as the world continues to digest the overwhelm of the COVID-19 pandemic, creatives are absorbing the history that has unfolded over the past months, and finding personal, artistic responses to the events. ai weiwei recently released a feature-length documentary set in the chinese city of wuhan during the outbreak, examining the political specter of chinese state control from the first to last days lockdown. meanwhile, for several years, photographer roberto graziano moro had been engaged in the documentation of the music industry in italy and today’s youth culture, but the pandemic changed the focus of his lens. the north of italy was struck early and violently by the outbreak, burdened with an increasing number of cases, overcrowded hospitals, and an overwhelming sense of urgency to control the crisis. see moro's video and photographic documentation of venice in its most critical moments here.
in other news, we featured the work of new-york based artist kathleen ryan, whose larger-than-life, rotting fruit sculptures are encrusted with glass beads and gemstones. created as allegories for sexuality, decadence, and the cycle of life, the bejeweled pieces appear to be covered in mold. her latest scaled-up fruit sculptures, which include two ‘bad lemons’ and a pair of ‘bad cherries, are available for viewing in a recent online exhibition by karma gallery -- see it here.
meanwhile, TU delft researcher bob hendrikx developed the world’s first living coffin made from mushroom mycelium as a way to give human nutrients back to nature. 'the living cocoon' is envisioned as as way to help the body ‘compost’ more efficiently while removing toxic substances and enriching the soil where new trees and plants can grow. the first batch of loop’s cocoons was already used for a funeral last week.
finally, don't miss A WEEK WITH A’ DESIGN AWARD AND COMPETITION starting today, and discover which brands are coming up next in our calendar here.
