Jenny Holzer’s AR takeover of the Guggenheim Bilbao…
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Jenny Holzer transforms her Truisms into a giant AR takeover of the Guggenheim Bilbao.
Jenny Holzer has a long history with the Guggenheim Bilbao; she most recently staged a 2019 retrospective, “Thing Indescribable,” in which she created vertical LED signs and light projections. Now, the American artist is taking her relationship with the museum to the next level by harnessing AR to project her text-based interventions onto Frank Gehry’s world-famous architecture. One of the new artworks, accessible from any device regardless of location, joins the museum’s permanent collection and shows AR projections of texts from different authors. Its title, Like Beauty in Flames, for example, draws from Polish Poet Anna Swirszczynska’s poem “Beauty Dies.”
Citing safety concerns, MoMA blocks protestors who planned to demonstrate inside.
A slight fracas broke out at New York’s Museum of Modern Art this past Friday when demonstrators attempted to force their way into the building. According to a museum spokesperson, two security guards were injured when they attempted to “close the entrance in accordance with established safety protocols.” Lately, the museum has received criticism for the influence of wealthy patrons on the institution’s programming and values—in particular, former chairman Leon Black, who had ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The Strike MoMA campaign is scheduled to last through at least June 11 and involves a coalition of activist groups known as the International Imagination of Anti-National Anti-Imperialist Feelings, which aims to dismantle the museum’s hierarchy.
Rendering of Kingdoms Institute in AlUla, Saudi Arabia…
Saudi Arabia plans to transform the ancient city of AlUla into an international culture hub.
Saudi Arabia has unveiled plans to transform the ancient city of AlUla into a global tourist destination for art and culture. Billed by the Royal Commission for AlUla as “the world’s largest living museum,” the $15 billion masterplan includes expanding the regional airport, launching an archaeology and conservation center, and building a number of ultra-luxury hotels, including one by Jean Nouvel carved into the Sharaan Nature Reserve’s existing rock landscapes. The plan, whose final phase is scheduled to wrap up in 2035, aims to create 38,000 jobs, boost the nation’s economy by $32 billion, and attract two million visitors annually.
The filmmaker, visual artist, and activist Titus Kaphar signs with United Talent Agency.
Titus Kaphar had quite the year—not only did the artist enjoy a successful solo exhibition at Gagosian New York, his painting of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement landed on the cover of Time. His star continues to rise: He recently signed with United Talent Agency to collaborate on a multitude of projects ranging from television and film to publishing and podcasts. The announcement precedes the launch of his own production company, called Revolution Ready, that translates his paintings to the screen in both feature and short film formats.
Sacramento’s Valley Station by Perkins+Will…
Sacramento’s Valley Station will be transformed into a self-reliant, regenerative transit hub.
Designed by the architecture firm Perkins & Will, in collaboration with ARUP, Grimshaw Architects, EPS, AIM Consulting, and the City of Sacramento, the 31-acre mixed-use development is one of the most sustainable public areas in California. Run on 100 percent renewable energy with recycled water meeting the community’s non-potable needs, the central focus of the plan is based around the user experience: walkability, affordable housing, and alternative transportation modes to reduce car-related greenhouse gas emissions.
Mozambique welcomes a new national park while surveying its overlooked biodiversity.
Putting aside a grim history colored by wars, disasters, and insurgencies, Mozambique is celebrating a good piece of news—the welcoming of a new national park, Chimanimani. Situated on the Zimbabwe border about 90 miles southwest of the country’s most famous national forest, Gorongosa, the designation comes as the government amps up conservation efforts, including two surveys of Chimanimani to glean insight about the region’s poorly studied biodiversity. Upon completion, a team of scientists and not-for-profits—Dr. Piotr Naskrecki, BIOFUND, and Fauna & Flora International, to name a few—identified almost 1,000 plant species and 76 plant and animal species that are endemic to the Chimanimani Mountains and exist nowhere else on earth.
Dubai's skyline. Photography by /Albert Dros…
Today’s attractive distractions:
This detailed artwork illustrates how rising sea levels can reshape Bangkok.
Dubai’s cityscape takes on a life of its own when you soar above the clouds.
