Toy Soldiers | Simon Brann Thorpe | Western Sahara (ISO) | By Lee Fleming

We recently discovered Toy Soldiers by Zambia-born photographer Simon Brann Thorpe. Thorpe blurs the boundaries between document, landscape and concept-based photography to explore the conflict of Western Sahara. This October marks the 40th anniversary of the outbreak that remains unresolved and has resulted in an estimated 160,000 people being made refugees, many of whom are now 2nd or 3rd generation.

Thorpe examines the Western Sahara stalemate with real soldiers posing as toy soldiers to exemplify the current situation, a nation trapped in an historic cycle of colonial conflict, displacement and endless non-resolution. Shot entirely on location in the isolated and hauntingly beautiful territory known as ‘Liberated Western Sahara’ it is influenced by the historic works of photographers such as Mathew Brady, Roger Fenton and Edward Curtis. Published by Dewi Lewis, the cloth bound hardbook features text by Chad Elias and Jacob Mundy.

To read more about Toy Soldiers visit here.

Architect Bag | Nendo x TODS | Tokyo (JAP) | By Lee Fleming

The IDMC° team have followed the work of Tokyo-based design studio Nendo for some time. Founded by Oki Sato in 2002, Nendo (meaning "clay" in Japanese) designs interior architecture, furniture and graphics. June 2015 saw Nendo collaborate with Tod's to create a morphable Architect Bag, designed with the architect in mind.

n the extended form, the bag holds a full-size A3 drawing as well as samples with quite a bit of length. Folding it into half creates two spaces where you can store A4 size drawings and documents, and the middle part of the flex section houses rolled-up drawings, heavy catalogues or books and samples of construction materials. With the ability to store away the two handles, you can turn it into a clutch bag when you have fewer things to carry.

Visit the Nendo website to read more.

Photography by Akihiro Yoshida.

Hole & Corner Magazine | Des Pawson | London (UK) | By Lee Fleming

Recently on Hole & Corner Magazine is this feature on researcher and historian Des Pawson, who founded the Museum of Knots and Sailors’ Ropes. The insightful feature highlights how Des Pawson became obsessed with ropes and documents his passion alongside the tools Pawson has gathered over 60 years.

"Pawson first became interested in ropes when he was seven years old, and an uncle gave him a book for boy scouts about knots. He wasn’t in the scouts, but he was into the knots, and he didn’t look back."

Having given up full-time work in 1989 to concentrate on his rope business which he does alongside his wife Liz, Pawson opened his Museum of Knots and Sailors’ Ropes in 1996. The photography that accompanies the Hole and Corner Magazine feature is by British photographer Luke Stephenson.

To read the full feature visit the Hole & Corner Magazine website.

Julian Lechner | Kaffeeform | Berlin (GER) | By Lee Fleming

Our obsession with ceramics continues with these Kaffeeform Coffee Cups but it's what there made of that's caught our attention the most. Designed by German designer Julian Lechner who started Kaffeeform Coffee Cups in 2009 while working in Italy, where he studied design at the Free University of Bozen. Lechner experimented with used coffee grounds by recycling them using an injection-moulding process to fabricate to combine them with other renewable materials like wood grains and natural glues.

After five years of experimentation Lechner discovered a unique formula which transforms the leftover coffee, collected from local cafes in Berlin into his Kaffeeform products. The surface of Kaffeeform has the appearance of dark marblewood and still retains the smell of coffee in its final form.

Designed specifically for drinking espresso coffee, you can now pre-order the Kaffeeform Coffee Cups from their website.

Jamie Martin | Final Major Project | Manchester (UK) | By Lee Fleming

Manchester-based graphic designer and photographer Jamie Martin’s final major project recently caught our eye when we came across it on his Instagram. Jamie has recently completed degree in Graphic Arts & Design at Manchester Metropolitan University and for his final project he photographed derelict buildings all around Manchester. Inspired by a Charles Dickens verse from the Hard Times book, the images were put into a full screenprinted A3 publication using charcoal coloured ink and presented unbound in a wallet.

To view more of Jamie’s photography and graphic design work visit his website.