Join us on Thursday 1st May at 5pm GMT for our inaugural BRAND BRIEFING where we'll analyse and contextualise our most pertinent SEEDS from the last six months through in-depth case studies, new opportunity territories and useful brand insights.

We've been decoding culture since 1997 and believe in the power of decentralised research to ensure our foresights (what's coming) and insights (what's already here) are both valuable and actionable. This event is part of our new BRAND MEMBERSHIP aimed at progressive brands that are looking to make better decisions and stay relevant.

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SEEDS

In my final year of university, I felt unfulfilled. No coursework, internships or independent projects satisfied my creative needs. Inspired by art movements, I joined three friends to start a collective: ROOD.

The Symbiocene is a term coined by the environmental philosopher Glenn Albrecht to describe a proposed future era characterised by harmonious coexistence between humans and nature. It’s derived from the Greek words “symbiosis” (living together) and “cene” (new epoch).

The concept of techriolage relates to the approach to reappropriate technical objects. It investigates the potential of integrating traditional crafts with electronic waste to engage communities in repair practices, and foster a more ecological and culturally sensitive design culture.

At Seed Club’s first in-person meetup last month, we asked everyone to recommend a book that resonates with our shared values of curiosity, community and growth. The result was a diverse collection of titles that will continue to nurture new ideas and perspectives. Enjoy.

Aesthetic exile is a wilful retreat from the realities of society, with the goal of surrounding oneself solely with sophisticated objects and fellow connoisseurs; “good taste” and high aesthetics providing an alternative moral compass; it can refer to a state of being, an act, as well as a person.

Jean Campbell built a successful modelling career all while managing chronic pain — she's now using her platform to help others navigate similar hidden struggles.

Protein asked me if I’d like to pick “five critical/cultural writers you’re following right now”. It took about two minutes of trying to come up with names before I realised that overwhelmingly the discourse I’m taking cues from recently has come not from writers, but from doers.

Key takeaways from our FORUM on the role of music in modern culture that featured Henry Bruce Jones, Martha Bolton and Austin Robey. 

STILL GERMINATING ...

ARCHIVE

This month, we look back to our DIRTY WORD #2 INFLUENCE report that we released in February 2021. It's a piece of research that still feels relevant based on where social media is today and number of times we've seen it referenced in other peoples presentations ;-) You can download the full 62 page report here and below is a sample to give you a taste:

CONTRIBUTORS

A massive thanks to all our awesome contributors for showing up and sowing so many incredible SEEDS in our cosy corner of the internet:

@joe_muggs, @caro, @ebele, @mariarubio, @shang_salah, @sophia_french, @the2noelle, @MAL, @MalenaR, @mike, @valentina_p, @shikar, @COLETTE, @luisa_ferreira, @janne, and @jannebaetsen

If you'd like to be included in the next SUPPLEMENT, come and join SEED CLUB — you can get paid to contribute to Protein XYZ and also collaborate with Protein AGENCY on live client projects. We also have pin badges.

APPLY HERE