The collapse of Iceland’s banks is sending shock waves through the nation. Job losses and mortgage increases are common complaints on the streets of Reykjavik. But though the mood is bleak, some creative Icelanders are…
The outbreak of war could have spelt the end for these Ukrainian businesses but the women running them are refusing to give up – and proving to be soft-power players.
For such a secretive fortress of ideas, the Audi Design Center is housed in a surprisingly transparent glass structure where collaboration is encouraged across all five floors. Head of design Marc Lichte gives us an excl…
This is Monocle’s homage to the city workers charged with some of the toughest tasks in the world, from the nitty gritty of slum clearance in India, to dealing with Cairo’s rubbish problem and working in Taipei’s animal…
Denmark, Sweden and Finland boast institutions devoted to seeking design-led solutions to societal problems. Are they guiding stars for the world to follow?
Berlin’s unemployment rate is dismal and its once-thriving industry is defunct. But the abandoned warehouses and power stations now provide a home for galleries and studios that are leading the European avant-garde. Monocle…
Conceived of only 21 years ago, already most nations want a “soft power” strategy – a way of winning the world over without resorting to military-industrial might. Monocle has indexed the top 30 soft power nations, which…
Architect Ridwan Kamil was an outsider when he stood for mayor in his hometown and remains idiosyncratic in office. Public space and design-minded attitude are his tools and his goal is nothing less than remaking his city’s…
LA producer and musician Lo-Fang has impressed us with his soulful debut album, ‘Blue Film’. Here he talks inspiration, creative processes, floor stomps and how he came up with that name.
LA Mayor Eric Garcetti is taking a unique approach to making his city more liveable: the mayor is currently inviting applications from artists for the position of “Creative Catalyst”. Embedded in the Department of Transp…
When you look out your window, what do you see? Well, in London not enough innovative architecture and too many projects that fail to offer fresh solutions. It’s not just the developers who are to blame – building regula…