Need to Know
18 : 09 : 19

London – A new exhibition at London’s Science Gallery will consider causes and responses to anxiety through the lens of art, design, psychology and neuroscience.

Bringing together the perspectives of artists, scientists and young people, On Edge: Living in an Age of Anxiety questions the ways in which we react to and experience anxiety. The exhibition draws on research from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London and includes a number of new commissions by artists working in collaboration with researchers from the university.

Featured artworks cover topics such as the relationship between sleep and anxiety, what it means to share in the digital age, and how the urban environment affects our psychological state. ‘We aim to open up a critical conversation about the causes of and responses to anxiety in contemporary society,’ explains curator-producer Mette Kjærgaard Præst. ‘On Edge makes visible the possible connections between individual experiences and the wider societal conditions that frame them.’

To learn how Generation Z are turning anxiety into action, read our Anxiety Rebellion macrotrend.

Milan – Feel the Peel is a circular bar that freshly squeezes orange juice while crafting a bioplastic cup from the peel.

Design and innovation office Carlo Ratti Associati (CRA) worked with global energy company Eni to create the experimental juice bar which stands 3.10m tall and is crowned with a large dome structure filled with 1,500 oranges. The oranges slide down into the juicer and the peel is separated into the lower part of the machine where it is dried, milled and mixed with polylactic acid (PLA) to transform them into bioplastic. This is then melted into a filament that can be used by an integrated 3D printer to produce the recyclable cups in which the juice is served.

‘Working with Eni, we tried to show circularity in a very tangible way, by developing a machine that helps us to understand how oranges can be used well beyond their juice,’ says Carlo Ratti, founding partner at CRA. ‘The next iterations of Feel the Peel might include new functions, such as printing fabric for clothing from orange peel.’

More than ever, brands need to pay attention to the ways in which they can demonstrate their transparency and sustainability, and help to educate consumers about the impact of their consumption on the planet.

A study of 65,000 people from 24 countries on the use of plastics by FMCG companies found that only about one-third (30%) were concerned about the welfare of the environment and only 16% are Eco-actives – those who consistently try to reduce their impact on the environment.

The research by Kantar Worldpanel, Europanel and Growth from Knowledge (GfK) found a relationship between the wealth of a country and respondents’ inclination to be environmentally conscious. Consumers in Western Europe, for example, were more likely to try to reduce their environmental footprint than those in other regions.

‘As markets get wealthier, the focus on issues of environmentalism and plastic increases,’ says the report. ‘In the future, we could expect to see the share of eco-active shoppers rising in countries that experience growing GDP.’

A growing issue within sustainability is the prohibitively high prices that prevent these products from being accessed by lower income consumers. There is a significant market opportunity in creating eco-friendly products at competitive prices that can benefit both people and planet.