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in Monocle
by
Sarah Balmond, May 2008
Balmond heaps praise on the redesigned Oslo International School by Norwegian architects Jarmund/Visgnaes. The school is now a "light-filled space with riotous splashes of colour," and teachers say that students are calmer in their new environs. The girls' bathrooms are painted floor-to-ceiling red, and the boys' in yellow (bright photos are included), and one student says he thought the shocking color scheme was a plot to stop kids from hanging out in there. The author's scope is narrow; while the school itself is of interest, she provides no insight into how the redesign fits into a larger theme or pattern of architectural design.
Posted 3:41, 8 May 2008
This abstract was written by
Emily Fisher
and edited by Brijit.
in Monocle
by
Robert Bound, May 2008
From the "cultural desert" that is Dubai comes ... an international art fair? Bound attends Art Dubai, an event that manages to holds its own with "Iranian photography, witty sculpture and installation pieces from Pakistan." The most memorable piece, Arabian Delight, features a taxidermied camel crumpled in a suitcase. While there's a code of unwritten censorship -- meaning no art that's too shocking or experimental -- Bound argues that the best work is "politicised, interested, engaged and passionate." And it appears to be catching; Auction house Christie's opened a Dubai office in 2005 and sold $15 million of work at its latest Dubai auction. Bound's colorful prose and witty observations make this a fun read.
Posted 2:57, 8 May 2008
This abstract was written by
Emily Fisher
and edited by Brijit.
in Monocle
by
Anastasia Moloney, May 2008
The beautiful people who flock to Brazil's island city of Florianopolis are these days joined by "CEOs, property developers, white-collar workers and investors." Multinationals such as Siemens and GM have opened offices, while high-ranking universities and a hospitable environment for startups mean the capital of Santa Catarina is Brazil's rising high-tech star. Low crime and a high quality of life complete the perfect package. Jealous? Moloney is enthused about new public transport initiatives and a planned "urban biosphere reserve"; however, the giddy tone makes the piece read like a business pamphlet produced by the Brazilian government.
Posted 1:28, 8 May 2008
This abstract was written by
Dean Nicholas
and edited by Brijit.
in Monocle
by
Kim Flyvbjerg, May 2008
In attempting to "do a Reykjavik" and rebrand themselves as a north Atlantic hotspot, Denmark's remote Faroe Islands have attracted music festivals and Al Gore, while a handful of entrepreneurs have made their name abroad. Yet island sensibilities "lie several mental latitudes" from the West: older folk are conservative and very religious, mundane island life contributes to a brain drain of young talent, and the nation has yet to truly eschew the image of a "society of homophobic pilot-whale hunters". Last year's successful TransAtlantic Climate Conference suggests that it is in sustainability that the Faroes' "competitive identity" lies.
Posted 12:57, 8 May 2008
This abstract was written by
Dean Nicholas
and edited by Brijit.
in Monocle
by
Markus Albers, May 2008
If you imagined pneumatic mail ended with the Victorians, think again. Germany's CargoCap believes that the "future of logistics is subterranean," and hopes to revolutionize large-scale goods transportation with underground distribution networks. The rise in online shopping, combined with environmental concerns and overground congestion, could make the system viable: In the Ruhr testbed delivery trucks reach 15 km an hour, while CargoCap capsules would travel at 36 km an hour. An inverted system already works in Stockholm's Hammarby district, removing waste via a vacuum pump, and the developments in "trenchless pipe-jacking" -- which minimize surface disruption -- could mean a return to Victorian values, Albers reports clearly.
Posted 11:31, 8 May 2008
This abstract was written by
Dean Nicholas
and edited by Brijit.
in Monocle
by
Johnny Davis, April 2008
The price of gold has risen 40 percent since the start of 2007, leading to a boom in the international trade in bullion. About $77 billion of gold is currently moved around the world each year, with London as the main hub. Davis also mentions the emerging "paper gold" market, where the yellow metal is traded like shares. He details the Summers-Barsky theory, which states that there is an inverse relationship between gold prices and other investments, and examines the implications for the world economy when the price of gold rises. His piece is erudite in scope and anecdotal in approach.
Posted 9:03, 14 April 2008
This abstract was written by
sean dodson
and edited by Brijit.
in Monocle
by
Andreas Tzortzis, April 2008
Tzortzis visits the Saint Charles Apothecary, a popular dispenser of herbal medicine and health food in Vienna, which is one of the top markets for natural cosmetics and remedies. The store is influenced by Chinese and Indian traditions of herbal medicine, but the key point is the way Saint Charles localizes them, using recipes dating back four generations and harvesting the ingredients from a family-run farm. Nearby, an affiliated restaurant serves heath food using similar principles. Tzortzis offers a quaint, uncritical snapshot of both shop and restaurant.
Posted 2:50, 11 April 2008
This abstract was written by
sean dodson
and edited by Brijit.
in Monocle
by
Robert Bound, April 2008
The proliferation of state-funded news networks has caught the eye of Bound, who writes that 24-hour channels are a "relatively cheap but insistent way to convey a national brand." He cites the success of Al-Jazeera English and reports of an upcoming pan-African news channel called A-24, to be launched late in 2008. He also takes an in-depth look at Russia Today (so-called "Kremlin Today"), saluting the channel's output and examining the day-to-day operations of its 700-strong staff. Though Bound's reporting is largely anecdotal, the story goes inside the offices of a rarely spotlighted industry.
Posted 5:09, 8 April 2008
This abstract was written by
sean dodson
and edited by Brijit.
in Monocle
by
Robert Bound, April 2008
Anton Corbijn is an acclaimed rock photographer and director of the recent Joy Division biopic, Control. Here he gives a first-person interview on his thoughts about his last meal. It should be served in the kitchen of his unfinished house in The Hague. He would eat a single Szechuan pepper, followed by asparagus in coffee sauce with tagliatelle. It's an over-indulgent, rambling and often pretentious interview, and it leaves the reader little wiser.
Posted 5:04, 8 April 2008
This abstract was written by
sean dodson
and edited by Brijit.
in Monocle
by
Cliff Kuang, April 2008
The US has a network of successful, independently owned local newspapers that continue to prosper. One exemplar is the Free Lance-Star, serving Fredericksburg, Virginia -- free from Wall Street "short-sighted demands" for profits, the Star has thrived by being able to constantly reinvest in technology and staff. "The rule of thumb says one reporter for every 1,000 readers, but we've got double that," says Josiah Rowe, the group's owner and publisher. This is a sharply written case study that astutely plays against the current trend for bemoaning the fate of the newspaper industry.
Posted 4:59, 8 April 2008
This abstract was written by
sean dodson
and edited by Brijit.