It’s 20 years since Massive Attack released the groundbreaking Mezzanine. Still restless and forward-facing, founding member Robert ‘3D’ Del Naja has decided to can the landmark album by way of celebration. Working with scientists in Switzerland, he has encoded the digital bitstream of the album into strands of artificial DNA, encased them in microscopic glass beads and turned that into black paint (a nod to Del Naja’s sideline as a graffiti artist). The concept just scooped Best Canned Music in our Wallpaper* Design Awards.
RELATED STORY
The use of DNA to store digital information is actually one of science’s hottest research areas; a gram of double helixes could potentially store 500 billion gigs of data. Massive Attack settled for a measly million copies of the album in each can of Mezzanine paint.
Designed by long-term collaborator Tom Hingston and Del Naja, just 30 cans will be made available in early March.
As originally featured in the February 2019 issue of Wallpaper* (W*239)
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Massive Attack website (opens in new tab)
-
Molteni&C presents its first outdoor furniture collectionMolteni&C translates its signature craftsmanship and style for outdoor living
-
The globe-trotting Cruise 2024 shows: what to expect
Everything you need to know about the upcoming Cruise 2024 shows, which see fashion brands jetting around the world, from Seoul to Los Angeles
-
Oikos reimagines the door as ‘entrance architecture’
Italian security door manufacturer Oikos knows how to make an entrance
-
Photo book explores the messy, magical mundanity of new motherhood
‘Sorry I Gave Birth I Disappeared But Now I’m Back’ by photographer Andi Galdi Vinko explores new motherhood in all its messy, beautiful reality
-
New York art exhibitions: what to see in 2023
Stay up-to-date with our ongoing guide to the best New York art exhibitions 2023 for your diary
-
American avant-garde artist Senga Nengudi receives top billing at last
We explore the work of American artist Senga Nengudi, who has just opened two major shows in New York, and will be awarded the Nasher Prize for Sculpture 2023 in April
-
Julian Opie on VR, shuffle dancing and obsessive art collecting
Artist Julian Opie reflects on life, work and turning London’s Lisson Gallery into a playground of VR. We explore his new show and peek behind the scenes of his London studio
-
The best London art exhibitions: a guide for March 2023
Your guide to the best London art exhibitions, and those around the UK in March 2023, as chosen by the Wallpaper* arts desk
-
The best photography books for your coffee table
Flick through, mull over and deep-dive into the best photography books on the market, from our shelves to you
-
Enter the mesmerising, AI-driven world of artist Refik Anadol
Refik Anadol’s masterly use of data sets and AI models allows him to create dazzling ‘living paintings’, on display in MoMA’s Gund Lobby until 5 March 2023
-
As David Hockney’s immersive art show in London opens, here’s what to expect
‘David Hockney: Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away)’ is now open at London’s Lightroom (until 4 June 2023)
