Mella Shaw still from Sounding Line Film ©Rowan Aitchison
Mella Shaw: "A Material Full of Metaphors"
With Sounding Line, artist Mella Shaw addresses the catastrophic impacts of shipping and sonar pollution on whale species, inspired by an alarming mass die-off on Scotland's coasts in 2018, when over a hundred dead whales washed ashore.
Shaw uses clay as a medium to raise awareness about the climate crisis. She incorporates the bone ash of a stranded whale into the ceramic, symbolizing the strength and fragility of the animals. Red marine ropes, hanging from above in the installation and resonating with sound vibrations from real sonar sources, allow viewers to physically experience the destructive effects.
For Shaw, ceramic embodies transformation, fragility, and a deep connection to nature. It is present in all cultures and carries a rich human history, making it an ideal medium to metaphorically represent the tipping points of the climate catastrophe. In addition to Sounding Line, Shaw created her installation HARVEST in 2017, which addresses plastic pollution, and she is currently working on Rare Earth Rising. This project focuses on the problematic consequences of deep-sea mining for rare earth elements, including potential impacts on the oceans' CO₂ absorption. Since graduating from the Royal College of Art in 2023, Shaw has increasingly established herself as both an artist and an activist.
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12. May 2025
LATEST
Dominik Wullers: „Ich wollte Teil von etwas Spannendem sein“
Ein Gespräch über Bundeswehr, Identität und liberalen Patriotismus: In seinem Buch erzählt ein ehemaliger Bundeswehrsoldat, der mittlerweile Deutschland bei der NATO vertritt, von seinem ungewöhnlichen Lebensweg: Vom unsicheren Schulabgänger zum Absolventen von West Point und Harvard, von der Kleinstadt zur internationalen Bühne. Im Interview spricht er über die Beweggründe für seine Karriere, seine Erfahrungen im Militär und seine Vision eines liberalen Patriotismus, der Deutschland in Zeiten der Spaltung zusammenhalten kann.
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4. Mai 2025
Daniel Smith: ’I am pleased with the work, but also dream to realise projects on a larger scale.’
The Theatermuseum, aka Pink Palace, is one of the most exciting venues in Düsseldorf for the young creative scene, with a particular emphasis on the crossover scene. An absolute new discovery is Daniel Smith, the Canadian choreographer, performer, and artistic leader of his company Dans Myth. The world premiere of his creation ‘Sparkle Beasts’ took place at the museum last week. The piece deals with impactful or traumatic childhood memories, but aims not only to show the dark side, but also to inspire people to rise to new heights.
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18 April 2025
NEW
Jarosław Włodarczyk: “In the age of disinformation, we have the eyewitnesses, journalists who risk their lives.“
The war in Ukraine is more topical than ever. Negotiations are taking place in the political arena with daily headlines, but the war continues. The reporting and the terrible images of devastation have now become something almost commonplace. This exhibition should change that. ‘Eyes of War’ is the name of the international photo exhibition organised by the Polish Press Club, which shows photos by Polish war photographers, many of whom are international award-winning photographers. On its tour around the world, it also made a stop in Düsseldorf. Jarosław Włodarczyk, Secretary General of the International Association of Press Clubs and Polish publicist, and the multi-award-winning photographer Wojciech Grzędziński attended the opening in person at the Polish Institute.
The exhibition can be seen at the Polish Press Club from now until 26 September 2025. The new director of the Polish Institute, Rafael Sobzcak, recently organised an event to celebrate Poland's EU presidency. This was another evening centred on Ukraine.
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31 März 2025
Dr Bastian Fleermann: ‘From the first to the very last day in Düsseldorf, there was resistance from very courageous men and women, from very different directions.’
When the Second World War ended in 1945, it was a liberation for Europe and also for Germany. Today, Düsseldorf is home to the third-largest Jewish community in Germany. The Mahn- und Gedenkstätte, a museum dedicated to portraying this period in Düsseldorf, has initiated an extensive month-long programme to commemorate this event.
A large part of the interview is dedicated to the courageous men and women who formed the resistance in Düsseldorf. This resistance began with the seizure of power in 1933, and names such as Hermann Smeets, who made contact with the Americans in the final hours of the war when they were standing outside the city, are well known today. By making contact with the Americans, they were able to prevent further bombing and the city was handed over to the Allies without another shot being fired.
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17 Februar 2025
Sagarmatha Next Centre ©Tommy Gustafsson
Tommy Gustafsson: ‘Would they be willing to make a small contribution and carry a one-kilo bag of crushed plastic bottles?’
Tommy Gustafsson is a mountaineer, former CEO of sports marketing companies and founder of Sagarmatha Next, the world's highest museum. He and his co-founders develop highly innovative environmental concepts such as the Carry Me Back programme and have been able to recycle more than 25 tonnes of waste in the last two years. After decades of travelling to the region as a mountaineering tourist, Gustafsson became determined to solve the huge problem of pollution in the Sagarmatha region, the national park where Mount Everest is located. Together with two friends, they embarked on a major endeavour not only to build a museum in the middle of the national park, but also to develop complex concepts to solve the waste problems of the entire region.
19 November 2024
"Anything To Say?" by Davide Dormino
©Lucas Tiefenthaler
Davide Dormino "Standing up where the masses sit down."
On 25 June, a few days after the UK High Court hearing, Wikileaks and Stella Assange announced that Julian Assange had left Belmarsh prison and was heading for the airport to return to his home country Australia. The artist group Artists for Assange, founded in 2015, has been working alongside many people for years towards the release of Julian Assange. We had the great opportunity to talk to one of these artists, the Roman sculptor Davide Dormino, who created the world-famous sculpture "Anything To Say?".
Above all, art has the potential to emotionalise people all over the world. "Anything To Say?" is a life-size 930 kilo bronze sculpture depicting Edward Snowden, Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning, each standing on a chair. The fourth chair is empty because it invites visitors to play an active role. The sculpture premiered on Alexanderplatz in Berlin on 1 May 2015 and toured until 2023, visiting cities such as Geneva, Paris, London, Sydney and Melbourne.
Andrew Gold: ‘I hope my book will encourage people to stop judging other people because they have a different opinion.’
The English investigative journalist, podcaster and filmmaker Andrew Gold has published his first book, ‘The Psychology of Secrets’, published by Pan McMillan. Gold reaches millions of viewers with his YouTube channel, more than some daily newspapers. He is aware of his position and responsibility, says Gold in a personal interview, and is frank about his responsibility in social media and that of his many colleagues. Incidentally, he finds the current role of social media controversial due to the frequent lack of research, the lack of due diligence and the spread of fake news.
Freedom of the press
Often the subject of controversy, Gold's YouTube channel ‘Heretic’ is primarily dedicated to freedom of the press. Based on the stories he collected, Gold and his publisher crystallised a common denominator for the book: secrets. ‘The Psychology of Secrets’ is a fascinating book that analyses secrets on various levels, such as power, espionage, cults, and unearths incredible stories, such as that of Lord Brendan Bracken, Churchill's wartime Minister of Information and founder of the modern Financial Times. His book is about encouraging people not to pass judgement on other people, even if they have a different opinion. He came to the realisation that facts are more important than feelings, but they should not hurt people unnecessarily.
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1 October 2024
Mischa Kuball "My work stands for tolerance, enlightenment and interreligious coexistence."
In November 1938, the Great Synagogue in Kasernenstraße in Düsseldorf was set on fire. After the war, only 57 Jewish citizens returned to Düsseldorf and founded the Düsseldorf Jewish community. In 2023, events came in quick succession. 7 October led to demonstrations against Israel in the city and numerous declarations of support for the alliance with Israel from the city. On 2 November, an interfaith prayer for peace was held in front of Düsseldorf City Hall. Also, worth mentioning is the statement by the Mahn-und Gedenkstätte (memorial centre), which announced on its Instagram account that it also commemorates the victims of the people of Gaza.
The most significant project and probably also the most important art project in the city this year is the work "missing link_" by Düsseldorf artist Mischa Kuball. The previous grey memorial stone for the synagogue had long been felt to be inadequate. "missing link_" was switched on at 10.30 pm on 9 November at the corner of Kasernenstraße and Siegfried-Klein-Straße.
15. April 2024
TRENDING
ASPIRING CREATIVES
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