Thomas Barger’s Hole-Filled Creations Thomas Barger’s puffy pastel chairs and whimsical ruffled tables only look soft; in reality, the designer and artist makes his furniture by molding a slurry of paper and sawdust onto wooden frames, then sanding and painting them until they’re flawlessly smooth. “I want them to feel almost manufactured,” he says of…
Marilynn Duker knew her family tree was dotted with relatives who had cancer. So when a genetic counselor offered her testing to see if she had any of 30 cancer-causing gene mutations, she readily agreed. The test found a mutation in the gene CDKN2A, which predisposes people who carry it to pancreatic cancer. “They called…
In Nashville this past August, about 5,000 revelers in neon chaps, gothic chains and kaleidoscopic crop tops descended on Bicentennial Park for an electronic music festival. They gyrated to pulsating sets by the British D.J. Chris Lake and the electronic duo Snakehips. They watched choreographed light shows and got massages in a healers’ village. And…
My husband has very few items of clothing and believes in minimalism. I don’t believe in that, and I want to have a good selection of garments. We can’t agree on the issue. Is there a compromise? How many pieces of clothing do I actually need? — Justina, Kajaani, Finland That’s like Thomas Aquinas asking…
Christopher Slayton spent two months exploring black holes, identifying the colors of Saturn’s rings and looking at his home planet from outer space. Mr. Slayton, 18, didn’t have to leave his desk to do so. He set out to build the entire observable universe, block by block, in Minecraft, a video game where users build…
Hollywood took over the New York Public Library. The Clooney Foundation for Justice, a nonprofit founded by George and Amal Clooney, honored human rights activists and journalists at its inaugural gala on Sept. 29, though the spotlight was on the big stars who walked the marble steps in sparkly gowns and black tie. Supporters included…
LONDON — Visitors to Frieze have an embarrassment of other attractions to choose from in London. All they need to do is step off the fairgrounds in Regent’s Park and roam the capital’s many museums and galleries. Here is a selection of exhibitions taking place during Frieze week. Queen’s Gallery — Ever wondered what treasures…
“The defamation campaign has caused reputation and public image damage to Costco and Smithfield,” prosecutors wrote. Justin Marceau, a law professor at the University of Denver and author of the book “Beyond Cages: Animal Law and Criminal Punishment,” described the prosecution as an unsubtle attempt to chill the growing movement of activists who use subterfuge…
Minutes after immigration agents dropped Anna Sorokin off at her fifth-floor walk-up apartment in the East Village of Manhattan late Friday night, she returned downstairs dressed in black-framed glasses, a hoodie and sweats, a monitor loosely hanging from her ankle. Beneath her apartment was a check-cashing business. Ms. Sorokin, 31, lived for several years in…
TOKYO — Not to worry: A giant pumpkin sculpture by the artist Yayoi Kusama has been reinstalled on the Japanese island where it was thrashed by a typhoon last year. Technically, this particular specimen of polka-dot, reinforced plastic is a replica of the one that was irreparably damaged. But no matter. People are happy, and…