Artist of the month: Lars Elling

Lars Elling is a Norwegian artist that creates the most melancholic paintings full of stories and memories from the past, with a hint of trauma. If you haven't heard of him before, we suggest that you take a moment to explore some of his magnificent artwork at larselling.no x You won't regret it.

To listen: Optimal living podcast

One step towards a more productivedaily life is listening to podcasts when you are on the go, or simply getting ready to go out. The Optimal living podcasts are based around a narrator reading out loud blog posts, excerpts of books and articles. There are three separate podcasts named optimal finance daily, optimal living daily and relationships, and optimal living daily. Every day you get a chance to listen to 10 minutes of a new topic and learn about the world we live in.

To do: Sløtface concert

During March a local band named Sløtface performed two concerts in Stavanger. After their wonderful show, Martine and I had an interview with the boys that will soon be up on the website.

To watch: Fuocoammare (Fire at sea)

Fire at Sea is a thought-provoking documentary which is capturing life on the Italian island of Lampedusa, a frontline in the European migrant crisis. The director spent months living there, capturing its history, culture and the current everyday reality, as hundreds of migrants land on its shores on a weekly basis. The scenography is breathtaking and it's a documentary different from everything else you've seen so far regarding the refugee crisis. It's very poignant but also beautiful in its own way.

The documentary focuses on 12-year-old Samuele, a local boy who loves to hunt with his slingshot and spend time on land even though he hails from a culture steeped in the sea. But there is also another narrative which is presented: the story of migrants on a journey to a better life. The migrants are filmed as they are boarding rescue ships and cry for the loved ones that are lost at sea, but also as they gather to pray, sing and play soccer. They are mostly seen as a group, not presented as individuals, but that does not mean that they are dehumanized. Although they come from different countries, they are presented as one human race who share the same goal and trauma which ties them together. These two scenarios placed side by side makes Samuele appear as naïve in contrast to the hard lives of the migrants, but at the end of the day they are all a part of the human race. It could just as easily be Samuele that was fleeing.

In other words, it's definitely worth the watch.