Crossword bookstore in Mumbai by Ajay Shah Design Studio. Photography by Vihan Shah…
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A Treasured Mumbai Bookstore Debuts a Colorful Makeover
The 30-year-old flagship of Mumbai’s beloved bookstore chain, Crossword, is showing off a bold new look thanks to local designer Ajay Shah, who aimed to infuse the space with color and exuberance. Yayoi Kusama–inspired polka dots, mobile Mondrian-style display boxes, and an abstract arboreal ceiling installation are a few of the playful new features that foster an atmosphere of childlike whimsy. In the loft space, an outpost of the sustainably minded Third Wave Coffee serves visitors cups of fresh brew made with fair-trade beans from farms in the Indian regions of Chikmagalur and the Nilgiris. For Shah, the commission was a dream project that tapped into his experience as a frequent customer—and as a retailer who sells his stationery line, Rubberband, onsite.
Rendering of the proposed Yibin Station Gateway development by Pelli Clarke &. PArtners in collaboration with Sichuan Provincial Architectural Design and Research Institute…
Pelli Clarke & Partners designs a futuristic masterplan for a transit development in China.
“Pelli Clarke & Partners, in collaboration with Sichuan Provincial Architectural Design and Research Institute, won the international competition for the new Yibin Station Gateway Development masterplan. The project responds to the city’s prospective status as a significant transportation hub, with two new high-speed rail lines planned to intersect in Yibin, making the city a crossroad between Western China’s four major urban centers. The design takes inspiration from the neighboring bamboo forest and its rhizomatic root system, focusing on resilience and interconnectivity.” —[H/T ArchDaily]
Nike hires former Twitter and Netflix executive Dantley Davis as VP of digital design.
“Nike has hired Dantley Davis as vice president of digital design—a signal that Nike plans to make bold moves across its digital platforms. Davis was previously the first chief design officer at Twitter (and the company’s first Black executive to report to the CEO). Previous to that, Davis helped create Netflix’s digital interface—a system that has been cloned by virtually every media streaming company today. Designers with experience in the C-suite are rare. In Davis, Nike lands a hands-on designer-executive who studies user behavior closely, experiments publicly, and has a fast metabolism for shipping product.” —[H/T Fast Company]
Sharjah. Photography by Ali Omran, courtesy Sharjah Art Foundation…
The Sharjah Biennial names more than 150 artists for its long-awaited 2023 edition.
“The Sharjah Art Foundation has named over 150 artists hailing from more than 70 countries that will participate in its highly anticipated 2023 Sharjah Biennial, which was conceived by the late curator Okwui Enwezor and curated by the organization’s director Hoor Al Qasimi. The exhibition, titled “Thinking Historically in the Present,” will run from February 7–June 11, 2023 at some 16 venues across Sharjah, including ‘a vegetable market, power station, and former kindergarten,’ according to a press release.” —[H/T ARTnews]
Lauren Halsey’s rooftop installation at the Metropolitan Museum of Art will be delayed.
“An installation for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Roof Garden by the Los Angeles artist Lauren Halsey has been postponed because of logistical issues, the museum announced on Friday. The commission, which was scheduled to open in May and run through Oct. 23, will now be presented next spring. Halsey said that she and the Met decided together to move the installation to next year because ‘this additional time will allow me to do this project in the fullest way possible.’” —[H/T The New York Times]
A trove of Francis Bacon paintings will be donated to Centre Pompidou instead of Tate.
“An extensive collection of Francis Bacon’s art will be given to France instead of to the Tate following a row between the gallery and one of the artist’s closest friends. Barry Joule, who was Bacon’s confidant, said he is so frustrated by the Tate’s failure to exhibit an earlier donation of the artist’s work that he has canceled plans to donate hundreds more items to the gallery. The further donation was to have included up to 150 drawings, 10 paintings, hundreds of photographs and more than 12 hours of taped material in which the artist chatted with Joule about subjects from art to sex. Instead, he would now like the work to go to the national archives of the Centre Pompidou Paris, and has started negotiations.” —[H/T The Guardian]
Andrea Palladio's Il Redentore. Photography by Alejandro Merizalde…
Today’s attractive distractions:
Alejandro Merizalde’s new book documents the churches at every corner of Venice.
The artist Larry Achiampong shares how video games influenced his creative practice.
Nostalgic Koreans are mass-buying small pastries that come with Pokémon stickers.
Smoking, Saint Laurent’s new podcast, is a trove of no-holds barred conversations.
