If you ever wondered what the home world of the symbiotes in the Venom cinematic franchise looks like, then watch Venom: The Last Dance. Marvel and Sony Pictures final instalment in their Symbiote trilogy, starring Tom Hardy and directed by Kelly Marcel, showcases Klyntar and the imprisoned symbiote creator Knull. Hired to create the artificial planet in the Andromeda Galaxy that appears in the opening and post-credit scenes - a total of 36 shots - was Digital Domain. The leading VFX studio produced the constantly moving, eerie organic setting from scratch as well as monstrous creatures known as Xenophages that crawl through the dark realm. The environment is literally made of symbiotes and its dark, states Scott Edelstein, VFX Supervisor, Digital Domain. We had many conversations early on with John Moffatt and Aharon Bourland, the client-side visual effects supervisors. How do you make the lighting interesting but not make it like Knull is in the spotlight at the center of this world? You still have to see all of these creepy creatures crawling around inside of this goo, and everything is black. What helped at the end of the day was the amount and layering of atmosphere we were about to put in out into infinity because this world is huge. But being able to light it mostly with the atmosphere allows you to backlight things and create this creepy world that is dark. You get senses of movement that are going on around you. But, you dont exactly know what it is until the camera moves and a little bit of atmosphere blows through and now you can see its a Xenophage crawling and Knull is in the background.Given that Klyntar is not a static environment, it had to be treated as a character. We worked well with the effects department so that means we did some animation and sent it over to the effects department and they did all of the moving stuff, remarks Ellen Hoffmann, Animation Supervisor, Digital Domain. Then it came back to us, and we changed it little bit so that the composition worked. The world building was based on the look of the previous films, artwork, and comic books. It was about understanding what form the symbiote takes when stretching out and doing cool things, notes Edelstein. Then we took that on a much bigger scale so you could get a sense that youre using the same visual language to understand that these are symbiotes. Then in terms of the atmosphere, we looked at a lot of dark environments like swamps and warzones at night. The environment was supposed to be very wet. You have this spec on everything. But how do you see? For a lot of those things, you have this low-lying fog. In war you have the smoke and ash blowing through. We added blowing ash in a scene that allowed us to build layers. Where did the atmosphere come from? Its this hot moist environment that has been there for hundreds of thousands of years. In the film, Knull is presented as a primordial deity in human form. Knull was interesting because he mainly has his face down, Hoffmann says. We had to figure out how are we going to do dialogue with a mouth that is not closing. In the dark lighting, how much will we see of his face to make him seem alive? Because people are so trained at looking at faces. Its important to always get a tiny movement somewhere, like a hairline or forehead motion. Hes trapped and tired but also angry. That has to show in his face at a certain point. It was interesting to animate. We got a good base with Masquerade3 [Digital Domains proprietary facial capture technology] and Tom Hardy. There were good reference videos where we checked out what Tom was doing with his face. We could use that. Additionally, we could amp up stuff or do one more motion on the forehead. Also, with the dark lighting, how much do we see and how do we keep him alive? Even little hand twitches emphasize that he is trying to get out.Complicating the animation process was the inability to do big expressions or actions. Without Knull doing a whole lot, he has to tell this huge story with his face and little body movements, observes Edelstein. In order to add all of these tiny pieces, you have to understand his personality.Central to getting Knulls desired facial performance was Masquerade3 and Tom Hardy. We got mocap data from him and then it went through Masquerade3, Hoffmann remarks. We added the open mouth shape and trained the data with the idea to have an extra shape in it. Then we got mocap back and could go for all of the shots right away. The data was amazing. Hardy plays Eddie Brock, Venom and Knull. It was interesting to work with Tom because he has a great understanding of the characters, observes Edelstein. Watching him go back and forth between them in real-time was cool. Tom would have conversations with the director, Kelly Marcel, about what the motivation behind things would be. They both have such a deep understanding of the characters. Knull is a very understated character. But whether its Tom portraying him or the animators working to express deep emotion through subtle performance, it speaks volumes about Toms skill as an actor and the animators talent in bringing that nuance to life. For the Xenophages, a rig had already been developed by other vendors. We looked at a lot of animal references for the Xenophages to figure out how they would move, states Hoffmann. The first thing that came into my head was hyenas because when fighting, they have an erratic path motion and there is a hierarchy between them. Theyre always nagging and hissing at each other. There is one Xenophage who is like the boss, and there is communication between them. The main thing is when Knull is talking, theyre totally quiet and are looking and listening. We got in some slow movements in combination with ones that are fast and erratic. There were sudden direction changes to make them dangerous, so you dont know what happens in the next second. Edelstein also notes that nothing is more believable than reality. Having something to reference as an underlying structure, like a rig and muscle system that create the micro expressions and movements of the face; simulating skin sliding over muscles; or loose skin and fat jiggling around; those all add extra layers of reality to these things, she remarks. You get into the issue of it looking CG when things are too perfect, and it doesnt have all of those little mistakes. The Xenophages are blind, so we had to put cataracts over their eyes, so you dont get to see them moving around or focusing on things. How do you see into their soul? Such much of it is how they move, interact with each other, and giving them a personality. Some shots contained more than 30 Xenophages. We tried really hard to crash the render farm! laughs Edelstein. Imagine this world, which requires a superheavy water simulation and on top of it, you add atmosphere and 30 CG animals going out to the background. The Xenophages had a typical creature rig. We did try to figure out what parts of the face are mobile and stiff, explains Hoffmann. It was a mix of a dog and spider rig. We animated some stuff going around Knull to pull him back onto his chair; that was a rig which we could move around and hold him. Knull is being held down on his throne by gooey tendrils made of symbiotes that have tar flowing across them. Animation had to animate Knull and his restraints, while effects had to simulate flowing tar on top of that, notes Edelstein. It was a back and forth between animation and effects until they got it working and then off to lighting.Knull tasks the Xenophages to find the orb shaped Codex, which he must possess to finally free himself from his prison. We had ideas of what the Codex could be, but the design was based on some artwork, states Edelstein. One of the most complex shots we had on the whole show was when the camera flies close to the Codex and shows the way its created. If a host dies, the symbiote can bring them back, and when that happens, their life forces comingle and that creates a Codex. Whenever the symbiote is in its true form, the Xenophage can see the Codex inside them. The camera is almost skimming the surface of the Codex like a planet and theres this cool effects simulation inside of all this energy coming together. Then that whole energy is moving through space and this microenvironment. The tentacles come out and reach for the sword that Knull has and that is what releases him. Its a long shot that is all CG, done from scratch, with very little previous direction other than talking to the client.Most visual effects people prefer to use practical plates whenever possible as a starting point. You can extend things and add stuff, but if you have something shot on camera, then youre always going to be starting with something real, remarks Edelstein. In this case where were starting from nothing, its hard to create a fully CG world with fully CG characters and have it all look photoreal, so people get the sense its real and not get taken out of the film. Helping make the fully CG world look believable was the use of darkness to assist with the depth. What was nice was that even though it was a superheavy environment, at some point, everything falls off into darkness, or theres a buildup of atmosphere so dense you cant see beyond, states Edelstein. At that point, it can essentially become a 2D matte painting. Or in this case, we rendered the foreground on a single frame, blew that up bigger, and pushed it way in the back on cards. That did help. As the atmosphere is moving through you get pockets where you see through and that builds the depth.Knull eventually escapes and causes Klyntar to go up in flames. Whats good about the environment is that its entirely made of an effects simulation, Edelstein shares. At some point when the Codex and sword come together and Knulls prison is broken, the entire environment freezes. All of that liquid tar that is alive becomes a hard surface, almost like obsidian. That is basically taking the effects simulation, freezing it on a frame, and since its all still happening within the same effects environment, shattering it and making those giant pieces fall. But what was nice about was that when youre talking about things being effects friendly, it was effects making it for themselves to start with. Going from darkness to a bright fireball was a completely different thing that required considerable planning. According to Edelstein, For all these shaders that are seen in black 95% of the time, what do they look like when you light them up with fire? That was a whole other development process we had to go through with different lighting environments and effects simulations. As these things are breaking, dust gets kicked up and tiny bits fall into the tar. So, they create splashes. All sorts of things like that happen to add different layers of reality. Trevor Hogg is a freelance video editor and writer best known for composing in-depth filmmaker and movie profiles for VFX Voice, Animation Magazine, and British Cinematographer.

History, mystery, and high-stakes adventure collide in Fountain of Youth. John Krasinski and Natalie Portman lead the charge in Guy Ritchies latest action-packed film. Will they unlock the secret to eternal life?The VFX are made by:Digital DomainDNEG (VFX Supervisor: Bryan Litson)Outpost VFX (VFX Supervisor: Laurent Gillet)Weta FXThe Production VFX Supervisor is Pete Bebb.Director: Guy RitchieRelease Date: May 23, 2025 (Apple TV+) Vincent Frei The Art of VFX 2025The post Fountain of Youth appeared first on The Art of VFX.

Materialise, a Belgium-based additive manufacturing company, has secured EN 9100 certification for its metal 3D printing operations. The designation, which builds on ISO 9001, confirms that the company meets rigorous quality management standards specific to the aerospace industry, including traceability, process control, and regulatory compliance. The certification enables Materialise to expand its role in aviation and space supply chains by offering certified metal components produced through additive processes.Before this development, Materialise had already achieved EN 9100 certification for its polymer 3D printing activities, producing more than 500,000 functional parts currently in service on aircraft. These include components for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), tier suppliers, and maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) operations. The addition of certified metal capabilities allows the company to address new part categories with structural or durability requirements and respond more flexibly to industry demands.Beyond EN 9100, Materialise holds a Production Organization Approval (POA) from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), permitting it to manufacture flight-ready components with Form 1 accreditation. It is also one of a limited number of additive manufacturing providers certified to Airbus AIPI standards, having recently received the highest possible grade on the Airbus Quality Maturity assessment. These credentials position the company to support a range of aviation stakeholders in identifying and qualifying parts suitable for polymer or metal 3D printing.Erik de Zeeuw, Market Manager for Aerospace at Materialise, said: Low-criticality parts that need to be light, strong, and durable, such as seat bezels, housings, interior trims, or ducts, are particularly strong candidates. They often need to be repaired or replaced, but in small quantities. These are requirements that align perfectly with key benefits of metal 3D printing, including the ability to have digital on-demand stock for faster, more reliable sourcing, and cost-efficient production of small series parts.Materialise expands its aerospace portfolio with EN 9100 certification for metal 3D printing. Image via Materialise.The additive process eliminates tooling and associated setup costs, making small-batch production economically viable compared to conventional manufacturing. There is no requirement for minimum order quantities, which reduces the risk of holding excess inventory. This is a significant factor in aerospace, where parts are often needed in limited runs.Paying only for parts used, and with a lower TCO, is clearly beneficial, de Zeeuw said. As is avoiding any potential supply chain disruptions that could delay part availability, which in turn can end up grounding flights for long periods of time. Whats more, it becomes less cost-prohibitive to review and adapt parts for continuous improvement.Certification benchmarks across AM sectorsAerospace-focused additive manufacturing companies have increasingly sought quality management certifications to meet sector-specific requirements. A3D Manufacturing, a US-based manufacturing-as-a-service provider, recently earned AS9100 certification from the International Aerospace Quality Group (IAQC). This approval confirms that A3Ds 3D printed components and processes meet the high precision, environmental tolerance, and safety standards demanded by aerospace applications. The AS9100 standard is often a prerequisite for doing business with large aerospace manufacturers. Similar certifications have been granted to other additive firms including Additive Flight Solutions and Keselowski Advanced Manufacturing, which qualified both their additive and CNC operations for aerospace and defense production in under six months.In construction 3D printing, quality and safety standards have also become more formalized. ISO/ASTM 52939:2023, published in December 2023, sets out qualification principles for structural and infrastructure elements in additive construction. Developed jointly by ISOs Additive Manufacturing Technical Committee and ASTMs F42 committee, the standard outlines requirements for process control, quality-relevant characteristics, and risk mitigation. It mandates that certified engineers oversee specific production steps to ensure structural integrity. Although the new guidelines do not apply to metals or address environmental and safety issues, they provide a framework for certifying non-metallic 3D printed elements used in residential and commercial infrastructure.ASTM International Logo. Image via ASTM International.Ready to discover who won the 20243D Printing Industry Awards?Subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry newsletter to stay updated with the latest news and insights.Featured image shows Materialise expands its aerospace portfolio with EN 9100 certification for metal 3D printing. Image via Materialise.Anyer Tenorio LaraAnyer Tenorio Lara is an emerging tech journalist passionate about uncovering the latest advances in technology and innovation. With a sharp eye for detail and a talent for storytelling, Anyer has quickly made a name for himself in the tech community. Anyer's articles aim to make complex subjects accessible and engaging for a broad audience. In addition to his writing, Anyer enjoys participating in industry events and discussions, eager to learn and share knowledge in the dynamic world of technology.

The Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) is an international membership association that represents more than 200 schools of architecture and 7,000 faculty around the world. Last month, as reported by AN, it canceled the Fall 2025 issue of the Journal of Architectural Education (JAE) themed on Palestine and fired its interim executive editor. The action resulted in the resignation of all 20 members of the JAE editorial board on March 10, shortly before the annual ACSA meeting. Its theme was Repair. Initial Steps Toward SolidarityWhile ACSA Executive Director Michael Monti and ACSA board leadership have framed the cancellation as the result of a reappraisal of the legal risks that have intensified with the reactionary political climate that arrived with the Trump administration, the conflict actually has a history as old as the latest round of the Israel-Palestine war.After Hamass attack on Jewish settlements on October 7, 2023, that killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and Israels subsequent bombing campaign and ground invasion that has killed more than 50,000 people, the majority of whom were civilians, thenJAE executive editor Nora Wendl, a professor at the University of New Mexico, began coordinating a statement of support for Palestine among the JAE editorial board. To her, it seemed appropriate and very much precedented: The previous year, ACSA had published a statement of support for Ukraine that called Russias invasion a blatant violation of sovereignty. She sent a draft to Monti and then-ACSA president Mo Zell. Their response was, This is so inappropriate, this is so offensive. What are you doing? Wendl recalled recently. (AN reached out to Monti about his reactions to this draft statement, along with nearly two dozen other questions. Monti did not answer the majority of these questions, including this one, but he did supply a timeline of events in the ACSA/JAE conflict.)ACSA leadership continued to push back on JAEs statement. If the word genocide was to be used, there would have to be a footnote and citation. The JAE had to prove it was a genocide, said Wendl. They kept picking apart the language, saying Its not apartheid, look what the ADL is saying! she said, referring to the Anti-Defamation League.Wendl was willing to comply. But more obstacles appeared. According to her, the JAE board was told they could publish a statement only if each individual board member was listed by name, and ACSA requested that the JAE board make it clear that the ACSA was not involved in the statement.The combination of identifying themselves individually without the institutional backing of ACSA made Wendl uncomfortable. She said she and her colleagues decided not to publish a statement under the auspices of ACSA and JAE. The experience informed JAEs board to bring the issue of Palestines geopolitical context and related built-environment ramifications into JAEs core function: scholarly publication. Lets do what we always do, Wendl said. Lets take it back to scholarship. Lets make a Palestine issue. I dont know that we would have been this aligned to do [this] issue if we hadnt gone through everything we went through trying to write that statement.This decision would break open a much wider fissure between the JAE and ACSA that has resulted in the resignation of ACSA board leadership and the exit of dues-paying member schools. For some, the conflict raises the question of the value and efficacy of this century-old professional association for contemporary architectural educators.A Call for Papers Sets Off a CrisisIn advance of a meeting between the ACSA board, the JAE board, and the Palestine issue theme editors in early September 2024, Monti and ACSA president Cathi Ho Schar shared the Palestine call for papers with Michael Zaretsky and Adrian Parr Zaretsky of the University of Oregon and Sharon Haar at the University of Michigan, before it had been made public. JAE board members, according to their resignation letter, said sharing the call beyond the bounds of the ACSAs leadership before it was published is a breach of ACSA bylaws and a violation of the peer review process.Billy Fleming, a former member of the JAE editorial board and an assistant professor at Temple University, who is Jewish, thought that Monti assembled this group to tell him what he wanted to do, which is to cancel this issue.To be discussed at the meeting last September was a list of sharply critical questions drafted by the ACSA and read aloud by Ho Schar, according to Cruz Garcia, a former member of the JAE editorial board and architecture professor at Iowa State University, who attended the meeting. The questions probed at the one-sided framing of conflict in the call for papers. There was concern that the call was rooted in a specific political framing. ACSA wanted to know why the JAE was not discussing other examples of genocide or settler-colonialism and asked if the call implied that Israel does not have a legitimate claim to its existence. Garcia felt the ACSA was looking for a false neutrality; an adherence to a journalistic model of discourse that was not relevant in an academic setting and would make it impossible for scholars to offer moral or ethical condemnation on anything.As discussed in an online town hall meeting in March, the JAE board felt that the ACSAs questions inappropriately sowed doubt about the journals scholarly integrity. Regardless, they moved forward and published the call in mid-September 2024. Its text has since been removed from the JAE website.The JAE board would later encounter similar talking points in a letter dated October 14, 2024. (AN has reviewed a copy of the letter.) It was signed by the educators ACSA leadership shared the call for papers withParr Zaretsky, Zaretsky, and Haaralong with Bijan Youssefzadeh, an associate professor at the University of Texas at Arlington. The letter criticized the call as deeply ideological and said ACSA had become a platform for hate speech. It asked ACSA and JAE to issue an apology and for JAE to retract the call for papers. Around that time, an open letter titled Architects United Against Anti-Semitism circulated, eventually gathering over 700 signatures, though many of the signatories are not identified as architects. The letter broadly aligns with popular interpretations of the Israel-Palestine war that center Hamas as a terror organization. (The call for papers did not mention Hamas.) The letter described the call for papers as an act of academic malpractice that was clearly aimed to glorify Hamas violence and demonize Israel under the pretense of scholarship. The letters text stridently objected to calling Israels actions genocide, a label the signatories feel is inappropriate because it requires the deliberate and systematic destruction of a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group in part or in whole. There is a clear distinction between that and what is happening in Gaza today. This is because the State of Israel is fighting a defensive war against Hamas. Despite Hamas embedding itself in civilian populations to maximize casualties, Israel has managed to maintain an unprecedentedly low ratio of civilian deaths relative to enemy soldiers/terrorists when compared to other conflicts, the letter continues. This could not be possible if Israel were intent on committing genocide.The letter interpreted the call for papers itself as a prologue to genocide because of its criticism of Israel, declaring that the ASCA is one of many academic institutions getting swept up in the same type of behavior that preceded the Holocaust for over a decade in German intellectual society. If you ever wondered what you would have done if you were alive back in 1930s Germany, it will be how you will respond to this moment.The language of the JAE call was sharply decolonial and anti-Zionist. The text explicitly labeled Israeli military actions as genocide, a controversial stance that aligns with the viewpoints of international human rights organizations like the United Nations and Human Rights Watch.The goal for the Palestine issue was to reflect on the global reverberations and social, political, economic, and environmental implications of this historical juncture for design, research, and education in architecture, said Nora Akawi, a Palestinian architect and an assistant professor at Cooper Union, who commented on behalf of the issues four theme editors. (The three others were Nick Estes of the University of Minnesota, Zo Samudzi of Clark University, and Omar Jabary Salamanca of the Universit Libre de Bruxelles.) For more than a century, Palestine has been at the receiving end of imperial and zionist formations of racial capitalism, settler colonialism, apartheid and genocide. She continued, Our call invited contributions to consider and document architectural and spatial tools that participate in or are complicit in such formations. A Possible Shift in ACSA ViewpointsDespite past tensions, some editorial board members, like Ersela Kripa, a founding partner of AGENCY, felt that the Palestine call was consistent with ACSAs generally progressive view of architecture pedagogy. A few days after the call was published, the ACSA issued a joint statement opposing the prohibition on diversity, equity, and inclusion in design education. ACSA and three other design education professional associations jointly communicate our opposition to any legislation that prevents educators from teaching and sharing complete and accurate knowledge about the built environment for the purpose of shielding students from divisive or disagreeable content related to the impact of race and racism in America and global society, as well as other pedagogy related to gender and LGBTQ+ identities.According to Monti, this truce was interrupted by the new presidential administration in Washington. Shortly after President Trumps inauguration, thousands of harassing emails were sent to ACSA and JAE board members, condemning the call for papers. One subject line read: Eff The PaliNazis!!! Strong Condemnation of the JAEs Alarming, Politically Charged Call for Papers. Angry letters from the faculty of member schools also made their way to the ACSA. Some voices described how Jewish faculty and students have felt unsafe on college campuses recently.In February, the ACSA initiated a legal review of the call for papers, and on February 21, the ACSA board voted to stop the Palestine issue in the middle of the peer-review process, before they had seen any of its contents.As reported in AN, which broke the news of the Palestine issues cancellation: The ACSA board decided the risks from publishing the issue have significantly increased as a result of new actions by the U.S. presidential administration as well as other actions at state levels. These substantial risks include personal threats to journal editors, authors, and reviewers, as well as to ACSA volunteers and staff. They also include legal and financial risks facing the organization overall. Monti and Ho Schar have noted that the definitions of antisemitism embraced by the Trump administration and developed by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) appear overly vague and restrictive of free speech. However, these laws exist, and are being applied widely. As such, ACSAs legal counsel advises that the JAE Call for Papers would not withstand a legal claim due to the calls language.Considering his other clients, it might be hard to imagine ACSAs legal counsel coming to any other conclusion. Previously, ACSA was advised by Jeffrey P. Altman of the law firm Whiteford, Taylor & Preston. Altman is also listed as general counsel for The Republican Jewish Coalition, which on March 2 issued a press release praising President Trump for expediting $4 billion of military aid to Israel. The ACSA board was not informed of Altmans relationship to this conservative pro-Israel organization, according to Marcelo Lpez-Dinardi, an associate professor at Texas A&M, and former ACSA board member. Asked for comment about this, Monti and Ho Schar did not respond to emails.Four days later, on February 25, Monti and Ho Schar informed the University of Michigans McLain Clutter (who became Interim Executive Editor of the JAE after Wendl stepped down in August 2024) of the ACSA boards decision. Clutter refused to work with the ACSA on a replacement issue and was fired on February 28. That same day, ACSA informed faculty conciliators and university administrators that they had stopped publication of the Palestine issue before reaching out to JAE board members, which Ho Schar would later apologize for in the annual ACSA business meeting, held on March 5.Further, Monti and Ho Schar, on behalf of the ACSA board, told AN that we regret that the decision to halt JAE 79.2 has caused members to question our values and intentions. We have started work to repair trust and relationships in the organization. Monti and Ho Schar also shared that ACSA learned that in two states, which include 12 colleges with architecture programs, presidents at member universities and governors were being urged to restrict the use of state funds for ACSA membership dues because of the Palestine JAE issue. They feared that, in states with IHRA antisemitism statutes, joining ACSA could be deemed illegal due to the call for papers. In their estimation, up to 87 of 132 U.S. member schools are potentially exposed and vulnerable.On March 3, the JAE editorial board sent a letter to ACSA demanding the reinstatement of Clutter and the reversal of the decision to terminate the Palestine issue. They criticized the decision as an attack on academic freedom, intellectual integrity, and ethical scholarship. The next day, they released an open letter that eventually garnered the signatures of 1,500 architectural educators, echoing their demands. The membership of our field is appalled by this, said Fleming.That was the last time the JAE editors attempted to work within the ACSA to resolve this rift. In a letter dated March 10, all members of the board announced their resignation. Three days later, the JAE board, now in exile, held a town hall meeting to lay out their timeline of events and discuss finding an alternative publisher for the Palestine issue.Resignations and a CancellationThe ACSAs own board has not been insulated from this wave of resignations. Due to the ACSAs handling of the Palestine issue, Lpez-Dinardi, the ACSA board member, resigned on March 16. Another board member, Vivian Lee, associate professor at the University of Toronto, also resigned, and Jos Ibarra, assistant professor at the University of Colorado Denver, who was to begin an ACSA board term, withdrewhis acceptanceof this board position.Ive tried my part, [from] within, to develop a dialogue that I thought was needed, Lpez-Dinardi said. He did not vote to cancel the Palestine issue.At least one school, Portland State University (PSU), has declined to renew its ACSA membership, in part because of the canceled Palestine issue. The architecture schools director Juan Manuel Heredia put the issue to a faculty vote and the result was unanimous, he said. Heredia called the decision a pragmatic one made in the context of budget cut austerity. It seems like we can use the funds that we pay ACSA for other purposes that could benefit the school more directly, he said. While PSU faculty have benefitted from ACSA publications, Heredia said the abrupt cancellation of an issue of its flagship journal calls into question their commitment to academic freedom and scholarly publication. (ACSA also publishes a second journal, TAD, that focuses on technology, architecture, and design. Four members of its editorial board also recently resigned.) This issueand not any broader political alignment among facultyis what prompted their unified objection. I dont think everyone is on the same [page] politically speaking, but everyone is on the same [page] in terms of this type of attempt at curtailing academic freedom, Heredia said.Much of ACSAs public programming has been broadly progressive, and supportive of a wide range of social justice or DEI initiatives, leaving ACSA and JAE board members wondering why this critically framed analysis of Palestine became such a red line. I couldnt see how we could support these other initiatives but not that one in particular, said Lpez-Dinardi.For instance, the ACSA Faculty Fellowship to Advance Equity in Architecture was established to support academics from marginalized backgrounds working in non-tenure-tracked positions. Recent examples of the ACSA research series Where Are My People have highlighted the experiences of LGBTQ+ architects and educators. A previous issue of the JAE was focused on reparations. Clutter, the former interim executive editor, sees a clear double-standard, he said. Whether [theres] a line or no line, to me its equally damning for the decision-making of the ACSA. Either theyre making decisions based on a racist double standard, or theyve proven themselves completely flaccid in the face of encroaching fascism.It feels to me as a Muslim scholar that some of the last truly acceptable forms of racism these days are Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism, said former JAE editorial board member Ozayr Saloojee, a professor at Carleton University in Ottawa.Clutter hopes the rupture with ACSA can be fixed, but he said its likely not possible with Monti as executive director, a role he has held for 21 years. I hope that this rift creates deep, structural reforms in ACSA, he said. Its really hard to remake these kinds of organizations with decades-long history, [] so it would be a terrible shame if this actually initiates the complete downfall of ACSA.For now, the former JAE editorial board members are focusing on a publishing and scholarship future beyond ACSA, according to Fleming. During ASCAs annual meeting in New Orleans, held on March 2022, JAE board members worked with Dark Matter U on counterprogramming aimed at establishing a new academic research and professional organization thats actually capable of serving architectural education in the 21st century, which I do not think the ACSA is capable of doing any longer, said Fleming. Coming out of the New Orleans conference, these critiques have pushed ACSA to respond to membership that is unhappy with their decision to cancel the Palestine issue. On March 27, ACSA leadership sent an update to members notifying them that the organization would ask an independent consultant or task force to review the decisions, processes, and structures that led up to the initial call for papers and the subsequent cancellation.Canceling the Palestine issue sends a clear signal, Fleming said, to members that when any kind of stated commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, or justice has any challenge, [] the ACSA is willing to walk away from these commitments. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are essentially slogans to them, not material commitments. I dont think its beyond the scope of reason to believe that in the not-so-distant future, that things like climate research might be censored or have restrictions put on [them], said Clutter. People are going to wonder whether or not venues like the ACSA will be a reliable platform and advocate for that kind of research. He wondered, When and will ACSA be the kind of member organization that stands up for the freedom of its members?In a moment when an Indian doctoral candidate in urban planning at Columbia GSAPP has fled to Canada to avoid ICE and the Trump administration is demanding that Columbia Universitys Middle Eastern Studies program be put under receivership, the fragility of First Amendment rights doesnt seem like abstract quandary. Wendl said that canceling the Palestine issue could prompt higher education administrators to say, This is a topic we dont touch. This professional association said its verboten, so you dont talk about this, you dont write about this, you dont protest about this. I think that is really, really dangerous.A too-complicit academy is profoundly terrifying, said Saloojee. We are absolutely at a moment of reckoning.Zach Mortice is a Chicago-based design journalist and critic focused on architecture and landscape architectures relationship to public policy.

The disorienting effects of technology are on full display in the chaotic, action-packed music video for Corridors Jump Cut. Cut-paper collage, archival footage, and rapid, glitched movements dominate the energetic track and visualize the unending frenzy of contemporary life. The brilliant direction and design is by Winston Hacking, with Philippe Tardif on animation.Watch the full video below, and find more from Hacking on Vimeo.Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article A Music Video for Corridor Is a Frenetic Collage of Our Disordered Attention appeared first on Colossal.

Marking the company's 50th anniversary, Microsoft's AI companion just got a lot smarter. Even free users can enjoy these.

The Tesla Model 3 Performance is the vehicle most likely to escape the brunt of President Trump's ... More tariffs, containing an estimated 87.5% domestic content.TeslaIf theres one thing thats for certain about President Trumps twisted labyrinth of international trade tariffs, its that U.S. consumers will pay more in the months ahead for a new car, truck or SUV.As it stands so far, a 25% tariff on all cars and light-duty trucks imported into the U.S., along with major components like engines, transmissions, powertrain parts and electrical components went into effect on April 2. While that was 24 hours too late to be considered an April Fools Day prank, its still going to feel like slipping on a banana peel for new vehicle buyers, though some will likely suffer more than others.At one time it used to be crystal clear that a vehicle coming from either of the Big Three Detroit automakers would be considered 100% American, while those being brought here from Europe or Japan (and later South Korea) would fall cleanly into the import category. However, the lines between the two distinctions have blurred considerably in recent decades.Import brands including Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Kia, Subaru, Hyundai, Merecedes-Benz, and BMW now build hundreds of thousands of vehicles in America-based factories. Conversely, some models from the domestic brands are assembled in Canada and Mexico, or are imported directly from South Korea, Italy or China. Sources suggest around 46% of all new vehicles sold in the U.S. last year were built elsewhere in the world.And thanks to globalization, even the most American cars and trucks contain some measure of imported content. Reports say that most cars built in the U.S contain 40% to 50% or more import-sourced parts and materials.Parsing out the math on each model coming off a U.S. assembly line to determine the exact tariff to be applied can be a daunting challenge. Its made head-achingly complicated in that major components and the vehicles themselves often crisscross borders multiple times on the way to their final assembly and ultimately dealers showrooms These would most likely pile on the tariff charges in the process, perhaps to ridiculously high amounts. Plus, the exact percentage of imported content on a given model might vary from one trim level to another, or may depend on which options are included.Also, its unsure how much of a given models tariffs will be passed on directly to consumers or will be absorbed by the automakers as part of the cost of doing business, either as per-model price increases or additional tariff charges noted on their Monroney stickers. Some analysts predict the average new-vehicles sticker price could well swell from around $5,000 to as much as $15,000 when all is said and done.As it stands, such price increases may take some weeks, and perhaps months to fully surface, depending on the breadth of vehicles and parts already in the supply chain (and theres always the possibility Trump will change course on imported cars and other goods in one direction or the other in the coming weeks and months). Astute car shoppers will want to know before setting foot on a showroom floor which models will inherently carry less of a tariff penalty than others. Already Ford has started a From America, For America ad campaign that highlights its most-American models.Since determining which vehicles for sale are more domestically contented than others can be a daunting challenge, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) requires automakers to provide consumers with data regarding the country of origin of every vehicle (and their components) sold in the U.S. The estimated percentage of North American parts used, where the vehicle is assembled and countries of origin for the engine and transmission is noted on each new vehicles so-called Monroney sticker.Rather than having to visit one showroom after another to gather this information, American Universitys Kogod School of Business compiles its annual Made in America Auto Index to determine which current new vehicles contribute the most to the U.S. economy.In addition to where a car or truck is assembled and the origin of the engine, transmission, body, interior, chassis, electrical and other components, the study accounts for where research and development was conducted and in which country the profits generated by each model ultimately wind up. Unfortunately, since the index is based in part on the aforementioned information compiled and issued by NHTSA, its not 100% accurate with regard to assembly and component content coming from Canada, as the agency treats both U.S. and Canadian (but not Mexican) assembly and content as being North American, and therefore domestic in origin.Trumps pal and DOGE advisor Elon Musk stands to come out the most ahead in the tariff wars, as Tesla leads the industry with an average 81% domestic content, placing five of its models atop the current index. While one tends to think of pickup trucks being all-American vehicles, the highest rated model in the genre is the Honda Ridgeline, being tied for ninth place and sitting way higher than the industrys top-selling F-150 truck (at number 22) in Kogods current index.The Most American Cars, Trucks And SUVsThese are the models the current Made in America Auto Index says are most likely to be slapped with the lowest tariffs moving forward, with their estimated percentages of domestic content noted:1. Tesla Model 3 Performance (87.5%)2. Tesla Model Y (85.0%)3. Tesla Cybertruck (82.5%)4. Tesla Model S (80.0%)4. Tesla Model X (80.0%)4. Ford Mustang GT (80.0%)5. Honda Passport (76.5%)6. Jeep Wrangler (76.0%)7. Volkswagen ID.4 AWD (75.5%)7. Chevrolet Colorado (75.5%)7. GMC Canyon (75.5%)8. Volkswagen ID.4 RWD (74.5%)9. Honda Odyssey (74.0%)9. Honda Ridgeline (74.0%)9. Honda Pilot (74.0%)10. Lincoln Corsair (73.5%)11. Lucid Air (73.0%)11. Mustang GT w/manual trans (73.0%)12. Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (72.5%)13. Lexus TX 350 (71.5%)13. Acura RDX (71.5%)13. Honda Accord (71.5%)13. Acura TLX (71.5%)13. Acura Integra A-Spec (71.5%)14. Tesla Model 3 RWD (70.0%)14. Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (70%)15. Chevrolet Malibu (69.5%)15. Cadillac XT4 (69.5%)16. Kia K5 (69.0%)16. Kia Sorento (69.0%)16. Honda CR-V (69.0%)16. Honda Civic (69.0%)16. Acura Integra (69.0%)16. Cadillac CT5 (69.0%)16. Cadillac CT4 (69.0%)17. Chevrolet Tahoe 4WD Diesel (68.5%)17. Cadillac Escalade (68.5%)17. Chevrolet Suburban 4WD Premier (68.5%)17. GMC Yukon 4WD Denali (68.5%)17. Chevrolet Silverado Crew Cab 4WD Diesel (68.5%)18. GMC Hummer EV (68.0%) 19. Tesla Model 3 Long Range (67.5%)20. Toyota Camry (67%)Source: American University's Kogod School of Business Made in America Auto Index.The full list of cars can be found here.

A Microsoft employee interrupted the company's 50th-anniversary celebration to protest its artificial intelligence initiatives, accusing the company of complicity in war crimes. The disruption occurred during an address by Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman when software engineer Ibtihal Aboussad stood up and directly confronted him."Shame on you," Aboussad declared. "You are a war profiteer. Stop using AI for genocide in our region, Mustafa. You have blood on your hands."Suleyman maintained his composure, repeatedly saying, "Thank you. I hear your protest. Thank you."Aboussad continued her rant even as security escorted her from the venue. However, being ejected from the event did not end her rally. Sources within Microsoft told The Verge that she later sent a company-wide email to hundreds, possibly thousands, of employees, explaining her actions and condemning the company's involvement in Israel's military operations.View this post on InstagramA post shared by The Verge (@verge) // Related StoriesIn her email, Aboussad, a Microsoft engineer for over three years, said she could not stay silent after learning her work contributed to what she called the "genocide" of Palestinians. She accused Microsoft of suppressing internal dissent and fostering a hostile environment for Arab, Palestinian, and Muslim employees."For the past year and a half, our Arab, Palestinian, and Muslim community at Microsoft has been silenced, intimidated, harassed, and doxxed, with impunity," she wrote. "Speaking up at best fell on deaf ears, and at worst, led to the firing of two employees for simply holding a vigil."Aboussad cited reporting by the Associated Press regarding a $133 million contract with Israel's Ministry of Defense, which she said enables mass data collection and intelligence gathering. According to the report, Israeli military use of Microsoft AI services spiked in early 2024, with stored data doubling within months. She claims that Israel uses this data for mass surveillance, transcription of intercepted messages, and aiding in military strikes. Aboussad contends that Microsoft's AI technology makes attacks more lethal and destructive.Aboussad urged coworkers to sign the "No Azure for Apartheid" petition demanding leadership sever ties with the Israeli military. She referenced Microsoft's past decision to drop contracts with AnyVision, an Israeli facial recognition company, after employee and community protests.Her demonstration comes amid broader unrest within the tech sector. Microsoft, Google, and Amazon have all faced employee backlash over military and government contracts, especially surrounding Project Nimbus, which provides cloud services to the Israeli government.Microsoft has not commented publicly on the protest. It has previously stated it adheres to ethical guidelines in its AI work. Whether this incident will lead to internal policy changes remains uncertain.Image credit: Steve Jurvetson

We all know that Samsung makes some of the best TVs on the market in 2025, but the company also produces exceptional soundbars. Available in several shapes and sizes, one of Samsungs midrange models is actually on sale today:For a limited time, when you purchase the Samsung HW-S800D 3.1.2ch Dolby Atmos Soundbar at Amazon, Best Buy, Samsung, and a few other sites and stores, youll only pay $628. The full MSRP on this model is $898.The Samsung S800D is a great soundbar choice for those seeking an immersive audio experience when watching movies and shows and playing video games. The 3.1.2 configuration means the bar has up-firing drivers for firing sound up toward the ceiling, at which point the waves descend to your ears as height effects. This is exactly what the Dolby Atmos audio format is designed for. Just be sure to have the S800D connected via HDMI eARC for the best virtualization possible.RelatedBoasting Samsungs Ultra Slim moniker, the S800D is sleek enough to fit in unobtrusively with most TVs and home decor. It even looks great wall-mounted below a TV, especially any Samsung set released in the last five years or so. Once set up, youll also be able to use the Spacefit Sound Pro feature to calibrate the bar to deliver the best audio based on the unique acoustics of your listening space.Other awesome features include Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, with the latter function allowing you to use Alexa or Google Assistant to stream music, search the web, and even control smart home devices.Save $270 when you purchase the Samsung HW-S800D 3.1.2ch Dolby Atmos Soundbar today, and be sure to take a look at our lists of the best soundbar deals, best Samsung TV deals, and best Samsung deals for even more discounts on top Samsung tech!Editors Recommendations

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