HOLD ON / LET GO
MANA: Thanks for having me, it’s an absolute pleasure to collaborate.
My name is Mary and I go by MANA. From a very early age on I always loved music and my grandpa teached me some on a very basic casio keyboard. I always had my head in music and a lot of my friends were doing it but apart from a little guitar I rather did focus on doing film. I seriously did start making music once I met BIOS from SATURATE! and progressed to self teach me all I wanted to know about it and it’s been a journey since!
Mood Textures: My name is Teodora and I’m a young Bulgarian artist. I’ve been into photography since I was a little child. My grandfather used to have all these old cameras that he didn’t use anymore and I took them. A few years ago I realized that photography isn’t just a hobby to me. I wanted to capture faces, stories and create visuals that please the eyes of the viewer. I’ve done collaborations with lots of artists and in 2019 I started organizing events and exhibitions. More is coming this year.
Do you think competition nurtures or hinders creativity and focus?
Mood Textures: I think that a healthy amount of competition definitely helps us to grow and explore. Art is really subjective and we shouldn’t look up to become like somebody else but we are free to get inspired by the artists around us and to create together with them.
MANA: Competition can be all fun and games but for me it has nothing to do with the music and art I do and love. I see other musicians that I respect as inspiration and I am happy for them to strive.
What’s the story behind the photos you sent us?
Mood Textures: I’ve shared two different stories. The first one involved only hands. I was thinking about capturing body language and to me, our hands and eyes show most of our thoughts and feelings. The photographs are open for interpretation since every person would react differently to them. Some shots remind us of wanting to touch or wanting to let go. Holding on and letting go is a subject that I’m analysing throughout my work.The hands are just a metaphorical way of capturing this concept.
The second series are of a girl with black and white balloons. She’s walking through the city with her “thoughts” right over her head. It seems a little absurd because balloons usually remind us of something fun and positive and also colourful. In my photographs they’re a symbol of our childhood and how our experience back then affected our minds now as adults. Going back to your childhood and understanding it helps to reconnect with the self. Sometimes healing means going alone on a walk with your thoughts, without running from them at all. Thoughts will always be black and white (and everything in between) and we should welcome both of them with acceptance.
One concept or element that you find exists both in music and photography?
MANA: Photos can capture a moment visually, sometimes i am able to capture a moment sonically. Both communicate with my and the percipients emotions.
Mood Textures: Music and photography are such a lovely combination. In my exhibitions there are always musicians involved. Even apart, they both bring us inner experiences. Everybody has an individual interpretation and that’s the special thing about creating something.
