Matthew Ponsford - Writer, CNN Style
Matthew Ponsford
Writer, CNN Style
Matthew Ponsford is the London-based writer for CNN Style, reporting on arts, architecture, and design.
Latest
Prestigious photo prize honors docu-fiction on India’s hidden war
Jun 28, 2021
Photographer Poulomi Basu’s series “Centralia,” one of four finalists in the $42,000 prize, explores India’s decades-long Naxalite-Maoist insurgency.
Remember when Jackie Kennedy wore her famous pillbox hat?
Oct 8, 2020
Not everything went to plan with Jackie Kennedy’s distinctive pillbox hat, which was designed by Halston. Find out what happened behind the scenes at the 1961 presidential inauguration.
Back to the basics: The designers creating a new generation of natural fabrics
Aug 31, 2020
With synthetic fabrics polluting all corners of the Earth, sustainable brands are transforming biodegradable materials, like cotton and wool, into innovative eco-friendly textiles.
Future design: What ‘living’ clothes can do to absorb carbon emissions
Aug 31, 2020
From ‘living’ textiles that photosynthesize to clothing made from engineered algae or wood, we look at high-tech alternative materials that may help the fashion industry reduce its colossal carbon footprint.
Are ‘self-build’ high-rises coming to a city near you?
Jun 25, 2020
Urban populations are booming, homelessness is rising in the world’s richest cities, and across the developing world nearly one billion people live in slums. Some residents are taking matters into their own hands – and architects are helping them.
Designing an end to a toxic American obsession: The Lawn
Apr 17, 2020
Americans do love their lawns. But when it comes to nature, they are biodiversity deserts. Find out how people are designing an end to the toxic yard and bringing new models to life.
Vivid portraits shine light on Tahiti’s ‘third gender’
Mar 19, 2020
On the island of Tahiti, there is said to be something akin to a sixth sense – one that belongs to neither men nor women. Instead, it is the sole domain of the “mahu,” a community recognized as being outside the traditional male-female divide.
The ancient buildings that have shape-shifted across centuries
Feb 26, 2020
From Mexico City to Beijing, religious buildings have changed gods; gladiatorial arenas have become political rallying grounds, theaters or rock venues; and buildings celebrating fallen kings and leaders have been repurposed for surprising new roles. Visit some of the world’s oldest and most chimeric structures.
Kendall Jenner appears as topless wax model on magazine cover by viral banana artist
Feb 19, 2020
How do you follow up charging $120,000 for a banana duct-taped to a wall? Well, try this.
Will the future be grown from mushrooms?
Feb 5, 2020
Call it functional fungi. From homes to shoes, an exhibition at Somerset House in London delves into the design possibilities of mushrooms.
Surreal self-portraits show the best and worst of Hollywood
Jan 16, 2020
Alex Israel’s ultra-bright airbrushed paintings, made on the Warner Bros. lot are visions of everything exciting and trite about LA.
England’s oldest horse race is a curious tradition rich in history
Dec 17, 2019
The Kiplingcotes Derby dates back to the reign of Henry VIII and it’s not unusual for the runner-up to win more prize money than the winner.
