It’s end of May 2021 and we are already half-way through the year! Dive into some of our latest research and see what the studio has been up-to, from our relationship with food, surveillance, innovative bio-materials and digital fashion.

Now let’s jump in 👇🏻

FOOD | Ever think about our relationship with food and what it means to feed humanity? Noema magazine gives us some insights as to how ‘Food is being reconceived as a currency of communication’ between the different cells in our body. We need to look at food as a metabolic partner rather than a substrate and the vital relationship between ageing, sleep and immunity. After all you are what you eat.

TECH | Is surveillance deployed for coercion or control? Real Life magazine dives into ‘how surveillance and the gender norms around care are used to reinforce each other’. Recognising that care can be used as a powerful construct against communities, can be frightening when we think about China’s use of facial recognition to oppress Uyghurs. Or we can look at surveillance as personal care at a consumer level for example, a baby monitor, networked camera doorbell, healthcare or a GPS tracker. The weaponisation of care is deeply flawed.

BIOMATERIALS | Scarlett Yang, Central Saint Martins Womenswear BA graduate, displayed a revolutionary, digital biomaterial collection fused with nature and technology. Centred around the theme of “circular ecosystem where garments grow, decompose and shape-change throughout time and changing environment'“. The designer simulated a biodegradable dress made from ‘3D printed algae’ that would change shape when exposed to varying temperature levels.

INNOVATION | We have seen how powerful algae can be used in design due to their biological intelligence, London-based EcoLogicStudio, has created the Bit.Bio.Bot exhibition combining architecture and microbiology. It invites viewers to taste freshly harvested algae and shows the possibilities of urban cities can ‘purify the air, gain sustainable food source and cultivate their own algae’.

RECYCLING | The overproduction of plastic has been problematic to our planet, this has prompted designers to re-think the manufacturing process. A collaboration project between the Dutch design collective envisions and Belgian plastics recycling company ECO-oh! explores materials and the future of recycled plastics by finding new applications to reuse the most contaminated and complex plastics and developing high-performance material.

FASHION | Is digital fashion the way to go? We have seen the growth of digital fashion in the recent years, The Institute of Digital Fashion is currently leading the way into this new advancement. The article highlights accessibility to cater for a diverse spectrum of genders, sizes and disabilities. However, it presents itself with some pitfalls as it doesn’t address the ‘foundational inequalities that start at design and production’. Designers need to acquire a unique set of skills such as anthropometry and ergonomics in order to imitate real-life materials, which are expensive and time-intensive.

PHOTOGRAPHY | Brazilian photographer Rodrigo Oliveira captures tender photos of the Black Queer community on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. His work celebrates love and community.

FUTURE | Future Centre looks at how the pandemic has reconfigured urban life. We have seen in the past cities undergo transformations such as, ‘the way we work, socialise and innovate’. It is likely society will experience massive urban transformation as we exit lockdown measures.