lifeiscarbon®

New Limited Edition by Lukasz Wierzbowski

We are proud to present our fourth book, the long awaited debut monograph from the avant-garde photographer Lukasz Wierzbowski. Produced to the highest standards by Optimal Media, the renowned German printers, Sequin Covered Swans is a curation of the photographers most intriguing and interesting images to date. Presented in a beautiful clothbound hardcover book, the First Edition is limited to just 460 numbered copies. 

A master of color composition and in the use of disruptive patterns, Wierzbowski's work often explores the ambiguous relationship between the model and their surroundings: Everyday settings become unconventional spaces and ordinary occurrences become extraordinary happenings in a seemingly random sequence of captured moments-in-between. Obscurum per obscurius.

Originally from Lubliniec in southern Poland, Lukasz Wierzbowski is currently based in the historical city of Wroclaw. His work has appeared in numerous photography zines and several leading independent magazines around the world; including titles such as Neon, Blink, Waterfall, Kinki, Lowdown and Tokion Factory. The photographer’s work has been exhibited widely; with solo shows at the Czarny Neseser Gallery in Wroclaw, Poland and the Nizio Gallery in Warsaw, Poland together with inclusion in numerous groups shows around the world, in cities ranging from New York, Los Angeles, London, Berlin, Moscow, Madrid, Rome, Milan, Melbourne and Taipei.

Follow the link to take a look inside Sequin Covered Swans by Lukasz Wierzbowski from Éditions du LIC:

New Limited Edition by Massimo Leardini

We are proud to present the first book specifically devoted to the Scandinavian works of the Oslo based photographer, Massimo Leardini. Presented in a large format clothbound hardcover book, the First Edition is limited to just 440 numbered copies. Beautifully produced by the legendary Swedish printers, Fälth & Hässler, using Triotone offest printing on Arctic Volume Ivory paper, Scandinavian by Massimo Leardini features shoots with a host of models including Iselin Steiro, Marianne Schröder, Viktoria Winge, Jenny Sinkaberg and Ophelie Rupp.

Originally from Cattolica, in the Italian Province of Rimini, Massimo Leardini has lived and worked in Norway since 1987, becoming one of the most sought-after photographers in Scandinavia. His work, which has received numerous awards and prizes, appears regularly in leading independent magazines, including Smug, S-Magazine, Carl’s Cars and Personae.

Rooted in the classical tradition, Leardini uses his unique aesthetic sensibility to capture the human body in harmony with the timeless Scandinavian landscape. Despite the seeming purity and innocence of these candid moments, a quiet sense of melancholy pervades and seems to hint at a deeper undercurrent of Nordic angst.

Follow the link to take a look inside Scandinavian by Massimo Leardini from Éditions du LIC:

New Limited Edition by Synchrodogs

We are proud to announce that our first book is now on sale at our new publishing venture, Éditions du LIC. A long awaited and much anticipated debut monograph from Synchrodogs, the emerging avant-garde photographer duo from Ukraine. A strictly numbered Limited Edition of 460 copies that brings together of a curation of their most intriguing and unsual work to date. Presented in a large format hardcover covered in Brillianta cloth with 116 pages of offset printing on 170 gsm Galerie Art Matt paper.

The Synchrodogs are Tania Shcheglova and Roman Noven. The work of this young Ukrainian photography couple has been featured in leading publications around the world; with editorial features appearing in titles such as Dazed & Confused (USA), Vice (USA), Neon (Germany), L’Imparfaite (France), Novembre (France/Switzerland), S magazine (Denmark), I Love Fake (UK), Vision (China) and The British Journal of Photography (UK).

Despite the fact that Synchrodogs have only collaborated since 2008, their photography has already been exhibited widely around the world; with solo exhibitions in London and Chicago and appearances in countless group shows in cities including Kiev, Moscow, Copenhagen, Melbourne, Paris, London, LA and New York. New solo shows in Berlin and London later this year have just been announced by Silent Veil Agency.

Follow the link to see more images of Byzantine by Synchrodogs and to read more about Édtions du LIC:

Lifeiscarbon launches Éditions du LIC

We are proud to announce the launch of the new website for Éditions du LIC, a newly established independent publishing house founded by lifeiscarbon®.

Founded with a mission to foster and promote creative endeavors, Éditions du LIC specializes in high quality limited editions featuring the work of both emerging and established photographers. All books published by Éditions du LIC are cloth bound hardback volumes using the best offset printing and the highest quality materials. Print runs are extremely limited and are divided between numbered Limited Editions and signed Artist Editions (presented in a clamshell case together with limited edition prints). All titles from Éditions du LIC will be be available from select independent bookshops worldwide as well as from the soon-to-be-launched Éditions du LIC website. 

Our first books, to be published in the coming weeks, include monographs for some of our favorite avant-garde photographers; Synchrodogs, Ren Hang and Lukas Wierzbowski. This will coincide with the publication of the first volume of a series of books profiling the work of leading Scandinavian photographers. The first book will be a volume dedicated to the work of the Norwegian based photographer, Massimo Leardini. 

Follow the link to see a sneak preview of images from our first four limited editions. Sign up to the Éditions du LIC newsletter to be first to know when new books are released:

Sexy, Shameless, Sweaty and Scandinavian

lifeiscarbon® may be digital but we love paper, and S Magazine from Denmark has long been a favorite of ours. Founded in 2004 by the talented Danish photographer Jens Stoltze, the magazine serves up a sophisticated mix of fashion and erotic photography. Initially with contributing photographers from Denmark, the magazine has evolved to include contributions from many well respected international photographers; including amongst many others Simon Emmet, Rankin, Christophe Kutner, Enrique Badulescu, Hiromix and Matthias Vriens-McGrath. The creative team behind the publication includes not only Jens Stoltze but also Mads Teglers, Ferdinando Verderi, Christina Chin and Son of Tam.

No one knows for certain what the S in the name stands for, but S Magazine suggest the following; sexy, stylish, shameless, straight forward, swashbuckling, seafaring, soapy, sweaty, symbolic or Scandinavian. Art, Fashion or Porn? We are no strangers to the debate. Decide for yourself by following the link to see a selection of images from S Magazine:

Rare Bergman Documentary

Ingmar Bergman produced two films about his beloved Fårö, the island on which he made his longterm home and that served as the setting for seven of his films including Through a Glass Darkly, Scenes from a Marriage and Persona.

In 1969, troubled by the island's disappearing traditions and the exodus of its young people to the mainland, Bergman made a surprisingly direct and political document about Fårö's importance. Swedish critics hailed it as "one of his finest films." Ten years later, he decided to take a second look at situation, and made his second Fårö Document (a third was planned for 1989, but was never made). The update is surprisingly optimistic, with several remarkable "then and now" juxtapositions. The unhappy teenagers about to decamp for Stockholm in the first film turn out to have settled into the quiet, isolated Fårö life.

Interweaving scenes of extraordinary beauty with interviews and rigorous sequences depicting everyday chores, customs and rituals on Fårö, Bergman develops a complex, understated and loving portrait of his tiny island. Both documentaries will screen during the upcoming Ingmar Bergman Festival of Gotland in New York. Take a look below for more information:

Time and place in Nordic cuisine

Traditional Nordic cuisine possesses a certain purity and essential simplicity. Nowhere more so than at Noma, Rene Redzepi´s amazing restaurant in a lovingly restored warehouse in Copenhagen. If you haven´t yet made the pilgrimage to Noma, you can get a flavor of the culinary magic on offer within the pages of Noma: Time and place in Nordic cuisine (published by Phaidon). Take a look below at some of the amazing photography from the book by Ditte Isager.

Inspirational Scandinavian Interiors

édition PAUMES is a small and dynamic family run firm of Japanese publishers, that work closely with artists and designers in Europe to produce beautiful interior design books. With a poetic and original approach, édition PAUMES explores the environments of those who stimulate the creative industries, and in doing has produced an impressive set of style bibles that overflow with inspiration.

Magazines We Love

Admittedly, we’ve written some of them before on lifeiscarbon® but many of our readers were interested to find out which Scandinavian magazines we just can’t do without. Perhaps it smacks of Nordic imperialism but, since Berlin is fast becoming the art capital of Scandinavia (more about this at a later date) and given the similarities between Teutonic and Scandinavian aesthetics, we’ve taken the liberty of including a couple of superb art/fashion magazines from Germany in our list of glossy must-reads.

Homage To Ingmar Bergman

Whilst we’ve never been tempted to re-mortgage in order to stump up the massive $6000 required to purchase a copy of Helmut Newton's SUMO (complete with sturdy metal book stand) we are still considering getting hold of a copy of the slightly more affordable Araki limited edition that's also published by Taschen. One of Taschen’s books that we certainly will be buying is the newly published Ingmar Bergman Archives, which promises to be as highly collectable as our copy of The Stanley Kubrick Archives. 

Suburban Vampires

Whilst we’ve never been huge fans of the horror genre, one of our favorite Scandinavian novels of recent years is Låt den rätte komma (Let the right one in), written in 2004 by Swedish writer John Ajvide Lindqvist. Set in Blackeberg, a working class suburb of Stockholm, the story centers on the relationship between a 12-year-old boy, Oskar, and the 200-year-old vampire child, Eli. The book focuses on the darker side of humanity, dealing with contemporary social issues such as bullying, drugs, theft, pedophilia, prostitution and murder as well as the obvious supernatural themes. The book was a bestseller in the author's home country of Sweden and the film adaptation released earlier this year has already won the Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature at The Tribeca Film Festival.

Rural Films From Scandinavia

Whether it be a documentary about an organic turnip farm in West Virginia, a fictional backpacking drama set in Peru or an experimental work about the challenges of farming in Sweden’s Småland region, Rural Route selects films that explore topics based on rural people and places around the world.

As part of this year’s Rural Route Film Festival, Scandinavia House in New York will be presenting five films from the Nordic region (one film from each of the Nordic countries). The selection includes Quiet Storm from Iceland, Island of Lost Souls from Denmark, The Horseman from Sweden, Bázo From Norway and That Special Summer from Finland.

Readers of ours who can’t make it to the showings in New York might like to track down a copy on DVD or lookout for a local screening. Take a look below to read a short synopsis of each of the films:

New Films From Iceland

Whilst we define Scandinavian Aesthetics as encompassing art, design, fashion and music from across the Nordic region, one of our greatest passions is for film. Classic Scandinavian films like The Seventh Seal by Ingmar Bergman, Pelle the Conqueror by Bille August, Elvira Madigan by Bo Widerberg, The Celebration by Thomas Vinterberg, The Pathfinder by Nils Gaup, Elling by Petter Næss and Cold Fever by Friðrik Þór Friðriksson encapsulate the history, culture and aesthetics of the region far better than we can ever hope to do so with this website. We’re not suggesting you stop reading lifeiscarbon®, but we do recommend that you find time to see all of the films mentioned above.

As if catching up on must-see Scandinavian films wasn’t enough, the list of notable new films from the region is growing all the time. For those of you who happen to be in New York, there’s an opportunity to view some of the best new short films from Iceland on Thursday, April 17 at Scandinavia House. The films are part of Scandinavia House’s Nordic Shorts series, an on-going series introducing some of the finest new shorts by the next generation of Nordic filmmakers. The series concludes next month with new films from Norway.

Take a look below to watch Dog, an animation by Hermann Karlsson and to read more about other recent short films from Iceland including Misty Mountain by Óskar Þor Axelsson, Thanks For Helping by Benedikt Erlingsson, Wrestling by Grímur Hákonarson, Whatever by Gísli Darri Halldórsson, Rattlesnakes by Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson, and Anna by Helena Stefánsdóttir.

Scandinavian Limited Editions

Based in Gothenburg, Sweden, Farewell is a small but fascinating independent publisher of artists books. With a primary focus on photography, Farewell produces and publishes simple but stunningly beautiful artist books. lifeiscarbon® are big fans of their books and applaud their efforts as an independent publisher of interesting artwork that might otherwise not see the light of day.

Last month saw the publication of Farewell’s fourth book, As Far As I Could Get by John Divola.
The intriguing series of photographs within the book were made in 1996 and 1997. Running as far as he could during the ten
seconds that the camera's self-timer allowed, Divola captured shots that seem to create a meditation on time and mortality.


Two earlier books by Farewell, Woodland and Machina by Mårten Lange, have recently been reprinted and are once again available from their online store. Sadly the first printing of their other book, Magnus Gyllensten's Late Winter Early Spring, is sold out but Farewell tell us that a second
printing is underway. Take a look below at a selection of pages from Farewell's books:

New Scandinavian Films

Suddenly (Underbara älskade) by Johan Brisinger

Given the long hours of darkness in Scandinavia at this time of year and evenings that seem to begin soon after lunchtime, we’ve been making the most of the opportunity by watching some of the best new films from the region.

Any of our readers who are International films fans should take a look below for brief reviews of our recent favorites from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. For those of our readers who happen to live in New York, there’s a chance to catch all of these films at Scandinavia House as part of their popular annual Winter/Spring film series.