Architects have long looked to nature for ideas, with biomorphism, design which takes inspiration from natural elements, developing since the existence of manmade environments. A more nuanced concept, biomimetic architecture is an offshoot of the relatively new science of biomimicry explored and popularised by Janine Benyus in her 1997 book, Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature….
Open now and running until 7 May 2023, the Hayward Gallery presents Mike Nelson: Extinction Beckons, the first major survey exhibition of large-scale installations and sculptural works by the internationally acclaimed British artist. Curated by Yung Ma, who joined the Hayward Gallery from Centre Pompidou back in 2021, the psychologically charged and atmospheric presentation takes…
The 1960s heralded an experimental time for architecture in Africa, with the birth of Afromodernism seeing the incorporation of local building staples such as adobe bricks and thatch employed alongside modern materials, like reinforced concrete, to forge a new type of modernist architecture. The movement paved the way for some of the continent’s most impressive…
Lina Iris Viktor is a British Liberian multidisciplinary artist who works between Italy and the UK. Her work weaves together performance, photography, painting, water-gilding and sculpture to create rich, lavish works featuring mythical and majestic looking female figures. Through these sensuous and visually loaded works, pattern becomes a ‘pre-verbal language connecting to that which is…
Ghanaian artist Serge Attukwei Clottey’s impactful works, spanning installation, performance, painting and sculpture, frequently utilise found materials from the artist’s hometown of Accra to forge meaningful dialogues with the city’s cultural history and identity. Resourcefully embracing everyday objects such as discarded Kufuor gallons, car tyres, and recycling boat wood as his canvas, among other materials,…
For over four decades, Human Rights Watch has defended those at risk of abuse through thorough investigating, exposing the facts, and unremittingly pressing those in power for change. Recently marking its 30th anniversary, the Human Rights Watch Film Festival, which presently screens films in over 15 cities across the world, shines a light on human…
Today a career in photography is considered a respectable and fairly ordinary vocation in India but the profession only emerged in the nation close to the end of the 19th century, comprising exclusively of male practitioners for some fifty years. Homai Vyarawalla, India’s first woman photojournalist, is best known for documenting the country’s transition from…
As one of our most telling cultural artefacts, fashion is a manifestation of our values, interests, needs, and an imprint of a moment in time with social, political, and economic dimensions. Yet because much of its printed matter is produced for commercial or informal purposes, it seldom receives the in-depth examination it deserves. The below…