Consumerism Series

BBC World Service radio series exploring consumerism: 'In this special series of programmes on consumerism, the BBC World Service travels the world to uncover how we spend, what we spend and why we spend. Is it true that we now equate personal happiness with material possessions? And, if so, who is responsible for promoting this way of thinking?'
Listen Again available on each section in the menu on the left.
Consumerism

Olafur Eliasson 'Your Split Second House'

Olafur Eliasson's installation at the Venice Biannale, water sprays momentarily caught within light.
2010 Biannale
Guardian article on the 2010 Biannale
further images of the 2010 Biannale

City of Memory

City of Memory - New York stories is an on-line repository of memories developed by City Lore.
'The cliché, said Jake Barton, Local Projects’ founder, is that there are eight million stories in the city. But really, he said, “it’s kind of more like there’s eight million different cities, each created within each of our memories.” That, he added, is the idea of the site: “What does the city look like when you’re seeing it not just through an official lens, or your own lens, but seeing it through the lens of what other people have experienced?”' New York Times
City of Memory
also see City Lore's own site with further projects relating to place, cultural identity and memory City Lore and a further project Place Matters

James Turrell exhibition

James Turrell exhibiton at the Gagosian Gallery, Britannia Street, London until December 10th. If you have not had the chance to see any of his work with light and illusion we recommend it.
Gagosian Gallery

Architectural Consumerism

Francis sent me this piece about consumerist development, where housing has been built just to sit empty for years in the hope of profits, but just destroying habitats. link

Ruin Academy

'Finnish architect Marco Casagrande has successfully converted an abandoned apartment block into the Ruin Academy in Taipei, Taiwan. The Ruin Academy is operated in co-operation between Casagrande Laboratory / Finland and JUT Foundation for Arts & Architecture / Taiwan. It moves in-between architecture, sociology, environmental sciences (including urban design) and environmental art.' See Ruin Academy blog and Francis sent me the following link with more images and plans.

Biodiversity

Horizon on the impact of human society on the Biodiversity of the oceans.
Horizon on BBC iPlayer
The United Nations have declared 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity - for more information see The UN site and Natural History Musuem

We Live in Public

Josh found this film - We Live in Public - interview below which gives an interesting perspective on society and our relationship with the world. See the film on 4OD here