Marimekko Spring/Summer 2024. Image courtesy of Marimekko…
The Design Dispatch offers expertly written and essential news from the design world crafted by our dedicated team. Think of it as your cheat sheet for the day in design delivered to your inbox before you’ve had your coffee. Subscribe now.
Have a news story our readers need to see? Submit it here
Marimekko Celebrates 60 Years of Unikko
Marimekko may have something of a cult following as a longtime favorite of artists and the capital-F fashion crowd, but its Unikko print transcends insider status. For the past six decades, the abstract poppy print has become synonymous with the Danish fashion and interiors brand’s take on offbeat Scandinavian cool. At its recent Spring/Summer ‘24 presentation at Designmuseum Danmark, the brand paid homage to the print in a big way: models traversed a catwalk laced with massive Unikko sculptures in the print’s original colorways of mustard, navy, and poppy red. A collection of poplin dresses and breezy separates balanced references to the overtly feminine and utilitarian—something creative director Rebekka Bay describes as a “happy contradiction.” —Jenna Adrian-Diaz
The new SANAA-designed building at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Photography by Iwan Baan…
Eight months after its opening, the $344 million addition to the Art Gallery of NSW in Sydney remains without an official name due to political intervention and conflicting advice over Indigenous language use. The naming process stalled after disagreements arose within the museum’s staff and Indigenous advisory group, and conflicting opinions between different Indigenous communities and government agencies. The museum initially proposed Indigenous names sourced from the Dharug language, but later suggestions in the Dharawal language led to further contention. The museum remains optimistic that Indigenous names will eventually be adopted for the buildings, and consultations are continuing.
The city of Mesa, Arizona, has postponed a politically oriented street art show, sparking allegations of censorship. The specific reason for the delay was Shepard Fairey’s piece about police brutality, titled My Florist Is a Dick. Rob Schultz, the former assistant director of Mesa Arts Center, expressed concerns over the city’s handling of the subject matter, while city officials attributed the postponement to unfinished contracts with artists and concerns about the content of one work. The city intends to reschedule the exhibition, allowing time to review its processes and evaluate the impact of the message associated with the display.
Apple is working on a significant redesign for the Apple Watch, known as “Apple Watch X,” but it won’t be released this year. The new design aims for a thinner watch with magnetic band attachment points, a blood pressure sensor, and a microLED screen, possibly launching in late 2024 or 2025. The current mechanical attachments, while allowing customers to reuse old bands, consume space that could enhance the battery and internal components. The upcoming Apple Watch Series 9, meanwhile, will reportedly feature a faster processor but retain the same screen sizes as last year.
A group of investors has filed a class-action lawsuit against Sotheby’s, accusing the auction house of “misleading promotion” to inflate the value of Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs. The lawsuit alleges that Sotheby’s deceptive endorsement helped Yuga Labs, the creators of the NFTs, gain legitimacy among traditional collectors and attract a younger audience. Sotheby’s sold 101 of these NFTs for $24 million in September 2021, and the plaintiffs claim this was part of a scheme to defraud investors. Sotheby’s has called the allegations “baseless.”
The Eiffel Tower was evacuated for several hours on Saturday due to a bomb threat. Authorities cleared the three floors of the tower and the courtyard, established a large security perimeter, and diverted traffic while a team of deminers assessed the threat. A spokesperson for SETE, the operating company for the Eiffel Tower, stated that the procedure was standard, though rare, in such situations, such as when a man was spotted climbing up the side of the tower in 2019. The tower has since reopened to the public.
“Memento Vivere/Feed Your Head” by Tomáš Libertíny. Image courtesy of Tomáš Libertíny…
