Charlotte Chesnais and Loro Piana Debut Sleek Candle Holders, and Other News

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Charlotte Chesnais and Loro Piana’s Sleek, Sculptural Candle Holders

Last week, fashion’s favorite Italian cashmere label emerged from cocooning season with a strong showing at Art Basel Miami Beach. There, Loro Piana and jewelry designer Charlotte Chesnais debuted sculptural candle holders in silver, bronze, and gold. Intentional or not, their curvature—which is a signature motif in Chesnais’ jewelry—calls to mind the rhythmic patterns of knitted textiles. Following their Art Basel launch, each of the three candle holders became available exclusively at Loro Piana’s Miami Store, and will soon be available online. —Jenna Adrian-Diaz

Martin Brudnizki fills Bacchanalia London with monumental Damien Hirst sculptures.

“Martin Brudnizki Design Studio created a classical Greek and Roman mythology-informed restaurant complete with sculptures by British artist Damien Hirst in Mayfair, London. Named Bacchanalia London, the restaurant is located on a corner site in Mayfair that was previously a Porsche showroom. Opened on Dec. 1, the restaurant has an opulent interior designed by Brudnizki that makes use of mosaics, classical details, hand-painted ceiling murals and Greek and Roman artworks more than 2,000 years old. The main dining room features five monumental statues designed by British artist Hirst that depict a winged lion, a unicorn ridden by a pair of winged lovers, another unicorn, Medusa and Bacchus.” [H/T Dezeen]

The MTA will make crucial accessibility upgrades at 23 New York Subway stations. 

“It’s about to get easier for people in wheelchairs to get on the train at 23 commuter rail and subway stations across New York City’s metropolitan area. Last week the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced it will install or replace 48 elevators at nine Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) stations and 14 subway stations. In a separate project, the agency is upgrading accessibility at Brooklyn’s Borough Hall Station, adding three new elevators. These upgrades are sorely needed to improve subway and train access for the more than 550,000 New Yorkers with ambulatory disabilities. A full list of accessible subway and commuter rail stations can be found here.” [H/T The Architect’s Newspaper]

Corvette will launch as an independent brand in 2025 with four-door and SUV models.

“What’s in a name? When you are a carmaker, the answer is: everything. Arguably, people buy a BMW or a Benz at least as much for the name as for the car itself, and the same goes for Corvette. In terms of brand value, Corvette is among the auto industry’s most heralded and valued nameplates, and yet it currently only pulls a small percentage of the potentially huge profit. But according to those in the know, this is going to change. Starting in 2025, GM plans to launch a Corvette brand that will also include a sleek four-door coupe and a brawny crossover. Both of these future new Vettes will be EVs.” [H/T Car and Driver]

No longer associated with drugs, hempcrete has entered the U.S. building code index. 

“While hempcrete has been used in Europe for decades, the US could soon follow suit. For many years, industrial hemp was illegal in the US due to hemp’s association with drug use, despite the fact that it does not contain more than 0.3 percent THC, the active ingredient in marijuana that makes users high. Building residential homes with hempcrete was therefore effectively outlawed until 2018, when the Farm Bill distinguished between hemp and cannabis plants. Then, in Sept. 2022, hemp building materials were added to the model US residential building code, paving the way for legal use in 2024.” [H/T Reasons to Be Cheerful]

More than a dozen Iranian activists stage a “die-in” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

“This weekend, more than a dozen activists staged a “die-in” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Assyrian Sculpture Court in solidarity with protesters in Iran. The activists were part of Woman Life Freedom NYC, a group committed to amplifying the voices of Iranians amidst months of women-led protests sparked by the murder of 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian Mahsa (Jina) Amini at the hands of Iran’s “morality police” in September. The action was held on the morning of Sunday, December 4, around 10:30am and lasted for about half an hour. Documentation of the “die-in” shows activists splayed out on the floors of The Met, wearing white T-shirts stained with fake blood and holding handmade signs citing the various reasons the Iranian regime has arrested or murdered Iranian protesters onsite.” [H/T Hyperallergic]

The British Fashion Council names Valentino’s Pierpaolo Piccioli as Designer of the Year.

“It was an evening of celebrations and tributes at London’s Royal Albert Hall on Monday, as the British Fashion Council’s annual fashion awards attracted a crowd of designers, models, actors, and other industry insiders to celebrate the names that shaped the global fashion industry in 2022. Valentino’s Pierpaolo Piccioli took home Designer of the Year, in part thanks to the power of his Spring 2022 couture collection, which won raves not only for its beauty but its authentic take on inclusivity, showcasing carefully constructed pieces for a wide range of body types. The designer beat out Miuccia Prada, Jonathan Anderson, and Matthieu Blazy. (Balenciaga designer Demna had been tipped to win but pulled out of the event after the blowup over the brand’s recent advertising campaigns.)” [H/T Business of Fashion]

In a leadership restructuring, Pace Gallery has named Samanthe Rubell as president.

“For the second time in two years, Pace Gallery has reshuffled its senior leadership. In an internal email sent to employees last week, Marc Glimcher, the gallery’s CEO and son of founder Arne Glimcher, announced that he would form a “Round Table” consisting of the gallery’s 10 most senior directors in an effort to “to reach consensus about how to execute the vision that I have laid out as a blueprint for our future.” The group, which could potentially expand in the future, will be led by longtime Pace employee Samanthe Rubell, who has been named president. (Glimcher previously held both CEO and president titles; Glimcher will no longer serve as president.)” [H/T ARTnews]

Today’s attractive distractions:

Muji’s latest photography book contains 504 pages of people cleaning things.

Archaeologists unearth a 5,000-year-old home in China’s Yangshao Village.

The Victorian-era home in The Goonies is being restored to its former glory.

Duolingo puts the language-learning app’s wonkiest mistranslations on display.