About Nesta

Nesta is an innovation foundation. For us, innovation means turning bold ideas into reality and changing lives for the better. We use our expertise, skills and funding in areas where there are big challenges facing society.

Lives

On a boat on Regent's canal, moving between moorings in north London regularly. Unable to afford a flat or house, but was also motivated by movement towards living off-grid.

Works

He uses his mother's allotment in Barnet to produce vegetables. He sells these in order to buy household goods. Experimenting with use of unregulated GM vegetable strains, still unsure of own ethical stance. It is only way to produce hardy variants of his father's native Vietnamese vegetables. He fixes and modifies his own boat, as well as making bespoke furniture for other boats in exchange for help with electrics, plumbing etc.

Plays

He is part of group that hacks large companies' wireless networks to stream classic films at makeshift outdoor cinemas on the roofs of city skyscrapers.

Technology used

Commercial grade mobile internet station and projector for films, reclaimed iPad, solar power, sun-based filtration.

Key trends

(3) Collaborative production as well as consumption; (6) Fragile energy supply and environment; (10) Socially-divisive access to communication technologies.