A new study published in the journal Nature Communications revealed that scientists created an ink from the toxic microbe E coli. These researchers found that when growing and feeding E coli bacteria, it secreted an ink made of living cells, which they then they used to plug into 3D printers. This project, while still underway, holds greater implications with regard to the future of sustainable, self-producing …
$60
Witch Please candles from Les Loups are seeded with crystals, charged with Reiki and handmade in New York’s Hudson Valley. Poured on new and full moons by energy healers Steven Gray, Chad Wagner and Manu Del Prete, each formulation helps the user set an intention and remain in touch with it as the candle burns. FORMULA 86 boasts notes of saffron, amber and patchouli and …
Last week at the University of Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum, Aidan Miller unveiled the world’s first highly-realistic humanoid robot artist, Ai-Da, who wrote poetry inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy. Using algorithms programmed with Dante’s epic, the robot integrated his speech patterns alongside her lexicon of vocabulary to produce her own deeply moving work. The poetry debuted in conjunction with Eyes Wide Shut, an exhibit on surveillance, which …
A response to the extreme law recently passed in Texas, part of “a national agenda to end access to abortion across the US,” the Choice Works benefit auction launched by Artsy and Planned Parenthood aims to raise funds to be used in safeguarding reproductive rights across the country. Live online now, the auction corresponds with an event during Miami Art Week on 2 December and …
Before commercial harvesting, oyster reefs used to compose more than 220,000 acres of New York’s coastline, acting as a natural flood-mitigation system in addition to increasing marine biodiversity. With these reefs’ destruction, New York is dangerously vulnerable to natural disasters—a threat that (as Hurricane Ida recently showed) is only growing. To protect the city, Billion Oyster Project founded by Urban Assembly New York Harbor School, …
An all-in-one online gifting platform, Snappy aims to return imagination to the process of giving a gift and make it feel less transactional. Recently, the organization conducted a survey and learned that 55% of the employed Americans they spoke with would appreciate the option to forgo a Christmas gift from their company and have the money donated to charity on their behalf instead. Further, 72% …
$168
An ideal skincare set for those with sensitive skin, allergies or aversions to scents, The Savvy Duo from Lendava comprises the brand’s lush Good Morning and Good Night face creams. Created to reduce and simplify skincare routines, each cream is designed to work as a potent hybrid serum, oil and moisturizer. Rich with antioxidants, vitamins, ceramides, peptides, as well as humectants and emollients (which attract …
$159
Digital frames aren’t a new phenomenon, but the Aura is the best we’ve seen. Most importantly, the screen brightness and texture have a more natural feel than the types of screens we’re used to looking at every day. A great gift for those less adept at using photo-sharing apps or social media, this frame makes it really easy to add content and choose how it …
$190
One of BYREDO’s most transportive fragrances, Velvet Haze is a rich, musk-led scent that captivates. With notes of ambrette (also known as muskmallow, a medicinal plant), coconut water, patchouli, cacao absolute and various musks, the layered fragrance is warm and slightly earthy but with an ethereal appeal.
$27
Available in bundles of 12, 24 or 48, these organic seed-bearing lollipops are made with herbs and edible flowers for a more sophisticated palate. Once the treat has been consumed, the biodegradable stick can be planted in soil and hopefully an heirloom herb or flower will grow. This set contains the brand’s essentials: lavender and lemongrass, sage and marshmallow, rosemary and mint, lemon and thyme, …
Jakarta-born, LA-based artist NIKI (aka Nicole Zefanya) has released her gorgeously languid, retro-tinged “Split” on 88rising. With soft percussion and a bluesy energy, the song chronicles the feeling of living away from home—splitting time and life between two places. “I wrote it about having to split myself between Indonesia and LA and feeling like I have to constantly ‘split the difference,’ adapt, assimilate all the …
“Bad Person” by Danish artist eee gee (aka Emma Granvkist) is an indie-pop song that, through multiple perspectives, tells a story of what it means to have done wrong. The song is “an anthem for all the ones that have experienced getting manipulated, gaslighted or stepped on,” the singer says. These heavier themes, however, do not weigh down the track. Between the artist’s floaty, alto …
With “invisible design” at its core, innovation-centric brand MOFT (which stands for Mobile Office for Travelers) aims to eliminate fuss and add freedom to your experience when using tech devices for work or creative play. Crafting compact, lightweight and practical accessories remains paramount for the company, whose products are robust without being clunky, practical without being dull and portable without feeling flimsy. This is possible …
$25
Inspired by real fish and flavored with natural ingredients, these candies are an elevated take on Swedish Fish. Malmö, Sweden-based Kolsvart started by making traditional Swedish licorice but soon began experimenting with various tastes and combinations—always keeping their gummies vegan and gluten-free. In these packs of three, flavors range from Röding Raspberry Fish to the more adventurous Gäddan Elderflower Fish.
$162
An art deco tour around London, a brutalist exploration of Paris and a dive into the architecture in Tbilisi are just some of the inspiring plans in Blue Crow Media’s set of architecture and design maps. Spanning postmodernism, constructivism, metro design and more, this bundle of 33 maps takes a comprehensive and tasteful approach to urban art, breathing new life into familiar cities and guiding …
With a background playing warehouse parties around London, Saint Jude (aka Jude Woodhead) creates an intoxicating, haunting track with “Alright, All Tied.” The mellow tune—with an undercurrent of gliding guitars and soft percussion—is carried by the artist’s unhurried lament. He wrote the song while struggling with writer’s block, and the lyrics (“I can see / all I mean / all I fear / all too …
Chicago-bred and LA-based artist Tolliver’s recently released EP, Daddyland, is an ode to his late father and journeys through their complicated relationship to arrive at self-love. “Nervous,” the third track on the EP, finds itself on the latter end of this arc with its confident lyrics and buoyant rhythm. Soaked in funk and fun, this bop crafts an anthem for misfits and outcasts, punctuated by …
$40
Andreas Carver’s The Aphrodisiac Kitchen is more than a cookbook—it is a journey about self-growth, queer acceptance and, above all, a love story told through and about food. Between sensuous shots of latex-gloved hands smashing fruit and essays on Carver’s upbringing as a queer, mixed-race kid in the American South, the first volume of this cookbook captures food romantically, politically and in all its other multiplicities. …
$25
LA-based Mister Green lends its distinctive green to their all-wooden kendama, a traditional Japanese skill toy. This entertaining toy comes in the standard size with Mister Green’s logo on the ball and inside each of the three cups.
