Tincan restaurant presents tinned seafood as an 'object of desire'

Restaurant elevates tinned food into an object of desire, shows it as a museum display. 

via www.dezeen.com

Anorexia - facts

Anorexia nervosa is a serious mental health condition. It is an eating disorder in which people keep their body weight as low as possible.

The condition often develops out of an anxiety about body shape and weight that originates from a fear of being fat or a desire to be thin. Many people with anorexia have a distorted image of themselves, thinking that they're fat when they're not.

Anorexia most commonly affects girls and women, although it has become more common in boys and men in recent years. On average, the condition first develops at around the age of 16 to 17.

via www.nhs.uk

Eating disorders: Hospital admissions up by 8 per cent in a year

January 30, 2014: New figures from the the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) show a national rise of 8 per cent in the number of admissions to hospital for an eating disorder.

In the 12 months to October 2013 hospitals dealt with 2,560 eating disorder admissions, 8 per cent more than in the previous 12 months (2,370 admissions).

Three in four admissions were for anorexia (76 per cent or 1,940), one in 20 were for bulimia (5 per cent or 130) and other eating disorders accounted for one in five admissions (19 per cent or 500), which is similar to the same period in 2011-12 (77 per cent, 6 per cent and 17 per cent respectively).

Hospitals not only dealt with more patients with an eating disorder than last year but compared to other admission types patients with these disorders tend to stay longer in hospital, which will be of significant interest to staff caring for these patients and and those planning services.

http://www.hscic.gov.uk/article/3880/Eating-disorders-Hospital-admissions-up-by-8-per-cent-in-a-year

"You are not a sketch"

Star Models, a modelling agency based in Brazil, has released a graphic new anti-anorexia ad campaign, using Photoshop to turn models into life-size fashion illustrations.

The ads, which run with the tag line 'Say no to anorexia,' show a fashion illustration with typically exaggerated proportions next to a model wearing the same outfit - and the same measurements.

While the models have been airbrushed to mimic the unrealistic illustrations, the ad pleads to young women: 'You are not a sketch.'

The graphic ad campaign has been lauded as 'powerful,' with critics hopeful that it will send an effective anti-anorexia message against thinspiration blogs and pro-anorexia websites.

However some believe the ads may actually promote thinspiration - advocacy of the disease through social media and 'pro-ana' websites.

One commenter wrote: 'Unfortunately I think some women could look to these images for thinspiration.'

Another stated: 'It is a good campaign for young girls who have not yet succumbed to the Thin Culture of our country, to perhaps nip the tendency in the bud. But for those who are already truly anorexic, these models are their GOAL.'

via www.dailymail.co.uk

full article at: 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2311770/Powerful-anti-anorexia-ad-campaign-tells-women-sketch-using-models-fashion-illustration-proportions.html

It seems like there is a need for anti-anorexia campaigns which are targeting people who could potentially become ill. 'It is a good campaign for young girls who have not yet succumbed to the Thin Culture of our country'. 

In my opinion there is also a need to create opportunities for people who already suffer from anorexia to speed up their recovery and make it a little easier to live 'normal' life. To give them a chance to enjoy live again - this will be possible by learning how to enjoy food again. 

Eating out with eating disorder

     
     Recently I have spoken to one of my childhood friends who suffer from anorexia for nearly 10 years. There were times when her life was threatened by the disease, being 5’7 feet tall she weighted a little over 6 stone. Despite necessity of hospital treatments to keep her alive and psychiatrists help she has managed to go through University course, graduate and find a dream job. She now lives in Paris and is very much accomplished woman, at least career-wise.

     She still struggles with eating disorder which limits her social life. It is impossible for her to go out for a meal, with friends or work colleagues. She cannot attend business meetings involving food. It is a nightmare for her to explain why she is only eating small amounts or not eating at all, menus are usually overwhelming or totally unsuitable for her diet (the diet prescribed by doctor).

     What if there was a restaurant for people suffering from eating disorder? With special menus and portions, not intimidating, not making the eating experience worse than it is already?

     Anorexia sufferers usually love to cook for others; maybe this could be a form of therapy? Kitchen staff involving people who recovers from anorexia.  

[…] When you have a child with an eating disorder, restaurants cease to be a place of relaxation and a break from cooking. Instead it becomes a place of incredible stress for everyone. Restaurant outing can be very difficult for several reasons: a restaurant often offers an overwhelming number of choices, the menu lists calories, and the food is prepared in an “unknown” (butter, oil, etc.) way.  Individually and collectively, these factors are anxiety-provoking and can be triggering for someone with an eating disorder.[…]

Via www.ucsdeatingdisorders.tumblr.com

[…]Restaurants in general go against all our Anorexic instincts. They require that you be social, exert energy talking to people. They mean you have to eat around others. They provide no calorific details about your food, and you have to surrender control of food prep to a stranger, who could chuck a whole bottle of olive oil whilst it's cooking (yes, I have panicked about this once too often.) They tempt you. A lot. And it's this image of loss of control which drives the two main struggling points in restaurants: Fear and Guilt.[…]

Via www.lovelifehateanorexia.blogspot.co.uk

WRAP - waste facts and figures

WRAP estimates that around 600 million tonnes of products and materials enter the UK economy each year… only 115 million tonnes of this gets recycled.

Between now and the end of 2020, WRAP estimates that electronic products purchased in the UK will total around 10 million tonnes. A quarter of this will comprise of IT equipment, consumer electronics and display screens. This 10 million tonnes will include precious metals, such as 20 tonnes of gold, 400 tonnes of silver and 7 tonnes of Platinum Group Metals. These have a total estimated market value of £1.5 billion [Dec 13].

Nearly 25% of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) that’s taken to household waste recycling centres could be re-used, worth around £200m gross a year.

We throw away more than 7 million tonnes of food and drink every year from our homes - most of which could have been safely consumed.

UK hospitality sector (hotels, pubs, restaurants and quick service restaurants) could save £724 million a year by tackling food waste.

By pursuing opportunties for re-use, the UK could reduce its reliance on raw materials, including rare earths, by as much as 20% by 2020.

Our research shows doubling the number of sofas re-used, could save 52,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent.  At the moment, 83% of sofas are not re-used and are sent to landfill or recycled.

And this is only the tip of the waste iceberg.

Via http://www.wrap.org.uk/content/facts-and-figures

Problem - amount of solid waste growing faster than urbanization

As the world hurtles toward its urban future, the amount of municipal solid waste (MSW), one of the most important by-products of an urban lifestyle, is growing even faster than the rate of urbanization. Ten years ago there were 2.9 billion urban residents who generated about 0.64 kg of MSW per person per day (0.68 billion tonnes per year).

This report estimates that today these amounts have increased to about 3 billion urban residents generating 1.2 kg solid waste per person per day (1.3 billion tonnes per year). By 2025 this will likely increase to 4.3 billion urban residents generating about 1.42 kg/capita/day of municipal solid waste (2.2 billion tonnes per year).

Via www.web.worldbank.org

The amount of municipal waste generated in a country is related to the rate of urbanisation, the types and patterns of consumption, household revenue and lifestyles. While municipal waste is only one part of total waste generated in each country, its management and treatment often absorbs more than one third of the public sector's financial efforts to abate and control pollution.

The main concerns raised by municipal waste are the potential impact from inappropriate waste management on human health and the environment (soil and water contamination, air quality, land use and landscape).

Via www.oecd-ilibrary.org

2,000 IKEA Hangers Upcycled Into Dynamic Chromatic Screen Room Divider

Two Portuguese designers, tired of watching clothes hangers tossed aside after a brief life on the rack, decided to reclaim them as functional art. Diogo Agular and Teresa Otta of LIKEarchitects rescued 2,000 colorful IKEA children’s hangers that were destined for the landfill and designed a technicolor Chromatic Screen for the 2012 Oporto Show, the most prestigious event for interior design and architecture on the Iberian Peninsula.

via www.inhabitat.com

This project inspire imaginative use of everyday objects. Even most boring and mundane life's necessity like a clothing hanger can be reused into something far more exciting. 

Dry cleaners, laundromats, and clothing retailers consume millions of wire hangers a year, wasting thousands of pounds of steel on what many see as a single use product. Plastic hangers are even worse, requiring massive amounts of petroleum to make a product that’s nearly impossible to recycle.

The project draws attention to re-using objects and reducing waste - inherent to urbanization. It creates a connection between architecture, design, urban installation and art - targeting wide audience. 

The Hepworth Wakefield

The new Hepworth Wakefield gallery in West Yorkshire (hepworthwakefield.org) may be at the opposite end of the country to Turner Contemporary in Margate, but the two galleries share a vision. Both directors – Victoria Pomery at Turner Contemporary, Simon Wallis at the Hepworth – are determined to exhibit art of international heft and to nurture new artists, and both buildings bear the mark of British architect David Chipperfield, in their understated elegance and bold simplicity.

The Hepworth has already been lauded as one of the finest contemporary art museums in Europe. It stands on the banks of the river Calder, pigmented concrete blocks silent amid waterside trees, flowering islets and gently running streams. Its inaugural exhibition (until 9 October) is an extensive solo show of Eva Rothschild's latest works.

• Wakefield is somewhat lacking in the boutique hotel department so take the train to Leeds and stay at 42 The Calls (0113-244 0099,42thecalls.co.uk, doubles from £70 room only).

full article at http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2011/aug/05/art-gallery-britain)

Sass & Bide Flagship by Akin Creative

The white 279m² Soho New York flagship of Australian fashion brand Sass & Bide looks like a gallery overtaking nature or nature reclaiming an art space. ‘The store represents the juxtaposition of nature and the built form, and the ability to challenge retail conventions,’ says  Australian Kelvin Ho, who has already designed 20 Sass & Bide shops since launching his architecture and interior design agency, Akin Creative in 2005 (via frameweb.com).

The use of materials to create such a beautiful sculpture makes is extraordinary. I love the fact that inspiration comes from nature (debris and driftwood). The sculpture has not only aesthetic qualities, it also defines the space by creating archways, 'walkways', retail displays and counter.