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.
This story is from the October 2024 edition of Wallpaper.
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This story is from the October 2024 edition of Wallpaper.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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Blonde Ambition - A new iteration of Gucci's beloved 'Blondie' bag fuses effortless Seventies insouciance with crisp modernity
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Guest Editor Marcio Kogan - Marcio Kogan has been prolific since setting up his namesake studio in São Paulo in 1978 (it was renamed Studio MK27 at the turn of the century).
Marcio Kogan has been prolific since setting up his namesake studio in São Paulo in 1978 (it was renamed Studio MK27 at the turn of the century). The 72-year-old architect has since become synonymous with contemporary Brazilian chic, offering a sumptuous blend of raw, textured materials; clean geometric forms; effortless functionality; vernacular design features; and a deep knowledge and appreciation of the rich, tropical modernist architecture legacy of his home country.
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