward to; and it’s an outlet for me to relax, let everything go and just live life in the moment.

Do you have any words of advice for people who are interested in pursuing a career in photography?

If it’s something you really enjoy, definitely pursue it. Learn as much as possible from different outlets, and if you enjoy all aspects of the craft, go ahead and get involved! I’d recommend starting off learning from workshops, shorts courses, or tutorials on the internet. Be confident about what you do, be willing to learn, and be willing to try new things; but most importantly, learn the rules, become brilliant and executing and understanding these rules… and then bend… or even break them. 50% of the time it won’t work out, but the 50% of the time it does… Those shots are magic.

Do you have any goals for the future of Comelli Pictures? Where do you see yourself in ten years?

At the moment my goal is to continue gaining experience and making contacts with people in areas that I’d be interested in photographing now and/or in the future. My main goals are to keep learning, keep things fresh, and continually make sure that my motivation and inspiration are peaking at levels that will keep Comelli Pictures moving forward.

In ten years I’d love to see Comelli Pictures known in the industry for providing exceptional service and impeccable results. I’d like Comelli Pictures to be at a level that allows me to travel overseas with my work - possibly working in sports or music. I see myself happy, snapping away, continuing to do what I love, and living life to the fullest.

My aim is to create a name that is synonymous with quality and providing images that make people feel.

Check out Steph's photography and support her here: 

Website: http://www.comellipictures.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=564656583599882

Instagram: @ComelliPictures

- N

America.

In April this year my family and I went to America for three weeks.  It was in the middle of university but I went anyway because I know I would have regretted not going and I’ve decided to try and put myself out there and have as little regrets as possible this year. I'm also at that stage in my life at UNI where I have no idea what I'm doing so it was great to have a break from reality. The places we visited were L.A, Flordia and Vegas which were all so warm however each place was very different to the other. Before I left people said that Americans were very friendly however those I encountered were mainly very sassy. The quality of life is so different in America as there is such a big divide of class where some are filthy rich whilst others are quite literally filthy poor. There was also a communication barrier between the Americans and I, as no one knew what I was talking about and they would constantly say “mam I have no idea what you're saying”. So if this is a tip in any sense SPEAK SLOW AND CLEARLY. Also it is very “first world problem” but it was such a struggle of getting someone to take a good picture of me. Some people just don’t understand good lighting and frame.

EAT:
Food over America was exactly what you would expect with the chips and burgers and after a while it is delicious it can get dull as all you want is some classic fruit and vegetables. Starbucks was also a main part of our diet every morning, however coffee was definitely not good. I think us Melbournians are real coffee lovers who appreciate real non syrup coffee?

SHOP:
Shopping was pretty good and shockingly took up a lot of time. We did most of our shopping in Urban Outfitters, American Apparel, Victoria Secret and Sephora. I don't think i’ve ever blown my money like how I did but because it’s so cheap in comparison to Australia I knew I had to. I also think I have perfumes to last a life time.

DO:
In comparison to the other places we visited Florida was definitely the best place we stayed as we went to all the Disney theme parks, that was for sure my absolute favorite as it has been forever my childhood dream. I think if you're a real 90’s kid you’d understand as every old Disney movie on VCR would have advertisements about Disney theme parks. Disney World is literally the happiest place on earth and I can't express how young and happy I felt. The theme park is massive and you literally could be there for days and still not cover everything. I still feel uncomfortable knowing there would be parts of the park that I have not seen. It’s also so crazy how many people are there, and how everyone all over the world comes together to celebrate their love of Disney and magic. I adore the idea of Walt Disney’s a man with one single idea that has brought so much happiness and joy to millions. It really goes to show how one  person can change and inspire so many “laughter is timeless, imagination has no age, and dream are forever” - Walt Disney. 

I  also thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the characters in the Disney parade and how they let little children walk together with them. Apparently you will never see a security guard in Disney World as they are dressed in Disney themed costumes. I think definitely my favorite ride was the Teacup Ride which my cousins and I may or may not have abused our power by staying on whilst everyone else got off. Sometimes you have to do what you want even if it means other people waiting longer for their turn (I DID NOT COME TO AMERICA FOR ONE RIDE ON THE TEA CUP!!)

Overall it was such a nice and wholesome family trip. If i had one more day in America I would have flown to New York and hung out at Central Park just like on F.R.I.E.N.D.S. I think New York would have been brilliant with the Statue of Liberty, Emirate State Building and Time Square. Also the fact that Humans of New York would be there would be a huge plus. However LA, Florida and Vegas were so much fun and it gives me a good excuse to go back to look at more places.

- O

Chroma.

An expression of the purity and intensity of colour, Chroma is Ballet at its rawest in a hybrid mix of classical technicality meeting contemporary music and vision. The three acts are equally unique; flowing from the modern, to traditional and concluding with a blend of both. The use of minimalist costuming, sets and props, truly let the dancers and their movements shine, aided by the spectacular live orchestra who brought such power to the modern White Stripes pieces. 

As a beginner myself, I can only assume the technical perfection associated with The Australian Ballet and getting that insight into the effort involved in each class - even just at a beginner level - really makes you appreciate the dedication of the artists; their grace, flexibility and strength is truly beyond that of the human world.

The Australian Ballet has made ballet more current and accessible than ever through this modern display of their art, as well as their reach across social media platforms including Instagram. It is these creative decisions that are enabling them to continue both “caring for tradition [and] daring to be different.”
 

Sadly, Chroma closed on the 14th of June, however The Australian Ballet will return to Melbourne later this year to perform La Bayadère and The Nutcracker. With student tickets at only $39.95 I could not recommend it more highly.

- M

Disclaimer *Image Copyright of the Australian Ballet- Mosaik takes no credit for this image

The Obstacles and Hardships of Awkward Human Interaction.

Human interaction is odd, isn't it? There are certain dos and don'ts when we speak to people. When people ask you how you are, they are not really asking how you are; it's just the polite small talk at the beginning of a conversation. In response you smile sweetly and say good, even when you are not.

At a party when there are people you sort of know but don't, and when you lock eyes, you know you have to speak or at least give them a hello. Then you are stuck there in that conversation waiting for the space where you can leave and move on to a more promising one. You hope that a third party will join and save both of you on that sinking awkward ship that is your conversation. Later, you hate yourself for the stupid comments that you made under pressure and soon realize what a total idiot you must have seemed. You couldn’t have asked them about what they were studying, could you? No, you had to lie and come up with something to keep the conversation alive… I DON'T EVEN PLAY ON A TABLE TENNIS TEAM. At night you beat yourself up about it and, along with that, remember everything else embarrassing you have done for the past nineteen years of your life.

That situation when you're saying hello to the group of people you know and there is that one person you don't know and you have to decide what to do. Do you hug them? Do you do the kiss on the cheek? The shake of the hand? The awkward hand wave in their face? Or, when it gets really bad, ignore them completely. How do you know what they want? The call is tough, but needs to be made in the first two seconds of eye contact. You go for the ignore and then both your eyes lock and do that awful ‘not sure, nice to meet you’ smile.

It’s when your mother sets the table when your brother brings back his girlfriend for the very first time. Everyone sits down and your mum has saved you a seat opposite the girl you have never spoken to. You are forced to make eye contact for the whole entire time but neither one of you make direct conversation. You just smile, put your dish in the washing machine, and head for the hills.

It's the pretending you don't know someone when you are introduced but, in reality, you have seen them multiple times online. You know exactly who they are. Or when you are scrolling down on someone’s page or instagram and you pray to God that your finger does not slip and you hit the like button. And when you make that fatal mistake you scream and click the undo button, go look in the mirror and see the monster that is you. You have just liked someone’s photo from 2011. You have never spoken to them before.

And in all that, it happens over and over again and you never learn. It is a continuous cycle. You hate everyone, but then you cannot stand to be alone. And that is life: a world full of never-ending, awkward and humiliating social interaction, which is evidently inevitable. You cannot escape.

- O