London tests ‘chill-out carriages’ to combat work anxiety
New ‘chill-out carriages’ have been introduced on twelve DLR trains in east London, offering spaces for commuters to calm down during intense periods of work related stress. Nearly two years into the pandemic, many workplaces have slowly re-introduced staff to regular commuting and office hours. As our tubes and motorways...
Current in News
Designer Joe Doucet creates new wind power wall
Artist and designer Joe Doucet has invented a spinning, gridded wall that could harness wind power without needing giant turbines and large spaces for farms. When someone mentions ‘wind power’, most of us think of massive white turbines in the rural countryside that require a ton of farmland. They’ve become a...
Playboy features its first ever queer male cover star
Playboy has announced queer influencer Bretman Rock as its latest cover star. What do these inclusive shifts mean for pop culture’s most exclusionary spaces? Playboy has long been known for its nude female models. But in a first for the magazine, gay Filipino Bretman Rock has been revealed as...
You decide – is Coldplay’s ‘sustainable tour’ eco-friendly or greenwashing?
Coldplay once vowed to only return to touring once it became a carbon neutral practice. Though it has been unable to stay true to this goal, the band says its latest tour will be significantly more eco-friendly than past efforts. Should others take note? As the world slowly recovers...
Marble sculptures on Tuscany’s sea floor prevent illegal trawling
Emily Young’s determination to increase environmental awareness through her art has seen her named ‘Britain’s leading living stone sculptor’ by the Financial Times. Born in London to a family of artists and politicians, Emily Young spent her life traveling across the world to learn about art, history, and its role...
Parasocial relationships: Gen-Z and celebrity
The way we interact with celebrity has been irreversibly changed by how and how often we consume media. If you’ve ever felt like you ‘know’ a celebrity – you may want to keep reading. Don’t let the theoretical terminology leading this topic fool you into believing it’s complex. A parasocial...
Art experiment Planet City imagines a climate change metropolis
Created by architect and production designer Liam Young, Planet City is a science fiction art experiment that critiques and responds to the threat of climate change. If you’ve been keeping up with Thred’s antics over the past year, you’ll likely be aware of the growing urgency of climate change. We’re now seeing weather patterns become more extreme, with seemingly no sign of slowdown in resource usage or population growth despite...
The Magic Circle appoints first environmental female president
At only 28, Megan Swann is the first female president of The Magic Circle since its creation 116 years ago. She specialises in magic that educates others on climate change. The magic industry has just undergone a shift in leadership, at least in the UK. The Magic Circle, a prestigious British organisation that promotes and advances the practice of magic, has appointed its first female president since it began in...
Opinion – Pop culture has skewed Gen Z’s perception of money
Sex and the City’s new spinoff promotes the same irrational spending as its predecessor – but how much does the content we consume shape our financial habits? Despite being just one year old when HBO’s juggernaut Sex and the City first aired, I probably devoted the majority of my teenage years to Carrie Bradshaw’s tumultuous love affairs – emotionally unavailable businessmen and bejewelled underwear included. Sure, certain storylines have since...
Is it time for small artists to quit big music?
Sony Music's attempted purchase of up-and-coming rival label AWAL has signalled a dangerous time for musicians’ rights. Are UK artists doomed? ‘I know it seems like I’m very loud about this,’ Taylor Swift said in an interview with Billboard. ‘But it’s because someone has to be.’ Swift, who signed her first label at the age of 15, has been re-recording her own music since December 2019 — when media titan...
