Jan 26, 2012, 3:06 GMT
Pop up shopping mall to open in London
London (dpa) - The British capital London is to get what's its organisers say is the world's first pop up mall, the Box Park, which consists of 61 black shipping containers. According to manager Stephen Bryant, the idea behind the mall is to give small brands the opportunity to open their own store, even if it's only for a short time. Big name brands will also be taking part including Nike, which will occupy nine containers. Puma, Lacoste and sports footwear company Gola are to make do with one container each. The companies have 'been carefully chosen' for the mall which is to open in Shoreditch. Human rights organisation Amnesty International will also be moving in. More pop up shopping malls for cities in the rest of Europe are in the planning stage though there are no details on where they will be.
Subway station in Paris hosts 'apartment'
Paris (dpa) - An underground metro station may not be your idea of a perfect home but a Swedish furniture company has chosen Auber station in Paris as the location for a temporary living space of 54 square metres. Five people have been chosen to live in the apartment, which is aimed at showing Parisians, who have to pay very high rents, that they can comfortably furnish even the smallest home. The company has used small public spaces in the past to advertise its products, including furnishing bus stops with sofas and placing comfortable seating along the banks of the River Seine.
German artist shoots portraits using the internet
Dusseldorf, Germany (dpa) - A German designer has taken the art of portrait photography to a new level with the help of the internet. As part of project called &&&, Christian Rolfes asks people around the world to pose in front of their computer's web cam. Using Skype, Rolfes receives the images of his subjects in his home in Dusseldorf, projects them onto a wall and photographs them. The results are strangely nostalgic images that look a little like old Polaroid pictures. Anyone can take part in the project using either Skype, Facebook or Twitter.
German capital gets new kind of corner shop
Berlin (dpa) - A new type of mobile shop has opened in Berlin in an old converted double-decker bus. Customers can buy drinks, coffee, newspapers, sweets and biscuits in the Kjosk bus, which is run by Rosmarie Kockenberger. Kockenberger had planned to open her business in a normal shop but failed to find one that suited her needs. She saw an old double-decker bus parked beside the road and had her idea. She spent all her savings on buying the 1965 bus and converting it into a shop. The Kjosk is parked on Skalitzer Strasse in the Kreuzberg district and will remain there until spring. Its next location is not yet known.
Your Talkback on this Story