The Thousand Yards Pavilion to be constructed in Beijing for a horticultural expo makes me think of a village made of backyards: little empires with surprising views and discoveries in every corner.
– via Dezeen
Category: Links
Protoje – Blood Money
Protoje is one of my favorite working artists these days: he gets everything right about reggae in such a spectacular modern sound, with an incredible lyrical talent and a wide open heart. This is his hard hitting new single, “Blood Money,” and I love it. The song was written in response to the political situation in Jamaica, but wisdom is universal and Protoje has always had plenty of that, so there’s some powerful solidarity in here with people struggling for justice in any nation. Check it out.
The Emergent Patterns of Video Feedback
If you point a camera at a screen showing the camera’s feed in just the right way, you get some pretty stunning feedback: emergent patterns, like living creatures, from the simple interaction of photons and electrons.
– via Kottke
Even Physicists Find the Multiverse Disturbing
This article on Nautilus is an amazing discussion of how theory and emotion mix, creating mathematics with troubling implications for how we see ourselves; raising the specter that even our best theories about the world are limited by our perspective.
Attaining Stillness of Mind Through Art
I’m all about striving for a still mind these days, and there are lots of ways to approach that. The meditative rolling of a clay ball, proposed in this interactive work by Kimsooja, seems like a good start.
– via Hyperallergic
Dancing Light Sculpture
As your attorney, I recommend you undertake whatever mind-altering routine you cherish most (I’m a fan of standing up too fast) and watch the video of this dancing light sculpture by Akinori Goto.
– via Colossal
Gentrification vs Placemaking
Gentrification is bad, but placemaking is good. Except when placemaking results in gentrification, which it usually does. Turns out the way that cities change is really complicated, and this article scrapes the surface of that complexity. If only we could reduce the whole convoluted process down to a convenient paragraph we could recite to strangers when drunk at parties.
– via Arch Daily
Megalopolis Boundaries
What major city holds sway over your little town? This algorithm has seen all the data and it’s just itching to share its opinion. Disagree? Don’t leave an angry comment here, take it up with the algorithm: I’m sure it will be happy to tell you what you can do with your weakly human, data-ignorant opinion.
– via Web Urbanist
Waves That Look Like Mountains
Right, because you need to know more than “waves that like mountains” before you’ll click. OK: this genius idea is courtesy of photographer Lloyd Meudell. Thank you sir!
– via booooooom
Recreating Cities With Smells
Is it just me or does it seem like Sissel Tolaas, who recreates cities by mixing scents, would be a wonderful person to meet at a party? Or read about in a Pynchon novel. Either way, cool stuff!
– via Atlas Obscura