Madonna was right. We're all living in a Material World. We like to think the world has dematerialised and is ever less reliant on physical stuff. But there is no escaping the physical underpinnings of our lives.
Later in 2023 I’ll be publishing a book all about this: about the extraordinary materials we use to make the built world, to create advanced technologies and, quite literally, to keep us alive. I’ve spent the past few years researching this book and I’m incredibly excited to share some of the stories from it.
And since there’s only so much one can fit inside a book (while keeping it somewhat readable) there is an enormous mountain of stories and insights to accompany the book, which I’ll be sharing some of here.
In my career as a journalist I’ve covered plenty of exciting, dramatic, fascinating stories, from the financial crisis of 2008 to Brexit to Covid, and I can confidently say this is by far the most interesting, surprising and mind-bending journeys I’ve been on. I can’t wait to share more of it with you soon.