Link About It: This Week’s Picks
The return of the airship, a 30-year time-lapse of NYC’s skyline, saying farewell to photographer Peter Lindbergh and more from around the internet
Snøhetta-Designed Building Produces More Energy Than It Uses
Located along the Trondheim Fjord in Norway, the Powerhouse Brattørkaia sets a high standard for regenerative architecture—buildings and infrastructure that attempt to undo the harm we’ve imparted on the environment. The office building is covered in 3,000-square-meters of solar panels. It powers itself, neighboring buildings as well as a pair of transit hubs. In total, the Brattørkaia produces twice the amount of energy it uses and that power can be stored in banks for shorter winter days. Both a shining example of eco-friendly design and striking architecture, the building hopes to be a formula that other projects can follow. Read more at Dezeen.
Artist Wangechi Mutu’s Statues Will Fill The Met’s Fifth Avenue Niches
For the first time in its history, NYC’s Metropolitan Museum of Art will fill the vacant niches along the Fifth Avenue facade of its iconic Beaux-Arts building. With their inaugural annual commission, they’ve tapped Kenyan-born artist Wangechi Mutu, who will place roughly seven-foot-high bronze sculptures within each of the four spaces. Mutu likens the sculptures—which feature radiant, powerful, seated women—to caryatids. They’re referred to as The NewOnes, will free Us. It’s a refreshing move toward diversity that will hopefully engage even passersby. Read more at the New York Times.
Photographer + Filmmaker Joseph DiGiovanna’s 30-Year Time-Lapse of NYC
Four years—and some four million photos—into a project of epic proportions, New Jersey-based photographer and filmmaker Joseph DiGiovanna aims to capture NYC’s skyline under transformation. To showcase developments along the way, DiGiovanna has set up an Instagram account, but the long-term goal is a website—with a scrolling timeline— that features the entirety of his capture. There are many technical challenges—most specifically maintaining and storing his photographs, as DiGiovanna’s camera snags one picture every 30 seconds. It’s all slated to end in 2045. Read more about it all at Digital Trends.
The Return of the Airship
Despite the disastrous Hindenburg crash in 1937, airships today prove greener and equally as fast as maritime travel—even if using them seems ambitious and unlikely. Plenty of companies are surveying the prospects of airships once again. To reduce the carbon emissions of the transportation sector (23% of worldwide greenhouse gas production comes from the industry), airships, particularly solar-powered ones, could be replacements and carry the load of traditional maritime routes. Researchers and developers remain divided on the feasibility of constructing a cargo airship that’s “five times as long as the Empire State Building is tall,” equipped with very few controls, and aerodynamic. Read more at Popular Mechanics.
Synthetic Biology’s Quest for Lab-Made Dairy
It isn’t as if alternative options aren’t prevalent—plant-based milks line the shelves, drawn from soy, almonds, oats and just about everything else. But the proteins in these liquids differ heavily from true dairy. As the New York Times points out, “Researchers at several start-up companies, including New Culture, have begun producing these [true dairy] proteins in the lab, with the aim of creating a new grocery store category: cow-free dairy.” The process mirrors that of Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat, however it’s still radically developing. The target isn’t just a replacement, but a product that contributes to animal welfare and environmental sustainability. Read more about the many companies involved at the Times.
Farewell to Legendary Fashion Photographer Peter Lindbergh
The man credited with launching the era of the supermodel, fashion photographer and film director Peter Lindbergh has passed away at 74 years old. With an influential legacy spanning several decades, Polish-born Lindbergh began his career in 1971 as a photography assistant before opening his own studio just two years later. In 1990 he shot the iconic British Vogue cover featuring Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Tatjana Patitz, Cindy Crawford and Christy Turlington. He went on to shoot Pirelli calendars, record covers, film posters—and direct several films and documentaries. Known for his aversion to retouching, he said, “My aim was to portray women in a different way. As an artist, I feel I’m responsible for freeing women from the idea of eternal youth and perfection. The ideal of perfect beauty promoted by society is something that simply can’t be attained.” Read more at Dazed.
Link About It is our filtered look at the web, shared daily in Link and on social media, and rounded up every Saturday morning.
