Getting wood at London Design Festival

First staged in 2003, the London Design Festival (September 19-27) is one of the world's most important annual design events. A major feature of the London Design Festival each year is the ambitious programme of special projects and installations. 

Assemble has designed “a forest of timber columns” for a V&A exhibition which marks what would have been British furniture designer Robin Day’s 100th year. Titled Robin Day Works in Wood, the installation, a nod to Day’s childhood growing up near the woodlands of High Wycombe, will be displayed outside the V&A’s Britain 1500-1900 Galleries.

One of Day’s last designs was a chair made for Ercol, which was part of a project called Onetree where designers were asked to create objects using timber from a single oak tree. At the time Day said: “As a designer, I greatly enjoy working in timber. Unlike synthetic materials, it has unpredictability, an infinite variety of texture and pattern, smells good when worked and is sympathetic to the touch – it has soul.”

Born in 1915, Robin Day was one of the designers who created a modern British style in the early 1950s. Like other designers of the time, he firmly believed that mass-produced furniture could be well designed and sold at affordable prices. Here, Day at work in 1953 on the Q Stak chair. 

September 19-October 4 at the V&A; londondesignfestival.com

Kylie pulls a Beyonce

Kylie Minogue and Shaggy have released a duet called Black and White. The track is from a surprise EP with American dj and producer Fernando Garibay which features other collaborations with Godfather of Disco, Giorgio Moroder, and the genius Sam Sparo. Black and White is shot like a lo-fi home movie which signals a new direction for Kylie, who looks as joyful and fresh as she did in the video for her epoch-defining 1990 masterpiece Better the Devil You Know. We salute you Ms. Minogue. Roc Nation who?

Janet Jackson releases cover artwork for eleventh album

Janet is in the midst of a musical comeback. 

She made her triumphant return to the stage when she kicked off her Unbreakable World Tour earlier this week in Vancouver. And now we get to see the artwork for her long-awaited new album, Unbreakable. A titular homage to her brother's final studio album Invincible perhaps? 

Tom Hardy takes dog Woodstock to world premiere

Tom Hardy is definitely a dude who digs dogs. At the premier of his new movie Legend his dog Woodstock chased a pigeon on the red carpet and ended up stealing the show. The 37-year-old actor took his labrador-cross Woody to the London event where he was snapped jumping up on his owner before darting off to chase a pigeon. It is well-known how much Tom loves pets and he starred in a campaign poster for PETA alongside Woody after adopting the pooch. Last September, he also took his pit bull co-star Zora from the movie The Drop on a number of red carpets while promoting the film. 

*Please note the dog above is not Woodstock. 

Little America, Helmand

Once upon a time, in a bleak stretch of Afghan desert, American engineers oversaw the largest development program in Afghanistan's history, constructing two huge earthen dams, 300 miles of irrigation canals and 1,200 miles of gravel roads. 

The settlement served as the headquarters of a sweeping American Cold War effort to wean Afghans from Soviet influence in the 1950s. Afghans called it "Little America." 

The families lived in white stucco homes. The men wore coats and ties, and the women dressed as they did back home, with knee-length skirts. There was a clubhouse where the adults played cards and drinks were served by a Filipino bartender.

The kids played tennis, attended a co-ed school and escaped the heat by frolicking along the banks of the Helmand River. There were cottages in the mountains for weekend getaways, where the men would hunt gazelle and the kids would play games and sing.

The project soon lost its innocence with an unforseen by-product: deadly poppy blooms harvested for opium. Afghanistan currently produces 85% of the world's opium, the key ingredient in heroin. Now over 1 million Afghans – around 3% of the population – have an opium or heroin habit. 

Can I get an Amen up in here?

Following Miley's inspired performance at the VMA's surrounded by a sea of drag queens, the Drag Race phenomenon is proving to be an unstoppable juggernaut. Resistance is futile: drag is back.

Sweet Molly passes away

Anderson Cooper is hurting over the loss of his faithful friend.
The newsman's beloved Welsh springer spaniel, Molly, died on Tuesday. He shared the news on Instagram along with a photo tribute to the 11-year-old pooch, which he referred as his "sweet dog."
Cooper, who is cuddling up to his the brown-and-white fur ball in the photo, was often seen with Molly around New York City. She also appeared on his daytime talk show, Anderson, making her debut in 2011. The canine was a little nervous for her big moment and nervously nuzzled her owner's leg.

Ron Jude

Ron Jude’s new book Lago, published by Mackbooks UK, comes out this fall. Ron Jude is a well known, highly regarded US photographer and this is his latest work. It’s about the Salton Sea area of the California desert. It’s highly anticipated and Mack is one of the hottest publishers around now; all of their books are coveted and beautiful. It was started by Michael Mack (formerly of Steidl) and its titles – always by the coolest artists - are always on “best of” lists and consistently sought after. ronjude.com

Gehry revealed as designer for LA River masterplan

LA-based architect Frank Gehry’s vision to revitalize the LA River hinges on turning it into what is mostly overflow from treatment plants and run-off from Angelenos watering their lawns into a water-reclamation project. Transforming the river will be a grand exercise in modern ecosystem manipulation. This is the beginning of a golden era for the LA River. lariver.org

Esalen: community and conscious capitalism

Perched on a windswept rocky promontory on California's scenic Big Sur, Esalen opened its doors in 1962. It recently featured in the final episode of Mad Men. The most significant campus renovation in its 53-year history is in full swing. With Silicon Valley engineer and entrepreneur Ben Tauber at the helm, the conscious business movement is gaining momentum. esalen.org

Chicago Biennial

The inaugural Chicago Architecture Biennial, North America’s largest international survey of contemporary architecture, kicks off next month. Four new kiosks are being designed to be permanently installed on Chicago’s lakefront: one, decided through an international competition, and the other three, created through collaborations between local architecture programs and internationally-renowned architects.

October 3, 2015-January 3, 2016; chicagoarchitecturebiennial.org