Cool Hunting celebrates Michael Stipe and Beatie Wolfe world first eco record

The world’s first commercially available sustainable bioplastic record will be a split single, featuring songs by Michael Stipe and Beatie Wolfe. Limited to 500 copies, and made by Evolution Music in collaboration with climate emergency organization EARTH/PERCENT, the album (available for pre-order today) comprises Stipe’s debut solo track “Future, If Future” and Wolfe’s “Oh My Heart.”

Founded by Brian Eno, EARTH/PERCENT focuses on five key issues: “greening music, energy transition, climate justice, legal and policy change, and protecting nature.” All proceeds from sales of the record will go to the organization’s grantmaking fund.

Wolfe tells COOL HUNTING that her involvement in the project was organic, and began when she gave a talk at SXSW with Eno earlier this year. The talk was about “our environmental work and how art and nature are core to our humanity.” Next, Wolfe worked with EARTH/PERCENT on their Earth Day initiative, “which evolved into this very special limited edition bioplastic 12-inch release with Michael Stipe and myself, pioneered by Evolution Music. This project felt like the perfect fit as it was records that first imprinted on me as a kid and made me want to reimagine the vinyl for the digital age which led to a series of new formats for music. So this release really combines two of my greatest loves: the environment and records.”

She tells us that she selected the track because its theme is apt for the project, and for the overall mission. “I felt like ‘Oh My Heart’ was the right song for this eco release as it’s a cry for the planet and humanity at this point in time. EARTH/PERCENT had released the live version of the song (which I performed at the Nobel Prize Summit) for their Earth Day campaign so it was great to have this unreleased studio version available for the first time. And it was wonderful to hear the two songs side-by-side, as they felt like the perfect complement to one another.”

Images courtesy of EARTH/PERCENT

Cool Hunting on article on Postcards for Democracy

MARK MOTHERSBAUGH + BEATIE WOLFE’S “POSTCARDS FOR DEMOCRACY” PROJECT

SUPPORT THE COUNTRY'S CRUCIAL POSTAL SERVICE AND CREATE A COLLECTIVE WORK OF ART AT THE SAME TIME

Equal parts political, creative, playful and practical, Mark Mothersbaugh and Beatie Wolfe’s Postcards for Democracy calls for tangible public interest and action in saving the USPS—an essential civic institution and fundamental element of the United States. Whether one sees it as sabotage or a misguided lack of funding, the demise of the postal service will lead to a catastrophic election, as millions around the country rely on mail-in ballots. For the project, Mothersbaugh (DEVO co-founder, musician, singer-songwriter, producer and artist) and Wolfe (musician, singer-songwriter and artist) challenge participants to create and send handmade postcards to a specified address in LA. The act provides funds for the USPS and the final collection of postcards will be transformed into a work of art. The duo describes the joyful, connective and inclusive initiative as “a demonstration at a time that could jeopardize the democracy of the country.”

We spoke with both artists about the project and the importance of sending and receiving a mail….

Read the full article here (+)

Stay Alive Inside by Mark Mothersbaugh x Beatie Wolfe