The Abrahamic Family House by Adjaye Associates on Saadiyat Island. Photography by Dror Baldinger…
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Openness Is Key at Abu Dhabi’s Abrahamic Family House
Saadiyat Island, a cultural hub that’s home to the Louvre Abu Dhabi, is continuing to take shape. Its most recent attraction comes from Adjaye Associates, which recently unveiled the Abrahamic Family House, an interfaith complex containing a church, a synagogue, and a mosque serving the three Abrahamic religions. Each cubic-shaped house of worship is the same size but sports different design elements informed by their respective religions: the Moses Ben Maimon Synagogue has a facade formed by three layers of V-shaped columns that mimic the palm fronds found on Jewish sukkah huts, while the interior of the Imam Al-Tayeb Mosque features delicate latticework that creates the mashrabiya on a grand scale.
The three standalone buildings sit atop a one-story plinth that also houses a secular gathering space, a library, and exhibition areas known as the Forum, as well as an elevated communal garden that connects each house of worship. “I believe architecture should work to enshrine the kind of world we want to live in—a world of acceptance, openness, and constant advancement,” David Adjaye says. “Our hope is that through these buildings that celebrate three distinct religions, people of all faiths and from across society can learn and engage in a mission of peaceful coexistence for generations to come.” —Ryan Waddoups
Image courtesy of Wilson Sporting Goods Co.…
Wilson creates a 3D-printed basketball prototype that doesn’t need to be inflated.
Nadine Lippa, the innovation manager of Wilson Sporting Goods, has created a 3D Airless Prototype Basketball that doesn’t require inflation and never goes flat, using a lattice made of tiny hexagonal holes to allow for bouncing without air. The ball, manufactured using 3D printing, took several years to develop and currently exists only as a one-of-a-kind prototype. The team plans to create more versions in the future informed by fan and athlete feedback.
More than 80,000 items from David Bowie’s archives will enter the V&A Museum.
David Bowie, who redefined cool by embracing an outsider status over his 55-year career, will have a permanent home at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. The museum will house more than 80,000 items from the late superstar’s career, including letters, sheet music, original costumes, fashion, film, music videos, set designs, instruments, album artwork, and awards. The David Bowie Center for the Study of Performing Arts, located at the V&A East Storehouse in London’s Stratford section, will open in 2025 and feature Bowie’s personal writing and intimate notebooks, many of which have never been seen by the public.
Anthony Meier, a longtime San Francisco art dealer, is expanding to the suburbs.
Anthony Meier, a San Francisco art dealer who specializes in contemporary masterpieces, has opened a new gallery in Mill Valley, California, that has double the exhibition and programming space than his outpost in Pacific Heights. The renovated gallery features a private viewing room furnished with antique European furniture and a main gallery showcasing a group exhibition called “In the Shadow of Mt. Tam” which features works by artists who lived and worked in the area after World War II. Meier’s move follows a turbulent period in the Bay Area’s art scene, which has seen the arrival of an Institute for Contemporary Art and the departures of mega-galleries like Pace and Gagosian.
Images courtesy of Mathieu Lehanneur…
Mathieu Lehanneur will design the Olympic torch for the 2024 games in Paris.
Mathieu Lehanneur has been chosen to design the torch for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. A highly symbolic element of the event, the Olympic torch is traditionally lit by the sun’s rays at a ceremony in the Temple of Hera in Olympia, Greece. Olympic officials selected the French designer for his “poetic and highly symbolic approach, along with his ability to graph the values and expectations of Paris 2024.” The design will be unveiled at the end of 2023.
A group of millennials transforms a derelict high school into an apartment building.
Real estate agent Jesse Wig saw an opportunity in purchasing an abandoned high school in Homestead, Pennsylvania, for just $100,000. After two years of brainstorming ideas, Wig and his partner Adam Colucci reached out to Dan Spanovich, a developer, for help. They converted the school into modern apartments, complete with a shared space and full gym, while retaining the historical significance of the building. The trio purchased two more schools since, planning to make them available for residents to access both buildings’ amenities.
Plans are underway to build a $69 million museum underneath the Lincoln Memorial.
The National Park Service has revealed plans to construct a $69 million museum beneath the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The undercroft of the memorial, a cavernous space typically used for storage, will be transformed into 15,000 square feet of exhibition space with floor-to-ceiling glass windows, restrooms, a bookstore, and a refurbished elevator. The museum will offer visitors an opportunity to learn about Lincoln and the memorial’s significant role in shaping American democracy.
Image courtesy of Pentagram…
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Paula Scher designs typographic playing cards that double as abstract art.
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