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Material Culture

Visuology Magazine: The Belle Époque Issue

The third issue of Visuology Magazine is finally available – a must see for everyone curious about trends in fashion, textiles, interiors, sustainable design and lifestyle. We’ve called this edition the Belle Époque Issue for reasons mainly related to the extraordinary similarity between so many aspects of the period from 1870 to the beginning of […]

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2015: A Vintage Year for Bright Old Things?

Contrary to the media portrayal of older people, not all are sitting at home feeling lonely. This is just as well, because according to Age UK, there are now around 14.7 million over-60s in the country – that’s nearly 23% of the population. It is predicted that the number aged 65 and over will rise by […]

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Outsider Lifestyle: Hermitage Housing

We sometimes hear stories of hermits who have been found after years of being hidden away in remote areas or woods. But now there is a new kind of hermit. The outsider hermit could probably afford a house in a more suburban location, but choses to live in an outsider dwelling in a fairly pukka neighbourhood. Think […]

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Curious Obsessions: Viktor Wynd’s Cabinet of Wonders

As much as people try to be different, they rarely are… but Viktor Wynd is more unusual than most. In a world where little if anything shocks, Wynd’s interests and lifestyle are decidedly odd – sleeping with a pet snake wrapped around his feet, kissing a shrunken head goodnight, and collecting celebrity poo, for heavens […]

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Women Fashion Power – Not a Multiple Choice?

Why are women so fascinated by clothes, and how does our relationship with schmutter affect the way we are perceived?  Women Fashion Power at London’s Design Museum showcases one outfit from each of twenty-six “exceptional” women. All are leaders in their field and understand that “the clothes they wear are a part of the way that they […]

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Street Art and Gentrification: Is Creativity Killed by Commerce?

There’s a saying that ‘nobody watches artists as closely as estate agents.’ Having some art in your street can add a few 000s to your house price. Earlier this week, Moniker Projects held a talk at Shoreditch House on ‘street art and the gentrification of urban communities’. Discussion focused on the role of street artists […]

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Playing with Disruption: Designers in Residence at the Design Museum

The Scots aren’t the only ones playing with disruption. London’s Design Museum doesn’t stop at giving airtime, or in this case museum space, to emerging young designers, it also helps them along the way with advice, suggestions and, presumably, access to some very useful contacts. In this case it has also asked them to be […]

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Outsider Lifestyle: Harajuku’s Hideaway Treehouse Café

As we try to escape from the realities and confusion of a frenzied, phoneaholic world in which our every move is monitored, there is a rising demand for privacy and seclusion –  and a growing desire to find secret, hidden away spaces. A surprising discovery amidst the crowded backstreets of Tokyo’s Harajuku is The Hideaway […]

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Resonate/Generate: Recycling Our Past for the Future

New technology has the potential to revolutionize our lives for the better, but is overly dependent upon readily available power. We’ve mentioned the likelihood of future power outages in previous Visuology posts. Only when we can obtain power from a reliable source (that does not require oil, gas, electricity or water) will we be able […]

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Global Trend with Universal Symbolism: Hands in Fashion

Scientists have recently confirmed that a fist bump is more hygienic than a handshake. Hands aren’t just in the news, they are appearing everywhere – wrapped around dresses, printed on t-shirts, as brooches, chairs, clasps on bags, cufflinks, door handles, coat hooks and vases. We’ve spotted hands all over the world, on everything from hair bands […]

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