Be Open think tank

#BeOpenART Greek land artist The Krank has created Wound, a temporary 50-metre-long land art installation in Erimitis, Corfu, that draws a parallel between bodily trauma and environmental damage. An oversized red incision cuts across a previously disturbed section of landscape, while black stitches—created and positioned with help from the local community and the Save Erimitis initiative—visually reconnect its edges. Installed in an area shaped by years of development disputes, the work transforms the physical scars left by bulldozers into a powerful reflection on ecological vulnerability, collective action and the uncertain future of one of Corfu’s remaining undeveloped coastal ecosystems.

#BeOpenDESIGN Designed by Joao Teixeira, TWIST reimagines the humble side table as a sculptural, multifunctional object. Crafted from a single flowing sheet of metal, its continuous form combines a circular tabletop, an integrated carry handle, and an open storage compartment for books and magazines. A wooden base adds warmth, while a subtle orange accent brings a playful touch to its minimalist silhouette. Balancing practicality with expressive design, TWIST proves that even the smallest piece of furniture can make a lasting impression. More impressive metal furniture on our blog.

#BeOpenARCH What if shingles could dance with the wind? In What the Stones Whisper, Italian design practice Collectif MAGMA reimagines Lunano’s historic stone towers as a six-metre-tall timber installation wrapped in suspended wooden shingles. Hung from jute ropes, the layered elements sway with the breeze, creating shifting patterns of light and shadow while allowing air and sound to pass through. Built in just two weeks using lightweight timber frames and simple construction techniques, the installation transforms traditional cladding into a dynamic architectural skin, exploring the relationship between heritage, material innovation and the ever-changing landscape. More shingle-clad structures on our blog.

#BeOpenDESIGN Shanghai-based designer Tongqi Lu’s Call It a Day is a three-piece lighting collection designed around effortless interaction. Comprising a table lamp, floor lamp, and pendant, the collection uses soft translucent silicone shades that respond to taps, presses, and pulls instead of conventional switches. Developed through full-scale cardboard prototypes and hand-cast silicone molds, the lamps combine tactile controls, a woven-like surface texture, and a playful yellow cable to create lighting designed for moments when precision is the last thing you want.

#BeOpenDESIGN Freckle, developed by startup Freckle with design studio Body Shop, reimagines the children’s mobile phone as a tool for exploration rather than constant entertainment or parental surveillance. Designed for ages seven to 13, its custom ClayOS replaces social media, browsers and app stores with features such as outdoor quests, an AI-powered discovery camera, storytelling tools, maps and walkie-talkie functions, encouraging children to explore independently. Its rugged, lanyard-worn form is inspired by binoculars, while privacy-conscious safety features aim to give parents reassurance without turning the phone into a tracking device.

#BeOpenDESIGN Swiss-designed by UJUAL, U Space reimagines the laptop bag as a portable workstation, drawing on the folding logic of Japanese origami to transform from a carry bag into a stable work surface in a single motion. Designed for mobile workers, students and travelers, it can be carried as a briefcase, messenger bag or backpack while providing quick-access magnetic storage for everyday essentials. Available in multiple sizes and finishes, the durable bag can carry up to 20 kilograms and accommodates devices ranging from compact tablets to 16-inch laptops, turning almost any temporary location into a functional workspace.

#BeOpenDESIGN Florida-based company Nothing has rethought the disposable paper cup by integrating the lid directly into the cup itself, eliminating separate plastic lids while reducing material, packaging and storage requirements. Developed in hot and cold versions, the cups use folding tabs to create spill-resistant closures, with a water-based, plastic-free coating designed for both recycling and home composting within 180 days. With ergonomic tapered forms and purpose-specific openings for drinking or straws, Nothing combines functional convenience with a more considered approach to single-use packaging.

#BeOpenDESIGN Rugsoda’s Dumpster Bag turns one of the least glamorous objects in the city into an unexpectedly stylish accessory. Shaped like a miniature commercial dumpster, the canvas bag combines a boxy silhouette, embroidered graffiti, magnetic flip-up lids, and even a hidden raccoon detail. Beyond the humor, its compact form makes everyday essentials easier to organize, while its sculptural construction transforms a familiar piece of urban clutter into a wearable conversation piece. It is a playful example of how good design can take an ordinary, overlooked object and completely change the way we see it. More extraordinary bags on our blog.

#BeOpenDESIGN Paris-based designer Youcef Abdaoui rethinks the conventional foam earplug with Ears 360 Silence, a soft silicone design that anchors through the ear’s outer helix rather than relying on pressure inside the canal. Its retractable spiral form sits nearly flush against the head, making it particularly suited to side sleeping, while interchangeable tips provide 24–29 dB of attenuation for sleep, commuting, concerts, swimming and work. Designed for long-term reuse, the product combines ergonomic geometry, replaceable components and compact packaging in a more durable alternative to disposable foam plugs.

#BeOpenARCH Vancouver-based architect Luca Fontana’s Plank Factory reimagines the mass-timber factory as both a production facility and a public destination. Set within Stanley Park, the proposal organizes large-scale timber manufacturing beneath a series of intersecting pitched roofs, whose sloping surfaces collect and visibly channel Vancouver’s heavy rainfall. The roofscape also becomes accessible public terrain, allowing visitors to walk above the factory floor, observe robotic fabrication, and experience views toward the park and Pacific coast. Drawing on Pacific Northwest timber-building traditions, the project connects manufacturing, climate, and public space.

#BeOpenDESIGN Originally from Mexico, designer Rafael Prieto transforms salvaged architectural fragments from a Tribeca building into The Future of the Past, a furniture collection that examines the relationship between urban history and contemporary design. Sixteen ornamental elements, preserved during the building’s renovation, are incorporated into tables, chairs and stools alongside lacquered birch, burl veneer and bold contemporary colors. By combining historic stone and architectural details with refined modern materials and forms, Prieto gives discarded fragments a new function while reflecting on New York’s evolving architectural identity.

#BeOpenDESIGN Burger King has turned one of its chicken nuggets into a handbag, and the result is as absurd as it is clever. Le Nugguette mimics the nugget’s lumpy shape and golden-brown finish, complete with a tiny handle, zippered compartment, sauce-themed charm, and a $3.99 price tag that matches the meal that inspired it. More than a novelty accessory, it is a neat example of how a brand can turn its most recognizable product into the design itself. More fast food handbags on our blog.

#BeOpenDESIGN A New York-based group of five artists has created Lifeline, a conceptual tote bag that transforms into a self-inflating life jacket in response to the growing threat of climate-related flooding. Made by deconstructing and heat-welding a standard nylon life vest, the bag retains the everyday appearance of a fashion accessory while concealing an emergency function that can be activated in around 15 seconds. Presented during New York Climate Week, the project uses this contradiction between ordinary consumer design and emergency equipment to provoke reflection on climate change and consumer culture.

#BeOpenDESIGN Australian art and technology studio ENESS transforms a vintage ATM into HP*ATM – Human Psyche AI Teller Machine, an interactive installation that uses AI to generate personalized psychological readings. Created by ENESS founder Nimrod Weis, the work combines facial analysis, palm reading, and user-selected responses before presenting its assessment as a lyrical horoscope. Shown at FutureJuice during Illuminate Adelaide 2026, the retro-futurist installation uses playful design to question why people readily trust AI with increasingly intimate personal information.

#BeOpenNEWS VOTE FOR BE OPEN AT ANTHEM AWARDS! We are pleased to share with you that BE OPEN Foundation has been selected a finalist in not one but two categories within Education, Art & Culture at the 6th Annual Anthem Awards: 1. Creative Economy & Artist Support 2. Arts & Cultural Programming The finalist status also puts us in the running for the Anthem Community Voice Award which is determined by a public vote. We would be grateful for your support: please vote for BE OPEN and share the voting link with your friends and networks! Here’s how to vote for us: Open the voting page. Find “BE OPEN Foundation” (Ctrl+F (Windows) or Cmd+F (Mac) to search for “BE OPEN”) Click “Celebrate” beneath the BE OPEN Foundation card. Sign up or sign in by clicking “Sign Up & Celebrate” - just enter an email address and make up a password. Complete an email verification if requested. Please check that your support has been registered.

#BeOpenDESIGN Berlin-based artist and designer Simon Weckert’s Digital Camouflage is a brightly patterned shirt designed to challenge AI-powered video surveillance systems. Developed in response to Berlin’s planned AI surveillance trial at Kottbusser Tor, the garment uses saturated colours and overlapping forms intended to disrupt the visual patterns that object-detection models associate with human figures. Weckert developed the pattern through an AI-driven adversarial testing process, repeatedly refining it against the detection system to reduce its confidence in recognising a person.

#BeOpenDESIGN co:Creation Lab's Balloon Banjo is a 3D-printed DIY instrument that turns an ordinary party balloon into an adjustable sound box. Built from seven printed components and assembled without glue, metal hardware, or tools, the banjo invites users to experiment with acoustics by changing the balloon's inflation, string tension, and string thickness. Its fully disassemblable construction makes making, modifying, and rebuilding part of the musical experience.

#BeOpenARCH For Shakira’s Madrid residency, Bjarke Ingels Group has transformed a 185,000-square-metre music venue into Macondo Park, a temporary cultural town built around the concert experience. The landscape combines a 50,000-plus-capacity stadium with colorful pavilions, markets, food, art, fashion, cinema and children’s spaces, turning the journey to the show into part of the event. Inspired by the fictional town in Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude, the design uses color-coded paths, more than 500 trees and a central gathering point to bring human scale to the vast site. Just as importantly, BIG designed the temporary structures with their next life in mind, allowing pavilions, fabrics, artificial grass and planting to be reused after the residency ends. More unusual venues on our blog.

#BeOpenDESIGN Concept Nemonic Dot by Mangoslab is a compact Braille printer and mobile app designed to make everyday labeling more accessible for visually impaired users. By converting typed or spoken words into Braille stickers, the system lets users independently label food, medicine, documents, and personal belongings. Its tactile, eyes-free printer is designed for easy operation through touch, while Bluetooth connectivity and a portable form make it practical across homes, schools, offices, and other everyday spaces.

#BeOpenNEWS #BeOpenART BE OPEN Art’s Art Limitless programme names Irish mixed-media artist Éabha Róis as its September 2026 monthly winner. Based in County Waterford, Róis combines painting with reclaimed and found materials to create tactile works inspired by Irish folklore, landscapes, memory, mythology, and the natural world. Throughout 2026, BE OPEN continues to highlight artists whose work reflects sustainable approaches to artistic practice. Each month, a winning artist is selected and featured in the online gallery, and at the end of the year, three artists will be chosen from the monthly winners by members of the BE OPEN community to receive monetary awards and increased international visibility from the BE OPEN Foundation.