Link About It: This Week’s Picks
From an NBA first to dance commissions and life-changing inventions
Carlo Ratti Associati’s Eco-Friendly Scribit Pens
Completely compostable and filled with edible ink, design agency Carlo Ratti Associati’s eco-friendly Scribit pens aim to curb the damage done to the environment by the 1.6 billion plastic pens thrown out each year. Three models with refillable barrels exist—one from responsibly farmed wood; another from recycled, anodized aluminum; and one from biodegradable PHB plastic (which, unlike the other two, could still potentially shed microplastics). On all three, the nib and ink cartridge are made from natural materials, too. Though the option to recycle Bic pens does exist, with the right equipment, many simply deposit them into the rubbish bin. Read more at Fast Company.
Image courtesy of Carlo Ratti Associati
Cal Hunt’s Solo Dance, “Gliding: From Brooklyn to Paris,” at the French Institute Alliance Française’s Le Petit Gala
In the midst of the pandemic, fundraising events for educational and cultural institutions have modified to meet the health and safety needs of their supporters. NYC-based French Institute Alliance Française’s Le Petit Gala embodies this with a particular elegance. Streamed for free on Vimeo, the gala’s hybrid programming featured three lives performances (and a boxed dinner one could order for home, in advance) for audiences at home. Choreographer Jonah Bokaer kicked off the event; The Metropolitan Opera’s star countertenor, Anthony Roth Costanzo, closed it out. In between, Brooklyn-based Flex artist Cal Hunt mesmerized with the debut of his solo dance commission, Gliding: From Brooklyn to Paris. In the choreography, Hunt addressees his adaptation to life in Paris, where he resided last year to star in Les Indes Galantes at the Opera National de Paris. Watch Hunt’s performance at fiafgala.org now.
Image courtesy of Elena Olivo/FIAF
Daniel Arsham To Become The First Artist Appointed Creative Director of an NBA Team
Brooklyn-based, Ohio-born Daniel Arsham is set to become the creative director for the Cleveland Cavaliers—the first time an NBA team has tapped an artist for the expansive position. No stranger to high-profile collaborations, Arsham’s new role includes revitalizing the team’s entire brand—from jerseys and apparel to the arena and even social media and merch. The fine artist and Snarkitecture co-founder will also manage collaborative initiatives with Cleveland-based artists and local organizations. Read more about Arsham’s responsibilities (and minority partnership) at Art News.
Image of Daniel Arsham and his work “Moving Basketball” (2019) at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse courtesy of the Cleveland Cavaliers
Time’s Top 100 Inventions of 2020
Annually, Time Magazine publishes a list of their favorite products released that year. For 2020, the publication’s 100 Best Inventions includes available items and prototypes from 24 categories including Sustainability, Wellness, Augmented Reality and Accessibility. The magazine’s editors made a concerted effort to include products that change how we live. These entries offer practical solutions to problems like more affordable higher education, making rough terrain manageable for power chairs, muting background noise for conference calls, improving the success rate of surgeries and beyond. See the full list on their site.
Image courtesy of TIME
Link About It is our filtered look at the web, shared daily in Link and on social media, and rounded up every Saturday morning.
Hero image courtesy of Daniel Arsham
