Jin Jiangbo is one of China's new generation of media artists. He visited New Zealand last year as the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery's International Artist in Residence and to exhibit his work in China in Four Seasons, a year long project at the GBAG comprising four residencies and exhibitions of selected artists working in China today. Read More >
We have started to include the GE Free symbol of the Monarch butterfly on our packaging. At this point, New Zealand is totally a GE Free environment and we are able to source GE free raw materials. Long may that continue... There is an interesting story as to why the monarch butterfly was chosen to be the icon for the GE free product labeling campaign. It was chosen after a near miss in the release of a GE modified corn that could have had disastrous effects on the USA monarch population. As detailed in this article: Read More >
Alive water - Not all waters are created equal, as some are enhanced by nature. In the wake of consumer demand for dietary supplements and the hankering for water that can deliver health and beauty benefits such as toxic elimination and improving the look and condition of the skin, a new category has emerged for health waters known as ‘aquaceutical’. Read More >
In New Zealand, our indigenous people, the Maori, describe themselves as ‘Tangata Whenua’. This literally means ‘people of the land’. Humans and the land are seen as one, and people are not superior to nature. They are a group who have authority in a particular place, because of their ancestors’ relationship to it. Tangata Whenua is a custom where a chief claims land by naming it after a part of his body. Humans and the land are seen as one, and people are not superior to nature. The natural world is able to ‘speak’ to humans and give them knowledge and understanding. Human life is about aligning oneself with the natural world. Read More >
Ada Zanditon is fascinated by extremophiles and bacteria in Arctic ice. Her geometric cuts, bodycon shapes and kaleidoscopic prints have been singled out by Vogue for praise, but at times she sounds more like a botanist. Her ready-to-wear collections (www.youngbritishdesigners.com) are inspired by sustainable design innovation observed in the natural world. "It's using concepts that haven't been seen in fashion before," she says. Zanditon, a graduate of London College of Fashion, knew she wanted to be a designer (rather than evolutionary biologist) from the age of six, "but I also knew I wanted to do something different. Fashion is just a form of communication. Unfortunately now there is lots of repetition in the way fashion communicates." Read More >
Check out Reuben Margolin's kinetic sculptures, so beautiful, natural, surreal and stunning! Just need to build a warehouse to hold it.. Based on natural forms, his fascinating pieces range from small to sprawling complex webs of movement. Read More >
This is so interesting! Who knew that life could form from a box? 'The Life Box suite of products builds upon the synergy of fungi and plants by infusing spores and seeds together inside of packaging materials that can be planted. The Tree Life Box is made of recycled paper fiber. In this fiber, we have inserted a wide variety of tree seeds, up to a hundred, dusted with mycorrhizal fungal spores. The mycorrhizal fungi protect and nurture the young seedlings. For millions of years, plants and beneficial fungi have joined together in a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship. Read More >
Well it's True! The British real estate company, British Land and the City of London recently hosted an original competition to design, innovate and develop a 'dense urban housing facilities for insects and arachnids'. Not your usual design project here. The challenge was called 'Beyond The Hive' and contestants had to provide specific habitats for a variety of species including spiders, moths, and beetles. Read More >
Water is such a fascinating element. Here is one of our favourite ‘stories’, that inspired us to make sure that we use the purest water possible in all our products. Masaru Emoto (born July 22, 1943) is a Japanese author and entrepreneur, known for his claim that if human speech or thoughts are directed at water droplets before they are frozen, images of the resulting water crystals will be "beautiful" or "ugly" depending upon whether the words or thoughts were positive or negative. Read More >
Kio Kio Blog Update…
March 9, 2011 5:15PM
Kio Kio readers, Thank you for all your positive feedback. We have actually been a bit overwhelmed by the number of comments we have received and have decided to removed the comment section from the blog. Read More >