Angelo Badalamenti’s Beat Goes On With Balenciaga, and Other News

The Design Dispatch offers expertly written and essential news from the design world crafted by our dedicated team. Think of it as your cheat sheet for the day in design delivered to your inbox before you’ve had your coffee. Subscribe now. 

Have a news story our readers need to see? Submit it here

Thanks to Balenciaga, Angelo Badalamenti’s Beat Goes On

Before the award-winning American composer Angelo Badalamenti died in 2022, he was cooking up a partnership with Balenciaga as part of the label’s ongoing music series. It’s now being released as a tribute with his alma mater, the Manhattan School of Music, where his daughter Danielle also attended. Balenciaga is streaming a Badalamenti-curated playlist on its website, where limited-edition T-shirts and crewneck sweatshirts featuring a graphic based on his hand-scripted score “Torch Theme” are available. The label will also partner with Manhattan School of Music composition department head Dr. Reiko Fueting on a free master class that invites students to compose original works to continue Badalamenti’s legacy. —Ryan Waddoups

An aerial gondola system connecting to Dodger Stadium is one step closer to reality.

After a lengthy hearing, construction of an aerial gondola system connecting Dodger Stadium parking lots with Los Angeles Union Station has been approved. Backed by former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, the $500 million project would be operated by Zero Emissions Transit. It entails a 1.2-mile route suspended above Alameda Street, estimated to carry 5,000 passengers per hour at 13.4 miles per hour. Despite opposition from locals and the California Endowment, the project aims to mitigate historical impacts and gentrification concerns through various concessions, including free rides for locals and affordable housing provisions. 

After years of delays and cost overruns, Algeria unveils the largest mosque in Africa.

Algeria recently inaugurated the colossal Great Mosque of Algiers following lengthy delays and cost overruns. Built by a Chinese firm over the 2010s, it features the world’s tallest minaret at 869 feet and can accommodate 120,000 worshippers. Despite controversies arising from seismic concerns, the mosque reflects a blend of modernism and tradition, aiming to guide Muslims “toward goodness and moderation,” says Ali Mohamed Salabi, the general secretary of the world union of Muslim ulemas. Envisioned as a legacy project by former President Bouteflika, the mosque’s completion came at a total cost of $898 million.

Snøhetta’s new Beijing City Library features the world’s largest climatized reading space.

The long-awaited Beijing City Library has recently opened to the public in Beijing. The building features the world’s largest climatized reading space and a host of amenities aimed at fostering community engagement. The project, awarded to Snøhetta in 2018, reimagines the library as a dynamic center for education and social interaction, integrating conference areas, exhibition spaces, and opportunities for restoring ancient texts. Designed to blend seamlessly with the natural landscape, the library’s architecture incorporates elements inspired by the surrounding environment, such as a central forum mirroring the nearby Tonghui River and a canopy-like roof reminiscent of ginkgo trees. 

America Ferrera will star as Ana Mendieta in an adaptation of Naked by the Window. 

America Ferrera is set to executive produce and star in the Amazon MGM Studios series adaptation of Robert Katz’s book Naked by the Window. The series explores the life of Cuban artist Ana Mendieta, her influence on the New York art scene, and the trial surrounding her husband Carl Andre after her death. Charise Castro Smith will write and executive produce the series, which delves into Mendieta’s impactful work in performance art, sculpture, and land art. 

Pharrell Williams’s Black Ambition is accepting applications for its fourth annual prize.

Pharrell Williams’ Black Ambition is now accepting applications for its fourth annual Prize Competition, offering awards ranging from $20,000 to a grand prize of $1 million to empower Black and Latine innovators. With categories spanning technology, healthcare, consumer products and services, media and entertainment, and AI, the competition aims to bridge the racial wealth gap and provide mentorship to underrepresented founders. Since its inception, Black Ambition has awarded $10 million to more than 100 founders, fostering a supportive environment for Black and brown entrepreneurs amidst challenges in accessing capital. 

Today’s attractive distractions:

Against all odds, artist buildings are surviving in an expensive New York City.

This Portuguese salt mine puts on underground shows about the climate crisis. 

An anthropologist explains exactly how humans evolved to use everyday tools.

Scientists reveal a remarkably complete 16-foot-long fossil of an aquatic reptile.