Green Canvas

Maurizio Montalti is a designer, researcher, educator, entrepreneur and one of the early pioneers in the development of mycelium-based technologies. Maurizio is the founder of Officina Corpuscoli, a transdisciplinary studio with a focus on the design and production of natural biomaterials. The studio’s work has exhibited globally, in institutions like MoMA, New York, Centre Pompidou, Paris and The Design Museum, London. Maurizio is also co-founder, chairman and research & development director of Mogu – an environmentally conscious design company dedicated to the creation of high-performance solutions and products derived from mycelium. For those of you who may not have come across mycelium before, it's the living root structure of mushrooms. And over the last decade, mycelium has come to the forefront of bio-design as a potentially revolutionary material that can reduce our reliance on petroleum-based plastics and other unsustainable materials. Today mycelium is being used to create biodegradable packaging, leather-like textiles, plant-based meats and many other alternatives to the products we currently use. If you’d like to see some of Maurizio’s projects, here are a few links to some of his work: Officina CorpuscoliCaskiaFungal FuturesThe Growing Lab/Mycelia You can also find Maurizio’s work on Officina Corpuscoli’s Instagram: @corpuscolo And if you’re interested learning more about Green Canvas, you can find us on our website and feel free to get in touch at: hello@greencanvaspodcast.com We hope you enjoy the episode and we'll be back with season 2 of Green Canvas in the next few months!

Pam Longobardi is an artist, environmentalist and Professor of Art at Georgia State University. In 2006, after discovering the mountainous piles of plastic debris the ocean was depositing on the shores of Hawaii, Pam began collecting and utilising plastic as the primary material for her artwork in a project called Drifters. Now a global collaborative entity, the initiative has removed tens of thousands of pounds of plastic debris from environments and shores across the planet and transformed them into artworks that are displayed in social spaces and galleries around the world. Pam’s work has been featured in publications like National Geographic and been exhibited at The Venice Biennale. If you’d like to see some of Pam’s work, here are a couple links that you might find useful: Drifters ProjectOcean Gleaners And if you’re interested learning more about Green Canvas, you can find us on our website. We hope you enjoy the episode!

Brendan MacFarlane is a leading architect and co-founder of the Paris-based architectural firm Jakob + MacFarlane - a multidisciplinary architectural agency with a focus on environmental transition and digital culture. Jakob + MacFarlane are the initiators of the French chapter of ‘Architects Declare Climate & Ecological Emergency’ – a network of architectural practices committed to addressing the climate and biodiversity emergency. They also recently won the C40 Reinventing Cities awards for their innovative, carbon-friendly projects, Living Landscape and The Energy Plug – both of which we speak about in this episode. Living Landscape is a new urban hub located in Reykjavik, Iceland. It will be the largest wooden building in Iceland and will house a local ecosystem of indigenous plants, local rocks and topographic surfaces. The space will also be home to a kindergarten, restaurant, greenhouses, office space and is designed to be an eco-systemic methodology for developing cities into the future. The Energy Plug is located in the northern suburb of Paris and is a reinvention of a former industrial site. Through a modular design, a reversible wooden extension and solar panels which are attached to the building, this site will become a self-sufficient producer of renewable energy, as well as being a centre for cultural events, scientific workshops, exhibitions and a place for start-ups, NGO’s and industrial partners to test and share their solutions for clean energy, climate change and sustainable urban development. Jakob and MacFarlane also initiated an imaginary project called Tonga Above which rethinks the Tongan capital of tomorrow after it becomes inundated with rising sea levels due to climate change. As sea levels rise, a number of states within the Pacific Islands risk disappearing underwater. So, Jakob and MacFarlane, in partnership with the Tongan-based artist Uili Lousi, have proposed to create an urban landscape that would exist above the current Tongan capital and therefore prevent a mass relocation for citizens of Tonga. Other major projects by Jakob + MacFarlane include the Georges Restaurant at the Pompidou Centre, Paris, Orange Cube, Lyon, FRAC Centre, Orléans, and Euronews’s global headquarters, Lyon. Jakob + MacFarlane’s projects have been exhibited in museums around the world, including London's V&A Museum, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Moscow’s Museum of Architecture, Tokyo’s Mori Art Museum and Pompidou Centre, Paris. If you’d like to see some of Jakob + MacFarlane’s work, here are a few links to some the projects we spoke about in this episode: Living LandscapeThe Energy PlugTonga Above And if you’re interested learning more about Green Canvas, you can find us on our website. We hope you enjoy the episode!

Elissa Brunato is a designer and researcher who explores the intersection between human demands and wider ecological systems. This exploration has led Elissa to tackle the huge environmental footprint caused by the production of modern-day sequins. Industrial sequins are made from petroleum-based plastic or synthetic resins and due to their miniature size exacerbate the micro-plastic issues our planet currently faces. So in 2019, Elissa worked alongside material scientists to create naturally shimmering sequins that are made from a structural component found in plant cell walls called cellulose. The sequins are compostable, lightweight, strong and offer a glimpse into the solutions sustainable materials provide and the possibilities that lay on the horizon at the intersection between design and science. Elissa’s projects also include exploring industrial flat glass production and the issues that stem from its widespread manufacturing to create the buildings that dominate urban landscapes across the world today. Elissa's work has been exhibited around the world, won a range of acclaimed awards and been featured in publications like Dezeen, Creative Review and Fast Company. If you’d like to see some of Elissa’s work, here are a couple links to the projects we spoke about in this episode: Bio Iridescent SequinsFloat And if you’re interested learning more about Green Canvas, you can find us on our website. We hope you enjoy the episode!

Clive Russell is a prominent graphic designer and central part of the team behind Extinction Rebellion’s brand identity, design toolkit and cover of Extinction Rebellion’s official handbook – This Is Not A Drill. Since 2018, Extinction Rebellion’s iconic font-type, colour scheme and striking graphics have helped catapult them into a global movement with hundreds of thousands of followers across the world. Along with co-founder Charlie Waterhouse, Clive Russell is the design director of This Ain’t Rock’n’Roll, a full-service design agency for culture and social and ethical causes. Their work has been exhibited at institutions like The British Museum, The Design Museum, Tate Modern and the V&A Museum. If you’d like to see some of Clive’s projects, here are a few links to some of his work: This Ain’t Rock’n’RollExtinction Rebellion Design and Messaging ToolkitThis is Not A Drill And if you’re interested in learning more about Green Canvas, you can find us on our website. We hope you enjoy the episode!

Nienke Hoogvliet is a designer, artist and founder of Studio Nienke Hoogvliet – a design studio for material research, experimental and conceptual design. At the centre of Nienke’s work is a focus on materials that contribute to a more holistic world and raise awareness for the social and environmental issues in the textile, leather and food industry. Studio Nienke Hoogvliet’s projects have ranged from creating rugs out of sea algae, to making household objects using reclaimed toilet paper, to utilising kaumera, a new bio-based raw material extracted from sludge granules, to create a Kimono. Other projects include RE-SEA ME which uses discarded fish skins – a waste product from the fishing industry - to create a leather. As well as Mourn, which explores the soil and groundwater pollution that exists around graveyards and ash scattering fields as a result of the waste substances our bodies release when we pass away. Nienke’s work has been exhibited worldwide, in institutions like Centre Pompidou, Paris, Cooper Hewitt Design Museum, New York, and the V&A Museum, London. If you’d like to see some of Nienke’s work, here are a few links to some the projects we spoke about in this episode: SEA MERE-SEA MEKAUMERA KIMONOMOURNWATERSCHATTENH.E.R.B.S. QUILT And if you’re interested in learning more about Green Canvas, you can find us on our website. We hope you enjoy the episode!

Steve Waters is a renowned playwright whose diptych of plays on climate change, The Contingency Plan, are amongst the most celebrated plays tackling the subject. Upon its showing at the world-famous Bush Theatre in London in 2009, it was was labelled “an urgent wake-up call” by The Guardian, “a stunning theatrical knock-out” by The Daily Telegraph and “the first and best British play on climate change” by Time Out." Steve's other plays include A Vulnerable Place (2014), Temple (2015) and Limehouse (2017). His works also span radio and TV, including the award-winning audio series, Fall of the Shah, as well as Miriam and Youssef, which were both aired on the BBC World Service. Alongside his playwrighting, Steve also ran the MPhil in Playwrighting at Birmingham University between 2006 and 2011, and is now Professor of Scriptwriting at the University of East Anglia, where he convenes the MA in Creative Writing.

Lydia Bolton is a sustainably-focused fashion designer that turns unwanted materials into custom-made womenswear clothing. Lydia founded her namesake brand in 2019 after taking a course at the Centre for Sustainable Fashion and learning in-depth about the huge amounts of garments and textiles sent to landfill each year. She has since been featured in Vogue as a "Girl on a Mission", in Euro News as a "Designer Fighting Waste" and has collaborated with brands like Reebok and Nicce on sustainably-centered projects. We spoke to her about all of this and more. If you’d like to see Lydia’s bespoke clothing or check out her blog, here’s a link to her website and Instagram.

Jason deCaires Taylor is a globally-known sculptor and environmentalist who first gained international attention in 2006 with the creation of the world’s first underwater sculpture park. Now listed as one of the Top 25 Wonders of the World by National Geographic, the park was instrumental in the government declaring the site, which was situated in the West Indies, as a National Marine Protected Area. Jason's sculptures are submerged into the ocean where they act as artificial reefs and become habitats for marine life, helping underwater creatures and plants to thrive. By design, his works have a rough texture that encourages coral larvae to attach and thrive, while nooks and dark cubbyholes provide homes for fish and crustaceans. Some of Jason’s major projects include a collection of over three hundred submerged sculptures and architectural forms in Lanzarote, Spain. An underwater museum situated of the coast of Cannes in France and Ocean Atlas - a monumental 60-ton single sculpture in the Bahamas. Jason’s work has been featured in pretty much every major publication across the globe and has received numerous awards along the way. He’s also a member of The Royal Society of Sculptors, a featured TED speaker and in 2014 was awarded The Global Thinker by Foreign Policy. If you’d like to see some of Jason’s work, here are a few links to some of his projects: https://www.underwatersculpture.com/projects/molinere-underwater-sculpture-park/https://www.underwatersculpture.com/projects/musa-mexico/https://www.underwatersculpture.com/projects/museo-atlantico-lanzarote/ And you can also check out some of his work on his Instagram. and if you’re interested in learning more about Green Canvas, you can find us on our website. We hope you enjoy the episode!

Valerie Leonard is an award-winning documentary photographer focused on human and environmental issues. Her mission to capture the dignity of people that live and work in difficult conditions has taken her to places like the open coal-pits in North East India, the Sulphur Mines in Indonesia and the towering landfill sites nestled within the Himalayas. Valerie's work has been featured in a host of globally-known publications like National Geographic, The Guardian and Huffington Post and also been the winner of countless awards. If you’d like to see some of her work, here are a few links to some of the projects we spoke about in this interview: https://www.valerieleonard.fr/black-hellhttps://www.valerieleonard.fr/cash-for-trashhttps://www.valerieleonard.fr/java You can also check out some of Valerie's work on her Instagram and if you’re interested in learning more about Green Canvas, you can find us on our website. We hope you enjoy the episode!

J Henry Fair is a photographer and environmentalist whose aerial photographs of oil spills, damaged coastlines and mining and gas extraction sites reveal some of the many horrors of industrial pollution. At first glance, his photographs strike you with their beauty. But at second glance, the ugly realities of what they reveal is laid bare – from oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico to rising sea levels around America’s coastlines. J Henry Fair's work has received widespread critical acclaim and media attention. Landing features with publications like the BBC, The Guardian, National Geographic and The New York Times, as well as being exhibited in galleries across the world and receiving many awards. He’s one of the most knowledgeable individuals we’ve ever spoken to about environmental and sustainable issues. So there’s lots of interesting anecdotes, information and advice that he gives in our interview that we think you’ll find useful and we hope you enjoy! And if you’d like to see some of J Henry Fair's work, here are a few links to the projects we speak about in this interview: https://www.jhenryfair.com/artefaktehttps://www.jhenryfair.com/hidden-costs-2https://www.jhenryfair.com/coastlines And if you’re interested in learning more about Green Canvas, you can find us on our website.

John Sabraw is an artist, environmentalist and professor of art at Ohio University who collaborates with scientists to create paint from iron oxide extracted from streams polluted by abandoned coal mines. John's work has been featured in a host of globally known publications like The New Scientist, The Huffington Post and Hyper Allergic and exists in collections around the world, including the Museum of Contemporary Art. We spoke to him about a range of topics, including what led him to environmental art and what tips he has for artists looking to create an eco-friendly art practice. We hope you enjoy! And if you’re interested in learning more about Green Canvas, you can find us on our website. and you can learn more about John Sabraw on his website.