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Edith Meusnier — an environmental artist inspired by forests
By Roberta Attanasio Textile art is all around us, from the clothes we wear to the rugs in our homes. Made of interlacing fibers of any material, woven or knitted, textiles belong to the mundane as well as to the world of artistic expression. In her classic book on the art and history of weaving, Anni Albers writes “Along with cave paintings, threads were among the earliest transmitters of meaning.” Contemporary artists keep this ancient art form alive, mixing it with unique and innovative elements. “The zeal for textiles today is part of a larger global nostalgia for handmade things—alongside ceramics, glassware and mezcal—as an antidote to mass production, with…
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Dante’s Fainting: A Medical Enigma from the Middle Ages
A guest post by Michele A. Riva 2015 is the 750th anniversary of the birth of the Italian poet Dante Alighieri (1265-1321), the author of the literature masterpiece the Divine Comedy. Written between 1304 and 1321, the Divine Comedy is an epic poem that describes Dante’s imaginative and allegorical journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven. The poem has inspired not only the creative efforts of illustrious authors such as William Shakespeare, Geoffrey Chaucer and John Milton, but also an ongoing debate on the “medical conditions” that are so frequently depicted in it. During his Hell-Purgatory-Heaven journey, Dante frequently experiences symptoms such as loss of consciousness, hallucinations and fainting, which he…
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It’s Not Warming, It’s Dying: A New Campaign to Raise Awareness of Climate Change
By The Editors Milton Glaser, one of the most celebrated graphic designers in the United States, has launched an environmental campaign to raise awareness of climate change. He is known for the ubiquitous I heart NY logo, his Bob Dylan poster, the Brooklyn Brewery logo, and a lot more. You can view a collection of his work here. The campaign — It’s Not Warming, It’s Dying — is based on a strong message that is meant to create a sense of urgency around climate change, a well-established major global threat. For his campaign, which defines climate change as “The most important fact on Earth“, Glaser designed a visual for buttons and…
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J.M.W. Turner’s Sunsets: A Guide to Air Pollution
By Roberta Attanasio During the past few weeks, London-born Joseph Mallord William Turner — one of Britain’s greatest landscape painters — has been in the news more than one time. His latest paintings were considered by his critics the result of a senile mind. Now, they’re presented as evidence of his radical brilliance. Many of these paintings will be shown at an exhibition in London, which will start in September 2014 and, in 2015, will go to Los Angeles and San Francisco. Sam Smiles, the co-curator of the exhibition, told The Guardian: “The myth is that Turner’s mind and hand increasingly failed him, especially after 1845, that his work declined and…
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Nanotechnology: Lycurgus Cup and Sensors
By Roberta Attanasio Nanotechnology is technology based on extremely small structures, the so-called nanostructures. How small are nanostructures? We’re talking nanoscale – about 1 to 100 nanometers. One nanometer is a billionth of a meter (there are 25,400,000 nanometers in one inch). These are the dimensions of atoms and molecules and, therefore, nanotechnology involves the manipulation of atoms and molecules. How, then, is nanotechnology different from molecular biology (sometimes called the nanoscience of living things), physics, or chemistry? The distinction can be blurred. However, when considering nanotechnology and nanostructures, it is important to take into account that nanostructures are man-made and exhibit special size-dependent properties, in other words properties resulting…
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Plastic Debris and Great Garbage Patches: Ca’ Foscari University Raises Awareness of Ocean Pollution
By Roberta Attanasio When we think of the Great Garbage Patches — of which 5 exist — we usually think of ocean pollution. Now, when thinking of garbage patches and ways to raise awareness of them, we may think of Venice and Ca’ Foscari University. Venice, the Italian city that seems to float on water, bears no resemblance to the vast concentrations of floating marine debris that makes up the garbage patches. However, you can find an artistic representation of the garbage patches right in the heart of the city and, more precisely, right in the courtyard of the world’s oldest existing building granted LEED certification. Let’s go one step…
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Gourmet Grasshoppers and Designer Breeders
By The Editors It’s all about raising awareness and providing the necessary tools to make it globally feasible, bringing to the Western world what is common in many other places around the globe: eating insects, or better eating gourmet insect meals. In a previous post (Edible Insects: Will They Become a Global Diet Staple?) we wrote: “The human population keeps growing – by 2050, it’s likely there will be 9 billion people on our planet – or our village. Food may become scarce. What can we do to make sure there is enough of it for the growing population? We need to think differently, and look across cultures to find ways…
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Hungry Planet: What The World Eats
By The Editors Hungry Planet: What The World Eats, has been around for a few years, but the photography is still very appealing, the descriptions insightful and the topic up to date. Just looking at the pictures is a sure way to increase one’s awareness of different cultures. The book also includes excerpts from leading scientists, nutritionists and environmentalists. In true global spirit, Peter Menzel and Faith D’Aluisio traveled to twenty-four countries and visited thirty families from all around the world to find out what people eat during the course of one week. The result of their work is 30 family profiles. Each family’s profile includes a detailed description of their weekly food purchases; photographs…
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Globalization Collection and Chanel Globe
By The Editors The latest Chanel collection is called “Globalization” and, during the Paris Fashion Week in March, it came with benefits: a giant, rotating, wooden replica of our planet, visibly positioned in the middle of the Grand Palais. Does the Chanel globe provide a real global vision of our planet? The are zillions of pin lights and 300 little flags on the globe. The pin lights represent all our cities and the flags the 300 Chanel boutiques around the world. It’s a Chanel globe. The globe is now gone, but virtually visiting the Grand Palais is a very pleasant Paris adventure. Try it.
