The Week in Design

This week in international design...

Life on the farm

How will this planet sustain an ever-expanding population? Gizmodo writer Maddie Stone explores our options via “high-tech farming.” CityFarm, supported by MIT’s Media Lab, is taking the idea of aeroponic plants (plants that can be grown in the air), developed by NASA, to artificially bloom crops in their “plant factory.” Their data so far has shown that “crops grow three to four times faster than they would in nature, on a 30-day cycle, 365 days a year.” Our distant future just might be a greener metropolis.

Google+ R.I.P. (kind of)

Google is phasing out their almost-there-not-quite social media site, without really saying so. The company, the Verge reports, announced that Google+ would be stripped from the photo element and would become its own separate entity called “Photos” and “Streams.” Google+ is dying a slow death.

The lost art of marbles

The last time I picked up a marble I must have been five or six, but who knows. It’s sort of depressing to think kids today will never be able to fondly recollect such a thing as playing with marbles. In this beautiful video that shows the art of making small glass balls, Fusion talks to Victor Hugo Chiarlo, who’s been making marbles at Tinka, one of the last marble factories in Latin America, for the past 50 years. When asked what killed the marble he responded: “Pavement. Marbles need dirt floors.”

Etsy on workmode

What is it like to work at a place that has access to all things cute and eccentric? Pretty delightful it seems. ADweek took a look inside Etsy’s headquarters in DUMBO, and found much of what you’d expect: two handcrafted owls, a mosaic mirror, a conference area with picnic tables, a common room called “Wu Tang Clams,” and desktop plush accessories. See all the images here.

Higher education

Prestigious universities such as Harvard and MIT are offering free online design courses. YES, FREE! ArchDaily compiled a list of Free Online Architecture and Design Courses that are offered by some of the most well-known institutions.

If only…

Air France rolled out a new commercial spot by BETC Paris, directed by the same people who brought you Pharrell's "24 Hours of Happy" video, and it depicts being a passenger on a plane as if you were falling in love on a swing. Does that sound like your flying experience? Visually the ad is adorable, but let’s be real. Although Air France is, by far, a sweeter ride than most airlines, flying coach is still not a walk in the park.

On point

Viewing a tennis match might be a little straining on the neck, but what if the game slowed down a bit...or a lot? Photographer Jean-Yves Lemoigne did just that and shot the real art of the sport by shooting tennis player Louis Fabre in series titled “Chronophoto” for BKRW Magazine. Slate writer Jordan G. Teicher reports that these images were “all completed in-camera with no alteration.” “Tennis is a very elegant and timeless sport,” Lemoigne says to Teicher. “The body language of tennis is really nice—there are many twists and rotations. So I found it really relevant to work on a series that would enhance this point of view of tennis.” See the rest of the series here.

Houston, we have a problem

In case you happen to think that in the future we’re all going to be wearing unstylish clothes and looking semi-robotic, the sad truth is that you’re right. And the future is now. Check out H&M’s Fall 2015 ready-to-wear line from Paris. Help us, aliens!

Cereal Art Goes Prime Time

Bronx artist Sarah Rosado hit the big time this week when her work was featured on the Today show. What sort of family-friendly art could be discussed on a morning show? Her medium of choice happens to be what we all eat for breakfast, cereal, and her subjects are notable pop culture celebs. She’s crafted portraits, using cornflakes, of John Lennon, Madonna, and Michael Jackson. This time, Today’s weather guru Al Roker was her muse. Hey Rosado, perhaps your next portrait can be of our favorite Corn Flake girl.