Link List #109: A new Ethiopian train line, faulty feng shui allegations, and women who stole the show at Milan Design Week - Friends of Friends / Freunde von Freunden (FvF)

Link List #109: A new Ethiopian train line, faulty feng shui allegations, and women who stole the show at Milan Design Week

Advertisement

Link List #109: A new Ethiopian trainline, faulty feng shui allegations, and women who stole the show at Milan Design Week

This week we’ve been reading about female creatives who are shaking up gender imbalance in the design world, the blog that was sued $29,000 for accusing a Beijing building of bad feng shui, and the new passenger line in Ethiopia that has become a symbol of change in the East African country.

“Summit Suite,” an installation by Liz Collins in collaboration with Sunbrella and Ligne Roset, at Spazio Rossana Orlandi. Photo courtesy of Liz Collins.
  • Men may still rule the roost in the design industry, but not for long. From Lara Bohinc’s geometric rugs to Bethan Gray’s scallop shell inspired side table, this article from Surface showcases seven female designers who stole the show at Milan Design Week.

  • New African Woman celebrates the first performance of Shakespeare’s Richard II to be solely performed by women of color at London’s Globe Theater. In this interview, they speak to the play’s co-director and leading actress Adjoa Andoh about how the production aims to challenge stereotypes, grappling with questions about identity, and nationhood as the U.K. faces up to the reality of Brexit.

  • The New York Times journalist Henry Wismayer recounts his journey through the desert on the new passenger train connecting from the Ethopian capital to the Djibouti coast, and posits that the new mode of transport is a symbol of change and ambition in Ethiopia.

  • Ahead of the Venice Biennale, which opens on May 11th, Art Review interviewed Taiwan’s representing artist Shu Lea Cheang, whose work explores the history of gender and sexuality-specific incarceration.

  • From poverty and a neglectful government to the swings of international commodity prices, the challenges facing farmers in Honduras have always been great. But what with climate change disrupting growing cycles and promoting the relentless spread of pests, many residents are now moving to North America in search of an easier life. The New York Times Magazine takes a closer look.

  • After writing an article comparing the Wangjing Soho complex in north Beijing to “pig’s kidneys” and alleging that the firms operating in the building were suffering financially due to the bad feng shui, the “S Shenkunju S” blog has been fined $29,000 for defamation by a Chinese court. Find out more on The Guardian.

Hopefully you enjoyed the reads from this week’s Link List, but if you’ve still got an internet itch to scratch, you can find more here.

Also, be sure to check out FvF Mixtapes for some tracks selected by our friends and favorite artists, and subscribe to our newsletter to stay up-to-date with FvF stories.

Text: Emily May

Advertisement