History
January 1, 2021

Discovery of a 9,000 Year-Old Burial of a Female Hunter Challenges Prehistoric Gender Roles

It is common knowledge that our prehistoric ancestors were hunters and gatherers. Men stalked game while women collected edible plants—or so the accepted story goes. A new paper published in Science Advances upends this accepted division of gendered labor. In 2018, a team of anthropologists discovered an important 9,000-year-old grave at Wilamaya Patjxa, a site in the Peruvian Andes.

Read Article

Architecture
December 31, 2020

Swelling Rattan Columns in Bangkok Restaurant Mimic the Act of Pouring a Beer

You might not give the columns in a building more than a passing glance, but that will change when you enter Spice & Barley. The Bangkok restaurant is filled with impressive rattan columns that complement the warm interior color palette. Architects Enter Projects Asia designed the structures using parametric digital modeling technology in conjunction with traditional craft knowledge of rattan—a renewable material made from plants that is often used to create woven baskets.

Read Article

Sculpture
December 31, 2020

Diorama Artist Crafts Tiny Versions of Real Places To Pay Homage To Beloved Locales

Taiwanese artist Hank Cheng crafts incredible dioramas that are so realistic that you can almost imagine tiny people living inside them. From run-down neighborhood grocery stores to cluttered bedrooms, every piece captures real-life places from the artist’s memory and pays homage to his community. Cheng made his first model five years ago when he was inspired to recreate a Japanese restaurant he frequently visited as a student.

Read Article

Watercolor Painting
December 30, 2020

Artist Turns Used Tea Bags Into Miniature Canvases for Daily Watercolor Paintings

Since she began her 363 Days of Tea project in 2015—a personal challenge to create art daily by repurposing her used tea bags—visual artist and graphic designer Ruby Silvious has not ceased to record everyday impressions on her miniature recycled canvases. What has resulted in the following years is quite an extensive body of work, including several series documenting her travels, daily life, and even museum visits.

Read Article

My Modern Met

Celebrating creativity and promoting a positive culture by spotlighting the best sides of humanity—from the lighthearted and fun to the thought-provoking and enlightening.