Hella Jongerius. Photography by Roel van Tour, courtesy of Jongerius Lab…
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Hella Jongerius’s Archive Enters the Vitra Design Museum
Throughout her career, Hella Jongerius has challenged conventional design approaches, emphasizing hands-on exploration of materials and a critical reflection of design practices. Now she’s entrusting her extensive archive to the Vitra Design Museum and collaborating with its curators to create her first retrospective, slated to open in 2026. Besides offering a thorough overview of the Dutch industrial designer’s three-decade career, the exhibition will showcase material experiments, scale models, and prototypes, examine industrial production’s impact on traditional craftsmanship, and explore the archive as a metaphor for collective memory.
In other people news, the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts elected Max Hollein, the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s director and CEO, to its board of directors. Organizers of the SITE Santa Fe recently named Cecilia Alemani as curator of the biennial’s twelfth edition. MoMA recently named Tanja Hwang as curator in the department of architecture and design. Stephen Brooks, who was selected to lead Phillips three years ago, has departed the auction house for personal reasons; executive chairman Ed Dolman will take over his role for now. —Ryan Waddoups
Harmony Korine has launched the multimedia collective EDGLRD, aiming to create boundary-blurring content across film, video games, and new media experiments. Their first project, AGGRO DR1FT, shot with infrared cameras and featuring thermal imagery and AI-generated animations, tells the story of a Miami hitman within a unique criminal underworld. EDGLRD is eschewing theaters for immersive screenings at unconventional venues, starting with a premiere at a Los Angeles strip club. Despite polarizing reactions at the 2023 Venice International Film Festival, the film has garnered praise for its cinematography and storytelling.
New York City is addressing the challenges posed by the proliferation of micro-mobility options, including e-bikes, cargo bikes, and drones, by proposing the creation of a new entity called the Department of Sustainable Delivery. This move aims to regulate micro-mobility companies and establish a framework to ensure safety, data sharing, and compliance with fees and permits. The focus is on addressing issues such as worker exploitation, road safety, and chaotic street conditions resulting from these innovations. The new department will establish safety rules and encourage companies to prioritize worker welfare, with penalties for non-compliance. The initiative aims to manage tech disruption and ensure long-term environmental benefits.
Images from MedMen’s “Forget Stoner” campaign. Image courtesy of MedMen…
California-based cannabis retailer MedMen Enterprises has seen its fortunes decline drastically, with its once-high valuation of $3 billion dropping to zero. The company, which was once praised as the “Apple Store of weed,” has faced financial troubles, legal battles, and fierce competition in the cannabis market. In the wake of these challenges, both the CEO and executive chairman have resigned, and a cease-trade order was issued for its stock by the Canadian Securities Exchange due to the failure to file required financial reports. Despite these setbacks, MedMen is still operating its stores and is engaged in corporate restructuring and asset sales to raise cash.
Arts organizations in Britain that previously distanced themselves from the Sackler family due to their association with the U.S. opioid crisis are now apparently accepting their donations again, although the recipients remain undisclosed. The Sackler Trust, a British nonprofit set up by the family that owned Purdue Pharma, committed around £5.2 million ($6.6 million) in 2022, a significant increase from previous years. However, the latest accounts do not reveal the names of the beneficiaries, citing concerns about damaging their reputations. While some organizations may be discreetly accepting Sackler funding due to financial pressures, larger institutions claim they have not received any such donations recently, except for the small Watermill Theater.
Tony Hawk is spearheading the construction of four new skateparks in New York City as part of The Skatepark Project, an initiative he founded in 2002. The program, backed by Mayor Eric Adams, aims to create recreational spaces in underserved neighborhoods. Two skateparks will be built from scratch in Brooklyn and the Bronx, while two existing ones will undergo renovations. These spaces will cater to a variety of activities, including skateboarding, scooters, BMX, in-line skating, roller skating, and wheelchair motocross, and will also provide green spaces and community gathering areas. The goal is to enhance public recreation opportunities in the city by 2027 and establish New York as the East Coast’s skateboarding capital.
A still from Jon Rafman’s teaser trailer for Kanye West’s new album, “Vultures.” Image courtesy of Kanye West via X…
