Tomato vines power cloud server in Warm Earth exhibition
Exploring the idea of technology entering a symbiotic relationship with nature, design graduate Ilja Schamle has built a cloud server powered by tomato vines. If it had the potential to knock digits off your electricity bill, would you take up gardening? An Eindhoven design graduate named Ilja Schamle has long wanted...
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These lamps are made with traditional fibres and PET plastic waste
Spanish designer Alvaro Catalan de Ocon launched the PET Lamp project in 2011 and has since worked with a variety of international communities to repurpose plastic waste. One piece from 2018 uses fibres and PET to create unique looking lamps. Do you find IKEA’s home furnishing offerings a bit...
Taylor Wessing Prize for Photography shortlist revealed
The three finalists for the prestigious Taylor Wessing Prize have been announced. Kayta Ilina, David Prichard and Pierre-Elie de Pibrac are the shortlisted nominees for the award that celebrates contemporary portrait photography. The submitted pieces explore adversity, generational trauma, and the fluidity of gender. Although the pictures would usually be displayed in...
Music industry given new guidelines to tackle climate change
New recommendations have been put forward by scientists at the University of Manchester to reduce the music industry’s overall carbon footprint, including swapping jets for trains and offering free transport with tickets. If you live in the UK, you’ve likely seen a constant wave of Instagram stories from friends...
You decide – is the ‘Nevermind’ lawsuit about exploitation or money?
The child star on one of the world’s most famous album covers is suing for irreparable damages. Are the claims genuine or a 'get rich quick' scheme? Spencer Elden, the four-month-old baby featured on the cover of Nirvana’s 1991 Nevermind album, is suing the band for alleged sexual exploitation. US law...
Eating a meat-based hot dog could reduce your life by 36 minutes
Need another reason to switch to a vegan diet? New research suggest that eating a single meat-based hot dog could shorten your life by over half-an-hour. BBQ doesn’t sound so fun now, eh? Forget drugs, getting too drunk, or attempting to do anything in the morning before a morning...
Potty training cows could put a dent in nitrous oxide emissions
In a bid to finally address the massive environmental toll of livestock emissions, scientists have decided to potty train cows. Yes, you read that right. Early signs are positive. If you can potty train a child, you can potty train a cow. At least that was the theory posited by a group of environmental scientists, not to sate their famed German sense of humour, but to cut back on huge emissions...
Musicians are taking a stance against posthumous albums
Could we begin to see more musicians following two artists’ decision to block album releases after their death? Last week, Lana Del Rey shared a photo of Anderson .Paak’s newest tattoo, which states that none of his demos should be released as an album in the event of his death. Lana stated that her coinciding wish will be placed in her will, making the request a legal requirement. This may sound a...
Marseilles residents turn McDonald’s into community foodbank
A closed McDonald’s has been transformed into a lifeline for Marseille and now operates as a food bank. In between the majority Muslim neighbourhoods of Saint-Marthe and Saint-Barthélémy sits the first McDonald’s to be built in the ‘banlieues’ (suburbs) around France’s major cities. The fast-food restaurant was opened thanks to help from government funding in order to provide jobs in these areas, known for high levels of poverty and unemployment. The McDo,...
Yayoi Kusama pumpkin worth $3 million washed out to sea
One of Japan’s most iconic pieces of modern art was badly damaged after being swept out to sea by a strong storm. You might think you don’t know who Yayoi Kusama is, but chances are you’ve seen one of the Japanese artists’ pieces online or even in person. At 90 years old, Yayoi is one of the most in demand artists of her generation, creating installations which are both unique and...
