THE NOT SO WEEKLY EDIT: From inclusivity, sustainability to deep Fakes
Get inspired with our new edition of the Not-So-Weekly Edit! Dip into all of our latest links and inspirations over on the blog, where this time we'll be talking a lot about inclusivity, as well as keeping our eye on sustainability and the latest technological advances in creating AI deep fakes.
FASHION | Belgian Designer Tom Van Der Borght winner of the Hyères Prize 2020 showcases mood-boosting up-cycled designs stating “I come with a message of hope”. His collection provides a dose of much-needed optimism during this pandemic with his highly unique, high octane and playful designs, constructed using up-cycled rope, plastic tubing, vegetable fur and sequins.
SOCIAL CHANGE | Have we been underestimating our collective capacity for radical social change? The book “You matter more than you think” by Karen O’Brien explores climate change for those feeling anxiety about the future. The book draft, made available for feedback, ventures into the paradigms and practices that can change the way we relate to each other, the environment, the planet and the future.
AI & DEEP FAKES | The article “Inside the strange new world of being a Deepfake actor” shows "there’s an art to being a performer whose face will never be seen". Over the years deepfakes have grown realistic, compared to a number of years ago where the technology wasn’t advanced and mainly found in dark corners of the internet. Today it’s becoming an emerging industry for actors and casting directors.
SCIENCE AND TECH | In “How migration has changed, and will change, our bodies” Kieran Yates for Dazed Beauty explains that as we move into an uncertain future, we need to look at what our bodies tell us. Migration has a physical effect on the body, one that must be explored in order to consider our survival in a future world, where climate change will render us all migrants at some point.
GOODNEWS ONLY | Michelle Figueroa, founder of @goodnews_movement created a platform that brings uplifting and positive news ONLY. There are stories of philanthropy, resilience, victories through trying times, heartfelt gratitude, and hope amidst despair – all proving essential to the mental health in a time where we are overwhelmed by globalised bad news, fear, greed and racism.
MENTAL HEALTH | Can microdosing LSD unlock creativity? With the major changes that have occurred this year due to Covid, lockdown has caused our bodies to experience extreme lethargy and decreased creativity levels. Experts are now suggesting that 2020 will lead to a huge spike in cases of generalised anxiety disorders and depression. Low energy, loss of motivation and a slump in creativity are making it hard for some people to return to normality. Many of these people are turning to microdosing LSD or psilocybin.
PHOTOGRAPHY & CULTURE | Photographing Black Skin: Antwaun Sargent & Joshua Kissi. Art critic and writer Antwaun Sargent and photographer Joshua Kissi talk about the technicalities of photographing of Black skin and have committed to uplift Black voices and identities through visual representation. Kissi highlights the majestic shimmer of Black and Brown skin tones through his portraits of subjects, which include Jaden Smith, Tyga, Cynthia Erivo, and his recent work for Beyoncé’s critically acclaimed visual project, Black is King.
INNOVATION | Croatian Studio Boir’s New Normal tableware for socially distant dining aims to achieve a balance between "intimacy and safe distance". The agency has designed a conceptual tableware collection, for dining during the coronavirus pandemic, featuring a series of steel and stone objects that enable safely sharing food. The collection comprises five items, including a bread basket divided by a barrier and long spoons that enable couples to feed each other from a distance.
