A weekly digital and biannual print publication telling interconnected stories from the worlds of arts, design, technology, health, food and the environment.

 
 

Featured Stories

 
 
 
 
 

MATTERS JOURNAL × MONASH UNIVERSITY

Materials Engineering Tomorrow

 
 
 
Screen Shot 2017-10-23 at 12.27.53 pm.png
 
 

Stories

 
Featured
Ethical Fashion...the Brands Changing the Industry
Arts, Health
Ethical Fashion...the Brands Changing the Industry
Arts, Health
Arts, Health
Art with Heart: Open Canvas
Arts, Health
Art with Heart: Open Canvas
Arts, Health
Arts, Health
The Future of 3D Printing Is Clear
Technology, Environment
The Future of 3D Printing Is Clear
Technology, Environment
Technology, Environment
In the Flesh: Can Synthetic Animal Protein Make the Cut?
Food, Environment
In the Flesh: Can Synthetic Animal Protein Make the Cut?
Food, Environment
Food, Environment
IKEA x SPACE10: The Future of Living
Design, Environment
IKEA x SPACE10: The Future of Living
Design, Environment
Design, Environment
Urban Agriculture: Making Australian Cities Edible
Food, Environment
Urban Agriculture: Making Australian Cities Edible
Food, Environment
Food, Environment
CRISPR/Cas9: Transhumanism and Designing the Living
Design, Health
CRISPR/Cas9: Transhumanism and Designing the Living
Design, Health
Design, Health
Lucy McRae: Body Architect
Arts, Technology
Lucy McRae: Body Architect
Arts, Technology
Arts, Technology
Indigenous Design for the New World
Design, Technology
Indigenous Design for the New World
Design, Technology
Design, Technology
Within Formal Cities
Partnership, Environment
Within Formal Cities
Partnership, Environment
Partnership, Environment
Biomimicry for the Modern World: Lee Djumas
Technology, Health
Biomimicry for the Modern World: Lee Djumas
Technology, Health
Technology, Health
Marissa Rosenberg : Training Astronauts with Virtual Reality
Technology
Marissa Rosenberg : Training Astronauts with Virtual Reality
Technology
Technology
 
 

Partner Content

 
 
 
 
 
 

Shop

Matters Journal
Print Editions

 
 
 
Screen Shot 2018-04-10 at 8.57.30 am.png
 
 

Follow Us

“We design the pieces because we love them and we want to wear them. And then we have this secondary part to the business, which is its sustainability and ethics foundation.” - Jade Sarita Arnott, founder of fashion label @arnsdorf . . In Australia alone, more than 500,000 tonnes of textiles are sent to landfill every year. Fashion has a lot to answer for when it comes to environmentally conscious and sustainable business practises. Moreover, people are also becoming cognisant to the consequences of fast fashion and the "throw away" culture that is implicitly endorsed by the big players in fashion. So, later in the week, we ask the pressing question. Is it possible for fashion - an entire industry based on selling us a new version of ourselves every season - to be ethical? . What do you think? . We're also celebrating Fashion Revolution Week for @fash_rev - demanding that the industry radically changes the way clothes are produced and marketed throughout the world. Get behind this cause! . Image courtesy of @arnsdorf
For Earth Day this year we thought we'd share a 10 star home (Victoria's first) built by our friends over at @thesociableweaverhomes. This beauty was actually showcased in Fed Square for a week and rumours have it that all of the rubbish that was produced from the build that couldn't be reused or recycled fitted into three standard sized bin bags. You might guess that achieving a 10 star rating isn't as simple as throwing a solar panel on the roof and making sure the taps don't drip. The home self heats and cools, produces enough green energy to power your own home and even your neighbours Christmas light display and according to a modelling platform the home will ultimately shift from being carbon neutral to carbon positive over its life cycle. . . Happy Earth Day everyone. Fingers crossed we're all living in 10 Star Homes in 10 years! . Image: 10 Star Home by @thesociableweaverhomes.
“It’s not every day that the court gives permission to a 13-year-old to leave home...I lived in a graveyard because it was the safest place." - Charmaine Tracey, artist and @_open_canvas resident. . . This week we take a look at a Melbourne-based social enterprise called Open Canvas, who seek to empower artists experiencing harsh adversity. Charmaine Tracey is one the artists taking part in their program. She's hiked to Everest base camp, was a stuntwoman for The Aunty Jacky Show and for seven years she camped alone in the desert for weeks at a time. Head over to our website to read her story and hear about the creation of this impressive social enterprise. . 📸 : Charmaine Tracey at Open Canvas' inaugural exhibition, entitled Between The Lines, at @fortfivedownstairs - taken by James Labagala
Walking to work one morning, Daniel Rath saw a homeless man painting. Interested in his work, he struck up a conversation with the man about his art and life. This short encounter sparked an idea and the creation of an impressive social enterprise. . . @_open_canvas empowers artists experiencing homelessness, a disability, or other adversity by assisting them create their art, exhibit and sell. Later in the week we hear from the founder Dan, as well as artist Charmaine Tracey, about the power of artistic expression and it's role in endowing those living in adversity with confidence and monetary reward. . Image: Charmaine Tracey's work entitled Desert Dreaming, which was exhibited and facilitated by Open Canvas.
This week's #builtenvironment #inspo comes from Apple, who has recently made a massive announcement. Apple has announced that it's facilities throughout the entire world are powered by 100% renewable energy. Apple have been trying to up their 93% renewable commitment for some years now and have recently made the announcement that they've gone 100% renewable. . . Read the full feature, which includes some remarks from Apple's CEO Tim Cook, over at @designboom . Image courtesy of Apple
"Glass printing could be part of the movement towards a fully sustainable society.” - Darren Feenstra, Monash University (Materials, Science and Engineering). . . 3D printing using recycled glass probably isn't something that you've included as part of your idea of a more sustainable future. Well, it should be. Darren Feenstra, a PhD student at Monash University, along with his team have essentially created a 3D glass printer from scratch using a standard plastic printer. If that seems impressive then it's also worth adding that they're trying find a solution to the global waste problem by printing with 100% recycled glass. Read the article over on our website. . 📸 : Björn Rust
Darren Feenstra, a PhD student at Monash University's Materials, Science and Engineering faculty has retrofitted a 3D printer so that he can print with recycled glass. Is this the future of 3D printing and a leap towards a more sustainable future? . . "The Future Of 3D Printing Is Clear" drops later in the week. . 📸 : Björn Rust
Intersection by Kyuin Shim. . . This week's #inspo post is via an artist based in Seoul, Korea. Kyuin Shim is a digital artist and sculptor that alters the human body to evoke some very emotive, and sometimes dark, explorations into the human form.
The environmental impact of animal agriculture on climate change is immense. Not only is this perhaps enough to rationalise vegetarianism or veganism, once we acknowledge the ethical dilemmas and health implications of meat consumption it's an issue that we can no longer ignore. Moreover, in 2014, Australia surpassed the US as the highest consumer of meat in the world for the first time since 1982, consuming 90.2 kilograms of meat per capita per year. This is where we synthetic meat comes in. . . There's perhaps no food as divisive as meatless meat - meat that's been built atom-by-atom in a lab. Also, there's perhaps nothing more personal that discussing and changing what we eat. So, would you eat something that looks like meat, tastes like meat, smells like meat but, well, isn't meat at all? Our feature article "In The Flesh: Can Synthetic Animal Protein Make The Cut?" comes out later on the week. Sign up to our newsletter (link in bio) so that it's marinating in your inbox when you wake up on Thursday morning. . Is meatless meat something that you would try? Or are you vehemently opposed to the idea? Let us know in the comments below! . 📸 : Jasmine Fisher (@jasmine_fisher_)
 
 
 
 
 

What's Happening

Events That Matter

 
 
 
 
Screen Shot 2017-10-23 at 12.25.13 pm.png