Weekly thoughts, 16th July 2023

Things that I've been thinking about this week. It's been a while since I last shared some weekly thoughts. I thought I would restart and hopefully rebuild the habit.

1. Petrol/Gas stations

You cannot have failed to notice the rise of electric vehicles over the past few years. This, alongside the UK government’s commitment to ban new petrol and diesel cars in 2030, opens up a whole set of questions. One that’s been bouncing around my head is around petrol/gas stations; with fewer vehicles requiring petrol or diesel, what will happen to all the filling stations? I noticed this is also on the minds of a few others.

Photographer Mathew Scott set about capturing images of LA’s gas stations while they’re still about.

Artists are giving old, dirty gas stations a second life

2. Traditional Ink

Why Japanese calligraphy ink is so expensive? Well, it’s pretty labour-intensive, as this film shows.

3. Weaving

‘What makes a good weaver is experience’: Alan Oliver showcases his craft – in this photo story by Christopher Thomond/The Guardian.

4. Finding light and inspiration in a travelling darkroom

A travelling dark room, housed in a mobile caravan, has been visiting villages along the Turkish and Syrian border since 2019, offering workshops to refugee and local children. Helping them to express themselves through art.

5. Converting garages into affordable workspaces

This may be the answer to the first thing on my list. Jan Kattein Architects has created Angel Yard, a community of 35 affordable workspaces in outer north London, by adapting a group of derelict garages.

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