Smart Streets

Everyone has that friend who makes you cross the street on the zebra crossing; this one is for them. U.K. company Umbrellium has created a service that they are calling the Starling Crossing (STigmergic Adaptive Responsive LearnING Crossing), which changes the experience of crossing a road. By using computer-controlled LEDs the Starling Crossing can adapt to different situations by assessing what is going on in the road and then creating a safe environment for pedestrians; for example, during the busiest times of the day the LED crosswalk will be present for longer and will be wider in shape. Hopefully, this service will make crossing the street a safer environment for everyone.

An Unexpected Canvas for Creative Expression in the City

Who ever thought we would see the art kids and the sport jocks hanging out together? Now, across the United States, they do. This started in Memphis with the creation of Project Backboard, which aims to revive basketball courts wherever they can. Since the launch, this organization has worked in several other cities including Los Angeles, New York, and Baltimore. As founder, Daniel Peterson, touches down in each city, he and local artists revitalize it with colour and shape. Peterson hopes that using the basketball court as a canvas for local artists will strengthen and beautify communities. Check out some of Project Backboard’s projects here.

A New Look at the Chemistry We Know

The word “chemistry” brings me back to dark school days which included the stress of memorising complex equations; however, Wenting Zhu’s project brings a new feeling to the word. With her ongoing series Beauty of Science, Zhu captures the stunning state of atoms as they move through different processes. Most recently she shared new videos which show precipitation, bubbles, metal displacement, combustion, crystallization and more. Each video gives the audience a new look at the many viewpoints of science and how the daily reactions we know are more interesting than they seem. Check out more here http://www.thisiscolossal.com/...

The Uncomfortable of the Everyday  

Feeling relaxed? You’re about to feel differently. Katerina Kamprani has created a line of products, in her collection: The Uncomfortable, to deliberately annoy you. Each of these everyday products have been tweaked ever so slightly so that the object still looks like itself, but it cannot operate in the way it was intended to do so. Kamprani has created these “Uncomfortable” products as 3D renderings so that viewers can “appreciate the complexity and depth of interactions with the simplest of objects around us”. Check out more of her awkward creations here https://www.theuncomfortable.c...

Using Design to Tackle Difficult Topics

The diagnosis of cancer is always hard to hear, and even more difficult if you are hearing that your child is the one who has it. On top of your emotions, your child is also confused about what is happening to their body. To help solve this problem, Trunk is creating animations for RPA on behalf of Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. Each of these short clips are made with the intention of children viewing them so they are simplistic, yet informative. In this animation, director Layla Atkinsons and producer Richard Barnett talk about radiation therapy through imaginary friends and the familiar setting of a child’s bedroom.