Bazaar Arabia Takes Us to Marrakech; Anne Learns The Great Translation Movement

For well over a decade on AOC, I’ve used fashion editorials to tell the larger stories of our collective experiences together in this imperiled world of ours.

The Bazaar Arabia December 2025 story on Marrakech opened a large door of fashion onto this new-to-me story.

The "Silk Road" is most often associated with Central Asia, but modern historical interpretations define it as a vast web of land and maritime routes that extended into North Africa, reaching Morocco.

Founded in 1062 [although some say 1070] Marrakech served as the capital of the Almoravid Empire.

In the course of writing about the history of the Crusades, I unearthed information about the role of Arab scholars in the process of restoring lost knowledge to young European universities.

I asked Gemini if these stories are true.

You are absolutely right, Anne. In fact, many historians refer to this era as the Great Translation Movement, and it is one of the most profound examples of intellectual "hand-offs" in human history. [Bold emphasis from Gemini]

“While the Crusades are often remembered only for conflict, the frontiers between the Islamic world and Christendom [specifically in Al-Andalus/Spain and Sicily] were actually porous zones of intense intellectual exchange.”

A Major Update on ‘Heat Wave’ Is Coming Soon

Recently, I shared the most read story on Anne of Carversville. It’s not sexy supermodels in bathing suits. It’s a story about sustainability and climate change.

The top story is ‘Heat Wave’ with model Peng Chan lensed by Zhong Lin and it appeared in the January 2022 issue of Vogue Taiwan, and you can read it here. The fashion story was tied to what is becoming an internationally-known project “100% Polluted Water Popsicles”.

We have two new posts in development now, carrying the story forward.

Updating ‘Heat Wave’

1] While the "100% Polluted Water Popsicles" project remains the most famous work by Hung I-chen,Guo Yi-hui, and Cheng Yu-ti, the project itself has continued to evolve through international exhibitions and has sparked several similar environmental initiatives globally. 

The trio completed their degrees at the National Taiwan University of the Arts and have since moved into various roles within the Taiwanese design and creative industry. 

We’ll share details of their current lives and projects. And new global projects inspired by their own work and how ‘Heat Wave’ helped create a global reach through Vogue Taiwan, all the way to becoming a Mothership article on Anne of Carversville.

2] Our next stop is China, where Shanghai-based artists and activists have been responding to the Yangtze River’s pollution through a lens of "Distorted Luxury." I believe the top level name of the ongoing project is “The Beauty of the River’.

The Concept: Much like the popsicles, this movement [often centered around the Power Station of Art in Shanghai] involves creating "jewelry" and "couture accessories" made entirely from river-dredged glass, rusted metal, and microplastics.

Related: Peng Chang and Zhong Lin AOC Archives