Link About It: This Week’s Picks
From ocean photography to decolonizing Chinese typography, American movie theater archaeology and more
Decolonizing Chinese Typography With New Font “Ku Mincho
Hong Kong native Julius Hui is on a mission to build a new typeface that traces the lineage of the Chinese language, a font he calls Ku Mincho. In China, typography has a sordid history of colonialism and political standardization—first, calligraphy styles were dictated by the whims of emperors, then by Japanese imperialism, and then by the boom of digital media which introduced “fat and blocky” styles. Hui’s goal is to distill characters to get back to a Mingti type that is inherently and historically Chinese yet commercially viable. Already, his crowdfunding campaign has raised over $70,000 USD and he’s just getting started. “Typography is a tool but not just for displaying words. Type reflects culture and influences it,” he tells Brian Ng at Rest of World, where you can read more about Hui’s work on decolonizing fonts.
Image courtesy of Ku MinCho Project
NYC’s Surf Collective Diversifies The Waves In Far Rockaway
Laru Beya Collective is a non-profit organization offering free surf lessons and water safety education to Black and Brown communities in NYC’s Queens borough. At Rockaway Beach, “environmental racism prevents access and comfortability: from lack of protection from lifeguards to poor beach maintenance, not to mention a stark wealth inequality along the channel.” This, coupled with a generational fear of water apparent in Black communities, makes learning to swim and enjoying the beach particularly difficult for many BIPOC individuals—in fact, Black people drown at a rate 1.5 times higher than white people. This collective seeks to change that. Under the pioneering guidance of the Laru Beya family, young people of color are not obtaining better access to the beach, but are also creating a new generation of surfers. Find out more about their work at Teen Vogue.
Image courtesy of Kat Sloosky
Photos of Bygone Movie Theaters Capture “Decay In Its Divinity”
Between tattered wallpapers and crumbling seat cushions, French photographers Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre find beauty in the abandoned American movie theaters of old. Their new photobook, Movie Theaters, celebrates the vast architectural opulence of forgotten early 20th-century auditoriums, journeyng through the history of American entertainment from neo-Renaissance to neo-Byzantine to Art Nouveau and other eras. Find out how the pair locate “decay in its divinity” and glimpse more of their work at Wallpaper*.
Image of Fox Theater in Inglewood, CA, courtesy of Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre
Lolita Gomez + Blanca Algarra Sanchez Reimagine A Clockwork Orange’s Korova Milk Bar
Within the multi-installation Alcova exhibition this Milan Design Week, Lolita Gomez and Blanca Algarra Sanchez (students from Geneva’s HEAD design school) have twisted the dystopian iconography of Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange into a real-life milk bar that guests can sit at. From nipple cups to udder-like siphons, the students’ vision channels the explicit forms and dazzling energy of the film’s original. “We decided to do something a little more sensual and organic,” Gomez tells Dezeen. See more images of the titillating exhibit there.
Image courtesy of Lolita Gomez and Blanca Algarra Sanchez
2021 Ocean Photography Awards Finalists
The nominees for 2021’s Ocean Photography Awards have been announced, and the selection highlights vibrant and extraordinary images that pay tribute to the vast beauty of the deep sea and its creatures. The categories of this year’s awards include Youth Photographer of the Year, Collective Portfolio, Community Choice and Conservation—with the last illustrating the environmental issues that plague the ocean today. View the water from unexpected and unexplored angles, from larval lobsters spearing prey to speleothems in Mexico and surfers catching some of the heaviest breaks in the world, at Design Your Trust.
Image courtesy of Matty Smith
Jackie O’s Iconic Sunglasses Inspire Monica Armani’s New Furniture
B&B Italia presented their latest collection at the 2021 Salone del Mobile, which included new work by artist and architect Monica Armani. The table and chair—dubbed “Allure O” and “Flair O,” respectively—embody the glamorous and glitzy style of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. The style icon’s influence can be spotted through elliptical shapes (directly inspired by Jackie O’s signature shades) and clean curves that harken back to the ’60s and ’70s. Read more about Armani’s design process at Wallpaper*.
Image courtesy of Studio Likeness
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 Matty Smith
