Link About It: This Week’s Picks
Monumental public works of art and design, medical innovation and a tea-centric art sale
Communitea Art Store Raises Money for London Chinese Community Centre
In partnership with Roomfifty, Communitea—an online marketplace raising funds for the London Chinese Community Centre—has launched, with tea-centric prints by 55 artists and designers available from £20 each. The team decided on the tea theme not only because of its importance in Chinese culture, but also because it “encourages people to come together, chat and learn more about one another,” Jenny Brewer writes for It’s Nice That. While the artists involved (including Melissa Kitty Jarram, Charlotte Mei, Wei Prior, Jack Sachs, Omse, Zipeng Zhu and others) have very different styles, there’s a vibrance and sense of optimism that ties each artwork together. Read more at It’s Nice That and shop directly at Roomfifty.
Image courtesy of Charlotte Mei
The World’s Longest Pedestrian Suspension Bridge Opens in Portugal
Suspended 574 feet above Portugal’s Paiva River, the 516 Arouca pedestrian suspension bridge stretches nearly 1,700 feet and sets a new record for length in the category. Built by Conduril and designed by Studio Itecons, the steel and concrete construction connects parts of the UNESCO-recognized Arouca Geopark (a popular outdoor location known for its greenery) gorges and an enchanted length of wooden walkway. Read more and see some dizzying photos at Colossal.
Image courtesy of Ponte 516 Arouca
Condense Your Daily Pills Into One With 3D Printing
According to a study from researchers at the University of East Anglia, a new 3D-printing technique would allow pharmacies, hospitals and other controlled entities to design and produce customized pills for individual patients. Printed into a one-size-fits-all format, without a case multiple powdered medicines (as long as they are compatible in the human body) could be layered and condensed in a way that some release quickly and others slowly. According to Fast Company, right now in the US “the FDA is working with the National Institute of Standards and Technology to create guidelines for 3D pill printing,” too. Read more about the process and its capabilities at Fast Company.
Image courtesy University of East Anglia
Two Observation Towers Link Iceland’s Tectonic Plates in 00group’s Monumental Proposal
Shanghai-based studio 00group’s concept for a new Icelandic monument, which they call “Anchor of the Plates,” bridges two tectonic plates on a site that overlooks a seismic fissure called Vogagjá. The monument is composed of two curving observation towers (one with a visitors center) bound by an adjustable rope bridge. A harmonious vision, the poetic swoop of the design lends functional value and offers numerous metaphoric interpretations. Read more about the proposal and see more photos at designboom.
Image courtesy of 00group
Ugo Rondinone’s “Seven Magic Mountains” Paint Restoration
Commissioned by the Nevada Museum of Art in partnership with New York’s Art Production Fund, artist Ugo Rondinone’s enchanting “Seven Magic Mountains” installation debuted in 2016. The colorful, towering limestone cairns (located in the Ivanpah Valley desert outside Las Vegas) have attracted so much attention and appreciation that the organizations are applying for a permit to display them for five more years—even though it was originally intended to rise for only two. To prepare for such an extension, Rondinone’s studio, along with a restoration team, will clean the totems and repaint them to their former glory, after wind-swept micro-sandblasting and 100+ degree temperatures have caused fading. Read more about the site and the forthcoming process at Surface.
Image courtesy of the Nevada Museum of Art
Michelin Guide Awards a Green Star For Sustainability to Blue Hill at Stone Barns + More
Tarrytown, New York’s two-Michelin-star restaurant, Blue Hill at Stone Barns, has been awarded a new accolade in the US—the green star for sustainability—in this year’s Michelin guide. Chez Panisse, French Laundry and a handful of others also received the star (joining dozens of European restaurants that were awarded the honor when it debuted last year). This was granted to Stone Barns, however, because “the non-profit Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture sets the national conversation for healthy and sustainable food systems” as chef and co-owner Dan Barber continues to pioneer the use of components from local, independent farms within creative cuisine (now, through a series of rotating guest chefs). Read more about the standards they set and uphold annually at the Michelin Guide.
Image courtesy of Blue Hill at Stone Barns
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 courtesy of Nevada Museum of Art
