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National Geographic Promotes New ‘Secret of Bees’ Show With Billboards Doubling as Bee Hotels

Ava Linker — Sun, 24 May 2026 13:45:36 +0000

National Geographic Promotes New ‘Secret of Bees’ Show With Billboards Doubling as Bee Hotels

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A post shared by Meanwhile (@meanwhileagency)

In parks, gardens, and urban areas scattered throughout Manchester, England, Disney and National Geographic are promoting a new show titled Secrets of Bees. The two are doing so in an unconventional way, however, foregoing typical billboards and instead installing a series of permanent installations specially made for the pollinators.

The new show, part of the Emmy-winning “Secrets of” franchise, was released on March 31, 2026. For the occasion, Disney hired the creative agency Meanwhile to bring light to the show that took years of study, research, and specialized equipment to film bees in a way never before seen.

The show focuses on the social structures, diversity, and survival of various bee species. Meanwhile created advertisements that aid in this mission, promoting the show and its message simultaneously, doing so with subtlety and creativity. The ads are designed as mini bee hotels, a resting point for solitary bees taking a break from pollination. And since these installations are meant to be permanent, they must be sustainable. The cedar used for these installations comes from sustainably sourced, already felled trees, which is a detail unnoticeable at first glance, but which really represents the level of thought, detail, and meaning in these boxes.

Meanwhile and Build Hollywood, aided by Manchester & District Beekeepers’ Association, also put up a permanent blooming billboard, coined “bloomboard,” in Heaton Park, that was made from the same felled cedar and surrounded by over 500 plants to assist the bees’ pollination.

The bloomboard and bee hotels encapsulate what National Geographic is trying to accomplish with this show— creating positive change for bees. Hopefully, ventures like this will encourage others to take similar small, manageable, but impactful actions that make a difference for at least one population.

To promote its new show titled Secrets of the Bees, National Geographic hired creative agency Meanwhile to create clever, sustainable advertisements.

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A post shared by Meanwhile (@meanwhileagency)

Meanwhile used the show's message to build mini bee hotels, which give solitary bees a resting spot or nesting spot, aiding their pollinator plight.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Andrew Valenti (@andrewvalenti.av)

The bee hotels, along with a “bloomboard” (a blooming billboard) featuring a pollination garden, are intended as permanent installations and are made from sustainable materials.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by National Geographic (@natgeo)

Meanwhile: Website | Instagram | LinkedIn

Sources: Disney and NatGeo Built Billboards That Bees Can Actually Live In

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READ: National Geographic Promotes New ‘Secret of Bees’ Show With Billboards Doubling as Bee Hotels

Giant Converse Sneaker Becomes a Massive Graffiti Canvas in Los Angeles

Sage Helene — Thu, 21 May 2026 14:45:12 +0000

Giant Converse Sneaker Becomes a Massive Graffiti Canvas in Los Angeles

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A post shared by WHY (@why.cgi)

A giant Converse sneaker recently appeared in Los Angeles, turning an ordinary city street into what looked like an interactive public art installation. Covered in layers of graffiti tags and handwritten messages, the oversized shoe quickly caught the internet’s attention.

The project was created in collaboration with Mixed Media and imagines the iconic sneaker as a massive graffiti-covered canvas. In the videos, crowds gather around the towering shoe and begin covering it with signatures and doodles, transforming the familiar silhouette into a constantly evolving piece of street art.

While the activation appears strikingly realistic, the project is an example of CGI-powered “fake out-of-home” advertising, often shortened to FOOH. These campaigns use visual effects to create impossible large-scale public moments designed specifically for social media engagement. In recent years, brands and creative agencies have increasingly embraced the format to produce eye-catching spectacles that blur the boundary between digital illusion and real-world environments.

The concept feels especially fitting for Los Angeles, where murals, tagging culture, skateboarding, and sneaker culture have long shaped the city’s visual identity. Rather than presenting the shoe as a pristine object, the project embraces the layered, chaotic energy associated with urban street art. Every added tag makes the sneaker feel less like an advertisement and more like a collaborative artwork created by the public itself.

The activation also aligns naturally with Converse’s longstanding relationship to self-expression and youth culture. Over the decades, the brand’s Chuck Taylor sneakers have become closely associated with artists, musicians, skaters, and DIY fashion communities around the world.

A giant Converse sneaker appeared in Los Angeles by WHY CGI and Mixed Media, transforming the iconic shoe into a graffiti-covered street art canvas.

@why.cgi Would you tag this giant @Converse shoe? #converse #whycgi #marketing ♬ original sound – WHY.CGI

Converse: Website | Instagram

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READ: Giant Converse Sneaker Becomes a Massive Graffiti Canvas in Los Angeles

Swatch Unveils Colorful ‘Royal Pop’ Pocket Watches and Crowds Cause a Frenzy To Get Them

Sage Helene — Wed, 20 May 2026 17:30:12 +0000

Swatch Unveils Colorful ‘Royal Pop’ Pocket Watches and Crowds Cause a Frenzy To Get Them

Swiss watchmaking has always balanced tradition with reinvention. The new collaboration between Swatch and Audemars Piguet pushes that tension even further. Called Royal Pop, the eight-piece collection transforms the iconic Royal Oak into a colorful line of wearable pocket watches inspired by 1980s street style.

Swatch and Audemars Piguet designed the collection by blending the Royal Oak (one of the most famous luxury sports watches) with Swatch’s playful POP watches from the ’80s. The result embraces exaggerated color, modular styling, and unexpected form. Instead of traditional wristwatches, Royal Pop features Bioceramic pocket watches suspended from interchangeable cords and chains. The collection feels less like classic luxury and more like wearable Pop Art.

Each model features Swatch’s SISTEM51 mechanical movement in a hand-wound format. The octagonal bezel directly references the Royal Oak. Bold colors like electric blue, mint green, candy pink, and fiery orange give the collection a youthful energy rarely seen in Swiss luxury watchmaking.

Royal Pop also taps into fashion’s growing fascination with accessories that blur categories. Wearers can style the watches as necklaces, clip them onto garments, or display them as collectible objects. In many ways, the pieces feel closer to statement jewelry than conventional timepieces.

That fashion-forward approach helped fuel one of the year’s biggest luxury frenzies. Ahead of the May 16 release, crowds gathered outside Swatch stores in cities like New York, Paris, London, Dubai, Singapore, and Milan. Some locations temporarily closed because of overcrowding. Videos online showed overnight lines, police intervention, and chaotic scenes as collectors and resellers rushed to secure the watches.

What followed was immediate. Pieces began surfacing on resale platforms within hours, with prices climbing far beyond retail as demand outpaced availability. Swatch later clarified the collection was not limited, but by then the moment had already been defined by scarcity in practice, if not in design.

Royal Pop succeeds because it confidently embraces contradiction. The collection feels playful yet luxurious, nostalgic yet futuristic, and collectible yet accessible. Instead of preserving watchmaking tradition behind glass, Swatch and Audemars Piguet transform it into something vibrant, wearable, and deeply connected to contemporary fashion culture.

As luxury continues to intersect with streetwear, drops, and internet spectacle, Royal Pop feels less like a novelty and more like a glimpse into the future of design culture.

The new Royal Pop collection transforms Audemars Piguet’s iconic Royal Oak luxury sports watch into a series of colorful pendant-style pocket watches.

Inspired by Swatch’s playful POP watches from the 1980s, the collection embraces bold color, oversized design, and wearable styling.

Bright shades of cobalt blue, neon green, hot pink, and orange turn the classic Royal Oak into something closer to wearable Pop Art than traditional Swiss luxury.

Ahead of the May 16 release, massive crowds gathered outside Swatch stores worldwide as collectors rushed to secure the highly anticipated watches.

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A post shared by Swatch (@swatch)

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A post shared by The Straits Times (@straits_times)

Swatch: Website | Instagram

All images via Swatch.

Sources: Audemars Piguet & Swatch break the rules of watchmaking; Shoppers’ Frenzy for ‘Royal Pop’ Pocket Watches Forces Swatch to Shut Stores

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READ: Swatch Unveils Colorful ‘Royal Pop’ Pocket Watches and Crowds Cause a Frenzy To Get Them

The Met x BAND-AID Unveil Art Bandages That Let You Heal Wounds With Famous Paintings

Emma Taggart — Tue, 19 May 2026 19:20:51 +0000

The Met x BAND-AID Unveil Art Bandages That Let You Heal Wounds With Famous Paintings

Research shows that looking at art can be good for your health, and now, famous paintings can literally help heal your wounds. BAND-AID recently collaborated with The Metropolitan Museum of Art to launch a series of flower-themed adhesive bandages featuring details from famous paintings by Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, and Odilon Redon.

The pack of 50 bandages in assorted sizes lets you wear a little part of The Met’s impressive collection. The designs include Claude Monet’s Water Lilies, Vincent van Gogh’s Irises, and Odilon Redon’s Bouquet of Flowers. They let you show off your love of art while keeping cuts and scrapes protected. They’re even made with flexible Memory Weave fabric for maximum comfort.

The new art-inspired bandages mark the second collaboration between BAND-AID and The Met. In 2025, the bandage company released a popular collection inspired by three works by Japanese ukiyo-e artist Katsushika Hokusai, including his iconic woodcut print, The Great Wave off Kanagawa.

“[Our] BAND-AID® Brand collaboration celebrates highlights from The Met collection—from the colorful floral paintings of Monet, Redon, and Van Gogh to Hokusai’s dynamic woodblock prints,” said Josh Romm, The Met’s head of global licensing and partnerships. “These artists, working in different eras and traditions, are connected by a shared fascination with the natural world. Translating their works into a unique format—bandages—allows a whole new way to appreciate and live with art every day.”

You can now get a pack of these art-inspired adhesive bandages at BAND-AID’s website. For the previous BAND-AID collaboration with The Met, you can find the artistic adhesive bandages on Amazon, Target, and CVS.

BAND-AID recently collaborated with The Met to launch a series of floral, art-themed adhesive bandages.

The designs let you heal wounds with Claude Monet’s Water Lilies, Vincent van Gogh’s Irises, and Odilon Redon’s Bouquet of Flowers.

The pack of 50 bandages in assorted sizes lets you wear a little part of The Met’s impressive collection.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by BAND-AID® Brand (@bandaidbrand)

BAND-AID: Website | Facebook | Instagram

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READ: The Met x BAND-AID Unveil Art Bandages That Let You Heal Wounds With Famous Paintings

Vibrant Stage Design Brings Natural Forms of Mushrooms and Coral Reefs to Coachella

Emma Taggart — Fri, 15 May 2026 16:35:32 +0000

Vibrant Stage Design Brings Natural Forms of Mushrooms and Coral Reefs to Coachella

Music festivals wouldn’t be the same without the incredible stages that not only host the artists, but also create immersive experiences for the audience. For Coachella, Los Angeles-based creative studio Do LaB—founded by brothers Josh, Jesse, and Dede Flemming—creates environments that merge art, architecture, and music. Unlike the festival’s main stages, Do LaB’s distinct spaces are more intimate, built around emerging acts and spontaneous performances.

At this year’s Coachella, Do LaB created a large-scale installation called Macrodose. The immersive piece featured a network of organic, pod-like forms that came together to form a continuous canopy overhead. Instead of a conventional stage, it acted as a walk-through environment, designed to be experienced from different angles and viewpoints.

Macrodose featured huge cantilevered arms extending up to 50 feet overhead, with the engineering hidden beneath more than 1,600 custom-fabricated panels. The pod-like forms were inspired by mushrooms and coral reefs, and were designed to respond to wind and other natural elements. Lighting and atmospheric elements were built directly into the organic-like structures, allowing the atmospheric environment to transform from day to night.

Even after two decades of designing stages, Do LaB’s work is still evolving. The family-run company treats each new project as a chance to experiment, and to explore new ideas in form, materials, and how spaces connect with music and audiences. Do LaB says, “The goal is to create environments that feel immersive, kinetic, and emotionally engaging—spaces where experience itself becomes the artwork.”

To see more of their work, you can follow Do LaB on Instagram.

Creative studio Do LaB create immersive festival stages that merge art, architecture, and music.

At this year’s Coachella, the family-run team created a large-scale installation called Macrodose.

The immersive piece featured a network of organic, pod-like forms that came together to form a continuous canopy overhead.

The dynamic forms were inspired by mushrooms and coral reefs, and were designed to respond to wind and other natural elements.

Instead of a conventional stage, Macrodose acted as a walk-through environment, designed to be experienced from different angles and viewpoints.

Do Lab: Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Do Lab.

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READ: Vibrant Stage Design Brings Natural Forms of Mushrooms and Coral Reefs to Coachella

Artist Paints, Embroiders, and Sews Gorgeous Gowns Fit for a Fairytale Princess

Sara Barnes — Thu, 14 May 2026 16:35:59 +0000

Artist Paints, Embroiders, and Sews Gorgeous Gowns Fit for a Fairytale Princess

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sylvie Facon Créatrice France (@sylviefaconcreatricefrance)

Fashion is a vehicle for whimsy and storytelling when it’s in the hands of Sylvie Facon. Her work is the epitome of wearable art, in which entire landscapes and beautiful bouquets emerge from the delicate layers of lace and tulle. They are as intricately constructed as their stories are layered, folding the wearer into Facon’s form of visual poetry.

The French designer is a multifaceted talent and uses her skills in painting, embroidery, and textile design to fashion her garments. One of her favorite techniques uses a transparent tulle background as the canvas for illustrations made using appliqué and layers of lace. The approach allows her to create an element—such as a cityscape—and make it look like it’s floating over skin. Often, the statement-making elements are enhanced with touches of paint or pearling.

Facon’s inspiration is clear, forming a throughline in each piece: nature, vegetation, and flowers. Sometimes, Pre-Raphaelite painting and fairytale motifs are splashed across her dresses, communicated through imagery like a beaded heart spread across the chest. Here, her raw materials are vital, as she uses them like shorthand. Floral lace is just one example. “The diversity of floral lace provides her with a whole range of motifs that resonate with her creative universe,” she shares on her website, “floral patterns of roses, peonies, tulips, or irises, in full bloom, in bud, or in bouquets; motifs of branches, foliage, grasses, and other vines arranged in rhythmic compositions; and delicate, spiderweb-like lace patterns.”

To stay updated on what the artist creates next, you can follow Sylvie Facon on Instagram.

Fashion is a vehicle for whimsy and storytelling when it’s in the hands of Sylvie Facon. Her work is the epitome of wearable art.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sylvie Facon Créatrice France (@sylviefaconcreatricefrance)

Sylvie Facon: Website | Instagram | Facebook

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READ: Artist Paints, Embroiders, and Sews Gorgeous Gowns Fit for a Fairytale Princess

LEGO Raises Age Limit to 100+ in Honor of Sir David Attenborough’s 100th Birthday

Emma Taggart — Tue, 12 May 2026 19:20:26 +0000

Keep Up with Cutting-Edge Design on My Modern Modern -

National Geographic Promotes New ‘Secret of Bees’ Show With Billboards Doubling as Bee Hotels

To promote its new show titled Secrets of the Bees, National Geographic hired creative agency Meanwhile to create clever, sustainable advertisements.

Meanwhile used the show's message to build mini bee hotels, which give solitary bees a resting spot or nesting spot, aiding their pollinator plight.

The bee hotels, along with a “bloomboard” (a blooming billboard) featuring a pollination garden, are intended as permanent installations and are made from sustainable materials.

Sources: Disney and NatGeo Built Billboards That Bees Can Actually Live In

Related Articles:

Giant Converse Sneaker Becomes a Massive Graffiti Canvas in Los Angeles

A giant Converse sneaker appeared in Los Angeles by WHY CGI and Mixed Media, transforming the iconic shoe into a graffiti-covered street art canvas.

Related Articles:

Swatch Unveils Colorful ‘Royal Pop’ Pocket Watches and Crowds Cause a Frenzy To Get Them

The new Royal Pop collection transforms Audemars Piguet’s iconic Royal Oak luxury sports watch into a series of colorful pendant-style pocket watches.

Inspired by Swatch’s playful POP watches from the 1980s, the collection embraces bold color, oversized design, and wearable styling.

Bright shades of cobalt blue, neon green, hot pink, and orange turn the classic Royal Oak into something closer to wearable Pop Art than traditional Swiss luxury.

Ahead of the May 16 release, massive crowds gathered outside Swatch stores worldwide as collectors rushed to secure the highly anticipated watches.

Swatch: Website | Instagram

All images via Swatch.

Sources: Audemars Piguet & Swatch break the rules of watchmaking; Shoppers’ Frenzy for ‘Royal Pop’ Pocket Watches Forces Swatch to Shut Stores

Related Articles:

The Met x BAND-AID Unveil Art Bandages That Let You Heal Wounds With Famous Paintings

BAND-AID recently collaborated with The Met to launch a series of floral, art-themed adhesive bandages.

The designs let you heal wounds with Claude Monet’s Water Lilies, Vincent van Gogh’s Irises, and Odilon Redon’s Bouquet of Flowers.

The pack of 50 bandages in assorted sizes lets you wear a little part of The Met’s impressive collection.

Related Articles:

Vibrant Stage Design Brings Natural Forms of Mushrooms and Coral Reefs to Coachella

Creative studio Do LaB create immersive festival stages that merge art, architecture, and music.

At this year’s Coachella, the family-run team created a large-scale installation called Macrodose.

The immersive piece featured a network of organic, pod-like forms that came together to form a continuous canopy overhead.

The dynamic forms were inspired by mushrooms and coral reefs, and were designed to respond to wind and other natural elements.

Instead of a conventional stage, Macrodose acted as a walk-through environment, designed to be experienced from different angles and viewpoints.

Do Lab: Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Do Lab.

Related Articles:

Artist Paints, Embroiders, and Sews Gorgeous Gowns Fit for a Fairytale Princess

Fashion is a vehicle for whimsy and storytelling when it’s in the hands of Sylvie Facon. Her work is the epitome of wearable art.

Related Articles:

LEGO Raises Age Limit to 100+ in Honor of Sir David Attenborough’s 100th Birthday

David Attenborough turned 100 on May 8, 2026, and LEGO celebrated the milestone by raising the age limit on its sets from 99+ to 100+.

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ICFF 2026: What You Need to Know About the Furniture Expo Before It Opens

On May 17, the 2026 edition of the International Contemporary Furniture Fair will touch down at the Javits Center in New York.

As one of the world’s premier design festivals, ICFF will gather hundreds of designers, brands, collectors, and retailers, offering a comprehensive glimpse into creative practices around the world.

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by ICFF.

Related Articles:

Eileen Gu’s Met Gala “Bubble Dress” Made of 15,000 Glass Spheres Blew Actual Bubbles

Olympian Eileen Gu attended the 2026 Met Gala in a tech-couture bubble dress designed by Iris van Herpen.

Thousands of glass spheres and hidden mechanics turned movement into performance.

This look served as a signal for a future where fashion is fully experiential.

The dress even blew real bubbles, transforming the body into a living artwork

Sources: Fit Check: Eileen Gu Becomes a Living Art Installation in a Tech-Powered Bubble Gown at the 2026 Met Gala; Iris van Herpen crafts “dissolving” Met Gala dress from 15,000 glass bubbles

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Met Gala 2026: How Attendees Interpreted the “Fashion Is Art” Theme on the Red Carpet

The 2026 Met Gala had the theme “Fashion is Art.” Here’s how attendees interpreted it in clever and often gorgeous ways.

Sabrina Carpenter

Eileen Gu

Heidi Klum

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky

Doechii

Kim Kardashian

Blake Lively

Madonna

Bad Bunny

María Zardoya (of The Marias)

Blue Ivy, Jay-Z, and Beyonce

Hudson Williams

Connor Storrie

Emma Chamberlain

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Sarah Paulson

Katy Perry

Janelle Monáe

Alysa Liu

Ayo Edebiri

Hunter Schafer

Naomi Osaka

Serena Williams

Chase Infiniti

Teyana Taylor

Colman Domingo

Lena Dunham

LISA
Embed from Getty Images