Doomsday is an evocative word for a grim idea, and it's hard not to be spooked by the knowledge that the Doomsday Clock is currently set at 90 seconds to midnight.
According to its operators - the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists - who monitor the combined risks of nuclear annihilation, climate disaster, biological threat and disruptive technologies, we have never been closer to global catastrophic destruction since the clock's founding in 1947. Oof.
And yet, humanity has a primal instinct to survive. Anyone in doubt of this bold statement would do well to hotfoot it to Mudac in Lausanne this month, where a compelling new show, 'We Will Survive', demonstrates in glorious breadth and depth that we are a resilient species. Or we are doing our utmost to be as prepared as is humanly possible for disasters of all scales, from blackouts and biological warfare to full-scale, four-horsemen apocalypse.
The show introduces us to the 'prepper movement', preppers being the term for people who prepare for catastrophe. It is a practice that has been on a rapidly upward trajectory since the dawn of the atomic era, aided by wars, climate change, terrorism, pandemics, rolling recessions, technology and the media. Today, 'prepping' is mainstream - a global movement and industry - and the value of the preppers industry is growing globally seven per cent year-on-year, due to reach $2.46bn by 2030.
Denne historien er fra October 2024-utgaven av Wallpaper.
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Denne historien er fra October 2024-utgaven av Wallpaper.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
COOL RUNNINGS
Palace founder Lev Tanju is bringing his own unexpected brand of weirdness and love of eclectic mash-ups to Fila's new contemporary line
LIVING COLOUR
Mexico's San Miguel de Allende is home to a bold young crowd of talent that's thriving off the city's brightly-hued heritage
STARS ASCENDING
In a rapidly changing world, the route designers take to discover their calling is increasingly circuitous. We profile ten creatives forging their own paths to success
SUITE DREAMS
Cathay Pacific’s new aircraft interiors turn the inflight experience into an art form, upgrading the business-class cabin for the next generation of flyers
Brutal harmony
The Escheresque Italian villa designed by Fausto Bontempi for sculptor Claudio Caffetto
LOCAL HERO
London studio Holloway Li’s recent makeover of Polish hotel Puro Poznan is right up our street
STAR TURNS
An exhibition at Louvre Abu Dhabi unveils the stellar shortlist for this year's Richard Mille Art Prize
SCREEN GEM
A multifaceted residence in Beverly Hills puts the beauty of potentiality in the frame
SOFT SPOT
We've taken a shine to Bottega Veneta's collaboration with Flos on a special edition of a Gino Sarfatti lamp
Between the lines
Frequently drawing comparisons with Francis Bacon, painter George Rouy is gaining peer points for his use of classic techniques to distort the human form