Gomi’s Plastic Waste Speaker
Made from plastic waste (like bags and bubble wrap), Gomi’s portable speaker is a thoughtful and practical solution to traditionally non-recyclable plastic pollution. With sourced materials from local food wholesalers, each speaker is crafted from roughly 100 plastic bags, and the clever design allows for the speaker to be broken down into three pieces, which can then be melted and reused for future products. Read more about the device at Dezeen.
Portraits From Sicily’s Red Light District
In a series titled Taliami e te fazzu petra (One gaze and you’ll turn to stone), photographer Salvatore Di Gregorio documents the diversity in one of Sicily’s most complicated neighborhoods, San Berillo. Home to the city’s red light district, the area’s characters are glammed and glittered, and unabashed about San Berillo’s history. Di Gregorio tells It’s Nice That the series was never intended to be political, “I was just curious to show the world a different Sicily: playful, colorful and also grimy and salacious.” Read more there.
Fabric That Can Switch Between Heating and Cooling
While the race to create the most versatile fabric has yielded significant offerings from the likes of The North Face and Columbia, a pair of researchers at the University of Maryland may have made the next promising push. Their fabric is made from two yarns—one to absorb water and one to repel it. Together, they react to moisture from your body. When you sweat, the fabric opens little holes to allow heat to escape. When you’re cold, the fabric expands and traps heat in. Though no clothing manufacturers have access to the innovation just yet, the pair don’t see gear as the end goal—the fabric could greatly reduce home energy costs, too. Read more at Gizmodo.
Rotten Tomatoes’ Anti-Trolling Efforts
Before viewers get a chance to see Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers take on Ben Mendelsohn’s villainous Talos in the hotly anticipated Captain Marvel film, review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes is in the midst of its own battle… with trolls. As this latest Marvel feature began to suffer at the frequently misogynistic hands of the anonymous internet long before its release (a woe that afflicted the last Ghostbusters and the next Star Wars), Rotten Tomatoes turned their “Want to See” percentage score into a tally of individuals excited to see the flick. This feature has long been a hotbed for attacks from people who haven’t seen films, but hope they fail. The site also turned off the film’s comments section for pre-release. Of course, there are still a number of ways haters can still hate, but this is a thoughtful advancement. Read more at Wired.
Doan Ly’s Ethereal Still Lifes
Florist, photographer and founder of the studio a.p. bio, Doan Ly brings dreamy ideas to life using light, texture and beautiful, living things. She finds inspiration in what’s around her—pulling together plants, garments and materials to stage otherworldly images that are equal parts freakebana and art. Ly tells Sight Unseen, “I may see a fun shipment of melons on my way to the subway, for example. Other times, I’ll choose one prop—like gloves—and explore a shoot around that.” Read the full interview and see some of Ly’s sublime photography at Sight Unseen.
London Goth Lives in Sort Zine
Penned and published by Joseph Delaney and Matt King, Sort Zine sheds light on goth cultures across Europe. The pair, a director and stylist respectively, sought to create a space for people within the thriving goth world—something other than a club, store or brand—to convey messages and foster the community. The latest five-part zine collection comes complete with a starter kit for goths. GARAGE Magazine interviewed the duo, head over there to read more.
Climber Alex Honnold’s Custom The North Face Tuxedo
After tackling Yosemite National Park’s 3,000-foot El Cap, in under four hours without ropes, pioneering rock-climber Alex Honnold gained widespread notoriety. At the 2019 Academy Awards, the film that documents Honnold’s experience, Free Solo, won the best documentary Oscar. And Honnold sported a first-ever The North Face custom tuxedo. The slim fit, one-button, single-breasted suit was the vision of designer Mona Al-Shaalan and tailored Devon Scott, a collaborator on the project. Its goal was to promote the brand’s The Black Series—and, of course, make Honnold look good. It succeeded at both. Read more about Honnold and see photos of the wool tuxedo at Gear Patrol.
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