WCL Chair by Will Choui for Collective Design’s “Public Access: On the Edge”…
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Collective Design Is Launching a Virtual Exhibition Series
In 2019, Steven Learner was plotting the return of Collective Design, the annual fair he founded to showcase 20th-century and contemporary collectible design at accessible price points. Praised by designers and collectors for its strong roster of dealers and platform for emerging talent, the fair took a step back from the crowded cultural calendar so Learner could “create something new and evolve,” he said.” The fair then returned last year with a virtual showing at Frieze New York Viewing Room that made use of its augmented reality platform.
Now, Collective Design is launching “Public Access,” a series of virtual public exhibitions featuring the fair’s curated lineup of independent studios and makers. The first show in the series, “Public Access: On the Edge” (Nov. 3–19), unites a group of furniture, ceramics, and lighting that explore balance and symmetry. Several of the works were made specifically for the show, including a mirror series in gold and silver leaf by Yolande Milan Batteau of Callidus Guild; a side table of Madagascar ebony and nickel-plated stainless steel by Sam Stewart; and a skeletal homage to the Eames’ LCW chair by Will Choui. Design favorites like Slash Objects, Fort Standard, Cody Hoyt, Simon Johns, and Christopher Boots are also showing.
With the initiative, Learner aims to provide everyone “insider” access to the fair’s seasoned point of view with a roster of designers drawn from Source, the fair’s recently launched platform that connects industry professionals with a vetted directory of top talents. “Since its founding, expanding the audience for collectible design has been at the heart of our ethos,” he says. “As buying habits have changed and design is experiencing a growing audience, we wanted to find new ways to offer our insider’s view and personal relationships in the community to both seasoned collectors and those new to design.” —Ryan Waddoups
Balenciaga’s newly renovated flagship on Sloane Street in London…
Balenciaga debuts a “raw architecture” store aesthetic at its London flagship.
The luxury fashion house unveiled a new aesthetic for its retail outlets with the launch of the Sloane Street flagship in West London. Spread across two floors, the brutalist space features distressed concrete, cracked columns, and, in one section, glass panelled floors revealing construction rubble on the ground below. The brand’s products will be displayed on intentionally stained, cast concrete shelving. “It introduces a new concept we are calling Raw Architecture,” a Balenciaga spokesperson says. “It has elements of construction sites, civil engineering projects, and abandoned spaces, but balanced with finer details.”
The Brooklyn Tower, the borough’s first supertall skyscraper, has officially topped out.
Brooklyn’s first official supertall has topped out. Located at 9 DeKalb Avenue and designed by SHoP Architects, the 1,066-foot-tall Brooklyn Tower incorporates the landmarked Dime Savings Bank of Brooklyn at its base, taking cues from its opulent Greco-Roman design that nods to the Pantheon. The skyscraper itself features a marble base with a blackened stainless steel, bronze, and copper facade marked by cascading setbacks. “We wanted to remain authentic, with that baroque, Brooklyn charm, but also look crisp and modern to capture the borough’s constant state of growth and influence,” Gregg Pasquarelli, founding principal of SHoP, said in a statement. When the tower is complete, in late 2022, it will feature 550 residences with interiors by Gachot Studios and Woods Bagot.
Art Basel’s parent group weathers a cyber-attack that may have leaked personal data.
The art fair’s leadership announced that its parent company, MCH Group, was hit with a “criminal cyber-attack” last week that may have leaked clients’ personal data. In a statement, MCH Group said it will be working closely with security and cybercrime specialists to take measures to further protect its digital infrastructure and restore compromised systems. “The most important internal and external communication channels have now been secured and we continue to work to restore all our systems and services as soon as possible,” the organization said. Though they don’t yet know the extent of the data breach, MCH Group has already filed a criminal complaint against the unknown perpetrators.
“The Launderette of Dreams” by Yinka Ilori in London. Photography by Mark Cocksedge…
In London, Yinka Ilori creates a kaleidoscopic launderette made of 200,000 Legos.
Known for his bold patterns and use of vibrant colors, Yinka Ilori has reimagined the traditional community laundrette using 200,000 brightly hued Lego blocks. Dubbed the “Launderette of Dreams,” the interactive installation will be open to the public through Nov. 6. “I spent a lot of time during my childhood at the launderette,” Ilori says. “It was where I could dream about the things I wanted to achieve. We often forget about the mundane spaces that play an important role in bringing the community and people from different cultures and backgrounds together, as well as providing an opportunity for kids to meet, play and share ideas.”
The Studio Museum in Harlem raises $210 million for a new David Adjaye building.
The new facility, which replaces a 20th-century former bank that the museum has occupied since 1982, will span five stories and feature 17,000 square feet of exhibition space. Theaster Gates will create a site-specific commission using building materials extracted from the former emuseum, nodding to the legacy of J. Max Bond Jr, the influential Black architect who designed the original building. According to museum director and chief curator Thelma Golden, the new structure “will be a physical manifestation of our mission, supporting and enabling everything we do for artists of African descent.” The new building is expected to open in 2024.
Archival posters by Herman Miller…
Today’s attractive distractions:
A Malaysian gynecologist invents what he claims to be the first unisex condom.
In Serbia, Nike creates a basketball court using over 20,000 upcycled sneakers.
An Instagram model helped break her mom out of prison by distracting a guard.
