Gael Welstead

sea_level

Rising tide: Young climate activists and signs of change

How climate strikers are borrowing words and images from 1960s counterculture to influence the hippies of yesterday that stand in the way of climate action today.   A little over a year ago, an image took the world by storm. It was of a girl outside an old building, beside her a white board with hand-painted black capital letters on it: ‘SKOLSTREJK… Read more →

slow city

Breaking the time machine: How to slow the pace of city life

Reclaim urban space by moving through it at your own pace.   The speed of urban life has been noted for centuries. The philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau declared the city a “whirlwind” back in 1761. Fast forward two hundred years, and a study in the journal Nature found scientific proof that the “pace of life varies in a regular fashion with… Read more →

worn wear

Fixation with… Worn Wear: Adventures in stitching and patching

The adventures we go on make us who we are, be that urban wanderer or outdoor explorer. In his formative years, Peter Julber scrambled up mountains and rafted down rivers in the wilds of Oregon. He was tough on his gear, and sometimes it just didn’t hold up to the challenge. So he started designing and sewing his own. Now… Read more →

superfix

Fixation with… Superfix: When public art meets make do and mend

Growing up in a house of fixers is something that stays with you for life. I have vivid memories of taking torn garments to my mum and being mesmerised watching her sew on spare buttons and seal rips in treasured play clothes. Even now, catching up with my father on the phone, it’s his updates on restoring the Land Rover… Read more →

nudie jeans

Fixation with… Nudie Jeans: The Swedish remedy for a broken heart

I fell in love. But it wasn’t love at first sight; I found these jeans on the high street, and they showed little personality early on. But then, over time, their cold black faded to a tender greenish-grey (something like Pantone 445) and their stubborn skinny fit softened. We were together almost every day for two years, sharing adventures. They… Read more →

kintsugi

Fixation with… Kintsugi: How a Japanese tradition brought me closer to my crockery

The dish in my kitchen had been upsetting me. Its heyday as part of my teatime ritual was long gone, but I hadn’t parted with it. In three pieces, it lurked moodily behind my mugs, wondering whether it would ever be invited to the table again. I’d been uncertain how to fix it until one day, wandering the internet, I… Read more →