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Capitol Hill notebook: Obama defends autos, Akerson defends the Chevrolet Volt

Less than 10 hours after President Barack Obama wrapped up his third State of the Union address, manufacturing and automobiles continued to command the spotlight on Wednesday in Washington. The day began with General Motors CEO Dan Akerson defending the Chevrolet Volt before a U.S. House committee hearing, saying he didn't want it to become a "political punching bag," according to testimony provided by the company.

Designer Interviews: Nelly Ben Hayoun, experience designer

This article was first published on WGSN-homebuildlife, the online trend forecasting and product design tool provides analysis, research and global creative intelligence for the fashion and apparel industry. Shortcuts Originally trained in Textile Design at ENSAAMA, Nelly Ben Hayoun graduated with an MA in Design Interactions from the RCA in 2009 She is now a lecturer for Central Saint Martins' Textile Futures MA course, and participates in conferences and events all over the world as well as regularly running workshops Ben Hayoun is currently touring her International Space Orchestra film, which will be presented at Design Indaba and is also on show at Z33's latest exhibition Space Odyssey 2.0 Read WGSN's new experience design report, Dematerialised, for more on where this trend is heading for consumers Nelly Ben Hayoun specializes in designing large-scale and transformative experiences, often with a connection to space science. Her projects to date have included research proposals for future meats, forming an orchestra of scientists and futurists to perform an opera inspired by ground control, inventing a chair that simulates a rocket launch, and creating the experience of being inside a massive sonic boom.

Koons's BMW Art Car to race at Le Mans

BMW will field the latest in its long series of Art Cars at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, June 12-13. This is the 17th Art Car commissioned by BMW. Jeff Koons follows others such as Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol and Jenny Holzer in designing an Art Car.