Debut - Monitor for Innovation Culture

Guest author Samina Virani takes an anthropological look into the ever-growing iUniverse surrounding us…

Hotels always convey a touch of sex, drugs & rock ‘n roll. They insulate their guests from the responsibilities of home life and offer a safe space. The Vancouver Art Gallery now investigates the cultural impact of the hotel in the exhibition Grand Hotel.

MP3s and digital streaming have revolutionized how we listen to music. But an important fact has been neglected – that good speaker quality is essential for good sound, regardless of bitrates. For the many people listening to music on computer speakers nowadays, the "Vamp" could provide a simple solution.

Aid organizations too have to innovate in order to fulfill their social mission. It's not just about donations and fundraising, but rather new and contemporary models that take account of changes to our society. World Vision has secured the support of a group of experts as part of a broad innovation process. Business models and solutions for good causes have been developed in partnership with Innovation Alliance.

Endless discussions about homemade pesto, food porn on Facebook, the umpteenth cooking show on television and, more recently, food raves – just how long can the current foodie fad continue? Voices calling for an end to gastroculture are meanwhile getting louder.

Popular German entertainers including comedians Mario Barth, the actors who portray the characters Cindy aus Marzahn and Atze Schröder, musicians like Die Atzen, reality soap stars Die Geissens, and others like blonde bombshell Daniela Katzenberger – all of these examples from today’s entertainment culture testify to a zeal for vulgarity, which is manifested against the backdrop of the much-touted knowledge-based society.

Young designers from Vancouver produce locally, are eco-conscious and inspired by urban and natural landscapes. The patterns and shapes of their designs are grounded in the great outdoors of the Pacific Northwest. Traditional handcrafts like knitting and pottery are making a comeback, often with an ironic twist and a sense of narrative.

The online magazine and community SAAL ZWEI is launching a women’s leadership program, signing up Europa Bendig as a speaker on the topic of leadership and innovation.

7 cities, 7 cultures, 7 languages, 7 sets of visual anthropological signifiers connoting a myriad of values and meanings. Ethnographer Samina Virani reveals the findings of an experiential investigation of the „rabbit hole“ think tank.

Home – is that still a valid concept? Aren’t we all citizens of the world, travelling the continents, globally connected? We dress eclectically in the latest multinational trends, know how to roll sushi, spell tom kha gai and dance Gangnam Style. We couldn’t chose our place of birth, our adopted cities define who we really are. But once we reproduce, we tend to go back to our roots.