Workout gear is almost always clunky and unsightly; gray equipment haphazardly crammed into a basement room that only just checks the box when it comes to an apartment building’s list of promoted amenities. Mirrored walls jarringly cut across cheesy cityscape or jungle scene murals and rubber mat flooring. Bad EDM music pulsates at full volume. With function superseding form, aesthetics always seem to be an afterthought.

That all changes with the recently released Ottagono concept. Designed by Italian architect Giulia Foscari for heritage furniture brand Cassina – in partnership with premium gym equipment producer Technogym – the compact system presents as a sleekly configured, aqua blue ombre-finished cabinet, possibly staged in a swanky seaside hotel suite. The eight-sided monolith stands alone as a singular statement piece furnishing – one acquired at a gallery – but when opened, reveals its contents: a comprehensive home gym.

“In times when spaces are increasingly fluid and multifunctional, opening Ottagono is like opening a room within a room,” says Foscari.

The distinctive shape and color tone of this columnar sculpture is inspired by the littoral atmosphere of the French Riviera and the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes (another partner in the project). Inside, there are adjustable 4 to 55 pound Technogym Connected Dumbbells and a 32-inch screen cued to Technogym’s app programmed with a full suite of guided workouts. There are also kettlebells, resistance bands, mobility sticks, mats, jump ropes, and a full-length mirror. Ottagono has all the essentials for a comprehensive workout.

Ensuring seamless integration, Cassina also included a smartphone connecting port for even more customization. A crown of embedded LED’s turn the geometric pillar into a floor lamp when closed, accentuating the gradation of its sea-toned, hand-lacquered exterior. There are also custom-made dimmable lights inside, highlighting key elements.

“Ottagono is a spatial device that combines furniture design and light,” Foscari adds. “On its summit, a lighting system transforms its into a light that shines upwards like a floor lamp,”

To learn more about the Ottagono home gym by Giulia Foscari with Cassina and Technogym, visit una-unless.org.

Photography courtesy of Una Unless.

Gedreht in den Bergen und Städten Japans, verbindet dieser Film von Finlay Woods eindrucksvolle Bilder mit einem originellen Soundtrack, der aus vor Ort vom Musiker Jackson Fester aufgenommenen Soundscapes besteht. Als audiovisuelle Erkundung von Tempo, Erinnerung und Kreativität unterstreicht jede Bahnhofsansage und jeder Tempelglockenton den Rhythmus des Snowboardens und betont die kulturelle Klanglandschaft dieses Landes.

(Direktlink, via Nag on the Lake)

What is art? Can AI generated images be art?

Now, I’m a maximalist for “is it art” questions. There’s a universe where it’s possible, sure.

But art exists in a context. Conceptual art is made of context. And sometimes — like, say, generative AI in early 2026 — the context is rancid. And the concept is rancid too.

Art students at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks are doing what art students everywhere do — set out on the quest to be more of a dick than the other art students, and get a grade for being a dick.

And we have this year’s unambiguous winner: Graham Granger.

Another UAF student, Nick Dwyer, held an exhibition on the campus: “Shadow Searching: ChatGPT psychosis”. Dwyer’s artist statement explains that this collection of AI slop printouts:

explores identity, character narrative creation and crafting false memories of relationships in an interactive role digitally crafted before, during and after a state of AI psychosis.

Now, you might read that and think: this guy’s a bit of a dick.

Our noble hero Granger protested this slop getting a University-approved gallery exhibition. What did he do? He ripped the printouts off the wall and ate them. [Sun Star]

Dwyer posted about his terrible misfortune to Reddit’s r/aiwars forum, as if they’d take his side: [Reddit, archive]

my friend was there took pics of it as it was happening police took the guy away in handcuffs. Hazmat had to be called to sanitize the area. WTF! stay safe friends antis are unhinged and becoming concerning/unlawful.

It is true that AI slop is a hazardous material and should be disposed of. Dwyer deleted his Reddit post when every comment in response said this was good and called Granger a hero. e.g.: [Reddit]

god i hope you feel horrible, knowing a guy eating your “art” was more artistic than anything you’ll ever make.

Dwyer sent ARTnews a photo of himself, deeply aggrieved at this disrespect for his failed bid as champion art dick. [ARTnews]

The UAF academic misconduct policy bars students submitting AI output without authorisation. So this pile of slop was authorised from the start, not just when it was put up in the gallery. You might think that warrants protest. [UAF]

Granger was charged with criminal mischief in the fifth degree, damage under $250 — note that AI output can’t be copyrighted, so it has a value of zero. Granger will be up before the judge tomorrow, January 20th. Is an artist without a rap sheet in the name of art even an artist? [Charges Filed, PDF, p27, archive of 18 January 2026]

Granger has performed a work of art trouncing all comers. Specifically, the slopmonger Dwyer.

Granger’s great work has resonated around the world. And he’s on the film and performing arts track at UAF, not even fine arts. We salute you, sir.

• Video — Podcast

Ja, Trip Hop gibt es immer noch. Und der klingt heute so.

A round up of the new generation of artists, songwriters and producers taking the sonic template of trip hop from its ’90s origins into the future – from genre traditionalists a.s.o., to hypnagogic auteurs like James K to the experimental sonics of the extended West Mineral crew…

(Direktlink)

Tracklist:
00:00 Montana – Eternal Wait Time
04:07 Th Blisks – Enchancity
08:31 Tryphème – Kalea Dream
15:42 Naemi – Couch Angel W/ Arad Acid & Huerco S.
21:38 Dregs – Swampy
27:30 Saffron Bloom – Labyrinth Of Losses
32:51 Hoodie X James K – Scorpio
40:14 Car Culture – Coping Mechanism
45:02 Stone – Hand Holder
49:02 Now Always Fades – Into The Doldrums
53:00 Hysterical Love Project – Oil Slicks (Song For The Spirals)
56:18 a.s.o. – My Baby’s Got It Out For Me
1:00:13 Acopia – Talk About It
1:04:11 James K – Blinkmoth (July Mix)
1:10:15 Dummy – Blue Dada

Ich habe in jüngeren Jahrzehnten ziemlich viel Zeit und später dann ein wenig Geld darin investiert, um mir die Kugelboxen LK 6 – Heliradio zu besorgen. Nicht weil ich glaubte, dass diese einen außergewöhnlichen hätten, sondern weil das Design der Dinger einfach großartig war. Ich lackierte sie in blau und hing sie auf Kopfhöhe an die Decke, wo sie so lange hingen, bis sich die Pappmasse, aus denen der Korpus bestand, auflöste. Tolle Teile, so rein optisch.

Heute lernte ich, dass es in der DDR daneben auch Boxen gab, die eben doch durch ihren Klang überzeugen konnten – und das ganz offensichtlich auch heute noch tun. Die Lautsprecher-Boxen der Baureihe BR 25 und 26.

Die Lautsprecher-Boxen der Baureihe BR 25 und 26 gelten bis heute als kleine Meisterwerke für den Hörgenuss im Wohnzimmer, weil sie vor allem im Bereich Basswiedergabe hervorragend performen. Entwickelt im VEB Musikelectronic Geithain im heutigen Sachsen, sind sie bis heute mehr als gefragt. Wir sprechen mit dem Erfinder von damals und lassen in einem Leipziger Hörstudio checken, warum sie qualitativ so hochwertig und deshalb gleichbleibend beliebt sind.

*Embed vom MDR deaktiviert*. -.-
Müsst ihr hier direkt klicken.

(Direktlink)