DESIGN DISPATCH

Los Angeles Gets a Balloon Museum, and Other News

Plus, Las Vegas bids farewell to the Tropicana, and Salone del Mobile expands to China.

SpY's installation, which will be on view at the Balloon Museum in Los Angeles. Image courtesy of SpY.

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A balloon museum lands in L.A., complete with an inflatable Burning Man butterfly.

A museum dedicated to balloons will open in Los Angeles on Oct. 30, with a showcase of inflatable works, as well as an LED butterfly by Christopher Schardt that  first debuted at Burning Man. The opening exhibition, “Let’s Fly,” will run until March 16 and features a range of interactive installations, such as SpY’s synchronized inflatables and Tadao Cern’s mirrored silver balloons. 

The Tropicana, The Strip’s final “mob” building, is demolished with a fireworks show.

Las Vegas demolished the Tropicana resort in an implosion with fireworks in order to clear land for a $1.5 billion baseball stadium for the Oakland Athletics. The casino, which was a favorite Rat Pack haunt, was also the last remaining structure with mob ties on the Strip.

Rendering courtesy of Diller, Scofidio + Renfro

Diller Scofidio + Renfro unveils a stepped-facade building for University of New Mexico.

Diller Scofidio + Renfro has unveiled plans for the Center for Collaborative Arts and Technology at the University of New Mexico. The building’s hallmarks are three sculptural volumes set atop a glass-encased “super lobby” with panoramic views of the Sandia Mountains. The building’s form is inspired by the local geology, incorporating outdoor terraces and a monumental plinth that doubles as a staircase.  

Salone del Mobile expands to China with Salone Satellite and a West Bund showcase.

Come November, Salone del Mobile will host two major events in China in November to strengthen its presence in the country, which is the top market for Italian furniture exports. The first features an Italian design installation at West Bund Art & Design in Shanghai, while the second showcases the SaloneSatellite Permanent Collection in Hong Kong.

Tesla readies for the debut of Cybercab: an autonomous taxi with “butterfly wing” doors.

Elon Musk will soon unveil Tesla’s highly anticipated autonomous robotaxi, or Cybercab, at the company’s We, Robot event, marking a critical moment for Tesla as it pushes to lead in driverless technology. The vehicle is expected to operate autonomously, using cameras and AI, differing from competitors like Waymo that rely on Lidar.

Courtesy of Limited Too.

Today’s attractive distractions:

Thanks to this “army of artisans,” the Notre-Dame cathedral lives on. 

Nostalgic millennials have convinced Limited Too to relaunch adult sizes

One thing Nintendo’s $99 “Alarmo” clock has going for it is its cuteness.

A battalion of editors are combating the proliferation of Wikipedia AI slop.

 

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