DESIGN DISPATCH

LACMA Finally Sets an Opening Date for Its Expansion, and Other News

Plus, TikTokkers are driving foot traffic to Salon 94, and San Francisco needs to sink $212 million into modernizing its metro system.

A rendering of the Peter Zumthor-designed LACMA galleries. Courtesy of Atelier Peter Zumthor/The Boundary

After more than a decade, LACMA sets an opening date for its scandal-ridden expansion.

LACMA’s new Peter Zumthor–designed David Geffen Galleries that swoop over Wilshire Boulevard will finally open in April 2026. With 90 percent of their construction completed, the museum will soon begin transitioning staff and artwork into the 110,000-square-foot space, whose cost has risen sharply from its initial $650,000 budget due to delays and inflation.

Smartphone application Aesthetic is using AI to identify fashion on Instagram and TikTok.

Aesthetic’s AI-powered technology, Alma, enables users to shop for looks directly from social media by analyzing and suggesting products based on their preferences. The tool, which launched on Instagram and is expanding to other platforms like TikTok, returns shoppable links through direct messages.

Salon 94. Courtesy of Salon 94

TikTokers are ushering in unseen levels of foot traffic to New York City’s Salon 94 gallery.

After a TikTok creator’s glowing review went viral, foot traffic at New York’s Salon 94 gallery has surged from around 400 people on an average Saturday to more than 1,500. Its free admission and Instagram-worthy features, such as a Max Lamb–designed tiled bathroom, are proving popular among both art and design enthusiasts, particularly in younger demographics.

The M4 revolution is coming for Apple’s Macs and entry-level iPad models in 2025.

Apple will bring its M4 chip to its Macs, with processor updates slated for the iMac, Mac mini, and MacBook Pro. Apple also plans to introduce enhanced AI features in iOS 18.2, with tools like Genmoji and integration of OpenAI’s ChatGPT to improve Siri and user interactions.

It will cost San Francisco $212 million to transition its metro system off of floppy disks.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency approved a $212 million contract to replace the Muni Metro’s 40-year-old floppy disk-reliant control system with Hitachi Rail’s modern technology. The overhaul is not expected to conclude until 2034 and entails upgrading fragile data cables and adding Wi-Fi and cellular tracking to the system.

 

The original cover sketch for Richard Scarry’s Cars and Trucks and Things That Go. Courtesy of Penguin Random House via the Yale Review.

Today’s attractive distractions:

The Yale Review reflects on the enduring impact of Richard Scarry. 

Is a $3,000 “crash course” all that stands between you and influencing?

Wait, comic sans is cool now; its comeback has been years in the making. 

The National Parks Service permitted a poop sculpture on the National Mall. 

 

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