The Tea Rockers Quintet

Our interview with Li Daiguo on the band's experimental mix of tradition and ceremony

One of the most interesting phenomena to hit Chinese avant-garde music is The Tea Rockers Quintet—a tea ceremony performed by master Lao Gu and accompanied by the all-stars of Chinese contemporary music: contemporary folk singer Xiao He, China’s top noise artist Yan Jun, academic guqin player Wu Na and the young and talented instrumentalist, Li Daiguo. Together they create a mesmerizing blend of traditional instruments, …

SymbiosisO: Voxel

Thermochromic interactive grids invade Issey Miyake's Tribeca location

A bright blue interactive installation has taken over the walls of Issey Miyake‘s Tribeca storefront. Composed of grids of hexagonal pads or “voxels”, Symbiosis0: Voxel responds to body heat or “artifacts” left by users who touch its textile surface. Accompanying the physical responsiveness of the piece is a mobile website that enables users to design a pattern that is displayed across the polygons upon submission. …

Bicycle Portraits

South Africa's diverse cycling culture celebrated in a beautiful book

While commuting by bike has long been a natural choice in countries like the Netherlands and China, other nations around the world are only just starting to consider it a serious mode of transportation. In South Africa bike culture is lacking—especially outside of major cities—but cyclists Stan Engelbrecht and Nic Grobler aim to change that. Taking to their own bikes, the enterprising duo rode nearly …