WALL GAZING WITH BEHINDTHEMOONS

I’d like to introduce to you a new blog post series called Wall Gazing where I ask someone who I admire and inspires me the question “What’s on your walls?”

I wanted to create this series partly because I’m nosy, and mostly because I’m interested in what people adorn their walls with and why. Have you ever looked behind someone in a YouTube video and thought – I wonder what that picture is and what it means to them?

That’s exactly what inspired this series, and I was lucky enough to have my first featured guest as that very YouTuber who’s walls I was looking at – the super talented, wonderfully wonderful ASMR YouTube star BehindTheMoons.

You might recognise Moons from my ASMR post a while back, if you missed that one, I recommend it if you’re new to ASMR or looking for some new artists to follow, but definitely check out BehindTheMoons YouTube channel it’s one of the best ASMR channels for the most relaxing time. I’ve been a big fan for a while now which is why it was so exciting when I reached out and they agreed to take part in this blog, especially as I said, their videos inspired this series.

Moons was kind enough to send me these wonderful pictures of their space, and then answered some of my questions about the pieces. And I finally found out the history of *that* background image.

How do you decide what to put up?

As a content creator I spend a lot of time online looking for inspiration and artworks from other creators, whether their medium is music, illustration, photography or something else. I also have a few friends working in illustration and 2D animation so I do get a lot of different artists and styles on my feed.

I feel like that’s a consequence of how I’ve consumed art online from my early teenage years. I used to spend a lot of time on Deviantart and personal blogs before Instagram. I didn’t have the money back then to buy any art but now that I can I try to recreate that feed of independent artists I like the work of on my social media, and sometimes buy an illustration or two. Also, as an independent creator I know the struggle it can be to have a steady income so when I see an independent illustrator I like the style of that have an open online shop, it comes naturally to me to support their art.

There is also a lot of stuff from past exhibits, events or festivals I did or did not go to (mostly free leaflets), that I like the artwork of, and a few artworks I also found secondhand. Ultimately it's about what the artwork makes me feel.

For example, for the needlepoint piece I have in my living room, I found it in a secondhand shop at a time when I was playing a lot of Stardew Valley (a cozy pixel art game), and when I saw it, it felt like it was just a scene from that game. I found it interesting that such an old-fashioned craft would look so modern at that moment to me. By looking at it I felt as peaceful as when I was playing the game, so I bought it.

“Cuddling the cat” by Lanasonge (@lanasonge on Instagram)

Regarding the “Cuddling the cat” artwork by Lanasonge, I have it on display right next to my cat’s tree. I just love how connected the cat owner and cat look in this illustration and how peaceful they are. I’m very close to my cat as well and we have these cuddly moments daily, so I bought it so that my cat is reminded how much I love her (though she probably never looked at it).

Also, all the walls in my apartment are white, and putting all of these artworks on the walls is a way for me to make it less empty emotionally, to make it feel like home and not just another apartment I’ll eventually leave.

Do you put things up all in one go or does the whole wall evolve over time?

It really evolves over time: I don’t really move the artworks once they are on the wall but every four months or so I add another one. The space near my desk with the three illustrations especially is ongoing. I recently added the Snake illustration which is the last one I bought, and I plan on adding more to this area, to me it’s always a work in progress. I like that it’s imperfect too: the frames are all secondhand and I like that mismatch it creates, I don’t want it to look perfect and for all the artworks to be cohesive necessarily.

“Février 2020” by by Léa Murawiec (@le.amu on Instagram)
“Early Bird” by Heikala (@heikala on Instagram)
“SNAKE” by Sixtine Gervais (@sixtine_gervais on Instagram)

Is there any theme to the things on the walls or do you just go with what you think looks best?

I’m pretty spontaneous about which artworks I buy, it’s more about what they make me feel or if I see a particular meaning in them, but I wouldn’t say it’s about what looks best. A couple months ago I bought a huge secondhand needlepoint piece of a very peaceful landscape under snow, which some people would say is ugly, and it would certainly clash with the rest of my decoration. But at that moment I didn’t care if it would be deemed beautiful enough or not, it was about what I felt when I saw it.

Is any of the art done by anyone you know?

Unfortunately no! My friends don’t currently print any of their work, though I hope I will have their art on my walls at some point in the future. There are just a couple notes from my partner in the mood board area, as well as a drawing I made of a bear from the game Bear and Breakfast. I played the demo earlier this year and in the game there is a very similar painting I recreated (see file attached). This isn't an original idea as I saw someone else on Twitter recreate the same painting from the game, I had a nice time doing the same one afternoon though.

You’ve got a kind of mood board which has all different kinds of media – notes and ads and such – does this get changed up over time? Do you use the mood board for inspiration for projects?

The mood board doesn’t really change or move, it’s more a collection of smaller things I didn’t want to throw away or that I find inspiring. For example, there is an ad for the skincare brand Aesop in there, and I’ve been hanging on to this for years because of how good the lighting looks in it. It definitely has been an inspiration for me for a long time now, and it still is. I think I kept it because the first time I saw it I must have thought something like “Damn, I wish I’ll be able to do something like that one day”. Since then I’ve gotten more seriously into photography and videography and I still find it inspiring.

Organizer 2021 by Lazer Cão (@lazer.cao on Instagram), including artworks from Antoinette Metzgler, Quentin Dufour, Robin Pouch, Léa Cecchetto, Thomas Carretero and Léa Murawiec
Bear and Breakfast drawing inspired from the game.
Various business cards, sticky notes and ads.

Some of the pieces are quite psychedelic - what drew you to these pieces and where in your home do these hang?

The two more psychedelic A6-format cards are positioned at the entrance of my room in my living room. These were from a theater performance leaflet I found over ten years ago. I find them mesmerizing and reminiscent of older sci-fi movies and comic books I watched and read a lot when I was younger.

What pieces do you see most during the day?

The irony is that I feel like I don’t even notice them anymore, but that would be “Larme de serpents“ (snake’s tears) by Léa Murawiec, which is at my desk, and which may be my favorite. I like that despite the snake warning sign, the main character is confidently making its way through the desert, reversing who is scared of who.
I find that I often make mountains out of pebbles, I don’t know why but this illustration helps me feel more confident in myself when I look at it.

One of my favourite pieces is one that I saw in the background of some of your earlier videos, the vin de France piece. Just because I saw it so many times and always wondered what the text said. I’m so glad I know now! Is there a story behind it?

I actually first saw it years ago in one of my favorite restaurants in Lille, Le Présentoir. I kept thinking of it so I decided to finally get it one day.
It can be roughly translated to “Wine from France! Light, fruity, with alcohol in it”. The last part “léger, fruité, alcoolisé” is close to the French slogan “Liberté, égalité, fraternité”. I don’t think it’s currently at the best place but hopefully one day it will find its place inside a bigger kitchen. This may actually be the first illustration I have bought for myself, not so long ago, but I can already see in it who I was back then and how different I am now, if that makes sense. It doesn’t resonate with me as much as it used to, as I find it rather funny but I don’t think I feel a strong emotional connection to it anymore.

I’ve noticed a slight theme behind some of your art, there are a few with snakes and tentacles, did you notice this was a theme in the things you’ve got on your walls, what is it that appeals to you about these pieces?

I actually hadn’t noticed this theme before you brought it up! So it wasn’t a conscious choice of mine. I like the seemingly simplicity of the “Snake” artwork, and the meaning I find in the “Larme de serpents“ (snake’s tears) I mentioned earlier. If I think about it, this may represent my internal struggle with mental health and insecurities. And having them drawn in a child-like manner or seeing a character winning over them is inspiring and reassuring.

I have planned on moving in with my partner in 2022 and I can’t wait to see what new artworks we will acquire for our new home, as I can definitely see who I was in some of the artworks mentioned, who I currently am but I also feel like there is room to express more through what I display in my home. I do see myself buying some more “odd” artworks in the future, not always peaceful as it seems to often be the case now. I feel like I’ve always tried to hide a weirder side of me which I’m ready to embrace now. And moving in with someone who has the same taste for it will definitely be a catalyst for change."

Various leaflets of art exhibits, concerts and festivals.

The restaurant mentioned: http://www.lepresentoirlille.fr/

Don’t forget to check out BehindTheMoons YouTube channel here…

If you would like to be featured in the Wall Gazing series don’t hesitate to contact me here…