Toxic design

05 : 05 : 2015 What Is Luxury? : V&A : Victoria And Albert Museum

London – Radioactive waste has been transformed into minimalist 'rare earthenware' vases by design studio Unknown Fields Division.

  • The studio discovered a lake of industrial sludge in the Gobi Desert in Mongolia
  • 'Our toxic vases are an attempt to make hidden relationships more visible' – Liam Young, Unknown Fields Division
Rare Earthenware by Unknown Fields Division and Kevin Callaghan, London Rare Earthenware by Unknown Fields Division and Kevin Callaghan, London
Rare Earthenware by Unknown Fields Division and Kevin Callaghan, London
Rare Earthenware by Unknown Fields Division and Kevin Callaghan, London

Kate Davies and Liam Young, founders of Unknown Fields Division, collaborated with ceramicist Kevin Callaghan to create Ming-style vases for the 21st century. The vases were created with material sourced from a muddy lake in Mongolia, a dumping ground for a refinery where metals are processed from nearby mines. The team found that the sludge had three times the normal radiation levels.

The vases are a physical reflection of the current Anthropocene era, in which humans are the dominate influence on the environment.

‘Our tech gadgets are sold to us through qualities like lightness and thinness and terms like “the cloud” or “MacBook Air”, but in fact they are actually geological artefacts,' Liam Young told Dezeen. 'Vast areas of the world have been remade in the service of our shining gleaming digital futures.'

The Big Picture: The vases are on show at the V&A's What is Luxury? exhibition and embrace the Whole-system Thinking approach, whereby what and how we consume is changing the core of the living world.

Discover More Daily Signals
Netflix’s Famous Last Words signals a new era of digital legacy

Daily Signals

Netflix’s Famous Last Words signals a new era of digital legacy

Dr Jane Goodall, the renowned ethologist and conservationist passed away this week. An interview she recorded for Netflix’s new series Famous Last ...
Technology : Legacy : Longevity
Foresight Friday: Seyi Oduwole, foresight analyst

Daily Signals

Foresight Friday: Seyi Oduwole, foresight analyst

Every Friday, we offer an end-of-week wrap-up of the topics, issues, ideas and virals we’re all talking about. This week, foresight analyst Seyi Od...
Foresight Friday : Content Creation : Media
Stat: Americans’ trust in media declines to record low

Daily Signals

Stat: Americans’ trust in media declines to record low

Media : Trust : Consumer Behaviour
London welcomes the world’s first Museum of Youth Culture

Daily Signals

London welcomes the world’s first Museum of Youth Culture

The world’s first permanent museum dedicated to youth culture is set to open in Camden, London, in December 2025.
Youth : Culture : Museum
Swedish insurer hacks social media algorithms with mental health anthem

Daily Signals

Swedish insurer hacks social media algorithms with mental health anthem

Swedish insurer Länsförsäkringar Göteborg och Bohuslän has launched Detoxify, a subversive campaign that uses music to retrain harmful social media...
Sweden : Social Media : Algorithms
Stat: Gen Z shuns the values most desired by hiring managers

Daily Signals

Stat: Gen Z shuns the values most desired by hiring managers

New research from behavioural-science company Becoming You Labs reveals that only a small fraction of American Gen Z hold the three main values tha...
Youth : Gen Z : Work
Stella McCartney debuts plant-based feathers at Paris Fashion Week

Daily Signals

Stella McCartney debuts plant-based feathers at Paris Fashion Week

At Paris Fashion Week, Stella McCartney unveiled a striking alternative to bird feathers: plant-based Fevvers.
Stella McCartney : Fevvers : Feathers
Pedestrians are walking faster and lingering less in public spaces

Daily Signals

Pedestrians are walking faster and lingering less in public spaces

Pedestrians in American cities are moving faster and spending less time lingering in public spaces, according to a new study from MIT’s Senseable C...
MIT : Wellness : Design
Stat: Taylor Swift’s new album movie breaks US box office

Daily Signals

Stat: Taylor Swift’s new album movie breaks US box office

Taylor Swift’s latest project, The Official Release Party of a Showgirl, turned a listening event into a box office hit, earning £24.6m ($33m, €28....
Pop Culture : Advertising : Media
Chanel’s le19M brings Parisian craftsmanship to Tokyo

Daily Signals

Chanel’s le19M brings Parisian craftsmanship to Tokyo

Chanel’s le19M has landed in Tokyo with La Galerie du 19M Tokyo, an exhibition that unites Parisian artisans and Japanese craftspeople in a celebra...
Luxury : Fashion : Design
You have 2 free News articles remaining. Sign up to LS:N Global to get unlimited access to all articles.
BECOME A MEMBER
SIGN IN