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Design Dispatch

Our daily look at the world through the lens of design.

Andy Warhol and Edie Sedgwick. (Photo: Flickr)

Pop Art Post-Mortem

Medical historian and retired surgeon Dr. John Ryan has presented evidence that Andy Warhol’s death, which occurred after a supposedly routine surgery, wasn’t as surprising as it was presented to be. Warhol was in fact very ill at the time, and the he underwent a much more invasive and risky surgery than previously thought.
[The New York Times]

Iraqi artefact dating to 5,000 B.C.E. (Photo: Courtesy Iraq Museum; Department of Antiquities, Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Antiquities; and Ruya Foundation, via Artnet)

Old Meets New

In addition to works from modern and contemporary Iraqi artists, the country’s pavilion at the Venice Biennale will feature 40 ancient Iraqi artifacts, many of which were looted and since recovered. The exhibition’s curators, Tamara Chalabi and Paolo Colombo, promise the show will “examine the opportunities and restrictions presented to the nation by its immense ancient inheritance, in the context of today’s fragile reality.”
[Artnet]

A rendering of the 2017 Serpentine Pavilion, designed by Francis Kéré. (Image: Courtesy Kéré Architecture, via Archdaily)

Serpentine Scheme

African architect Diébédo Francis Kéré will design the 2017 Serpentine Pavilion. The structure, which will be installed in London’s Kensington Gardens this summer, was inspired by a tree from Kéré’s hometown in Burkino Faso.
[Archdaily]

(Photo: Courtesy Alessio Lin / Unsplash, via The Architect’s Newspaper)

AIA Takes Sides

The American Institute of Architects has released a statement in favor of immigration, subtly denouncing Donald Trump’s travel ban. “Beyond the essential considerations of fairness and equity, restrictions targeting specific areas of the world can have profoundly negative business impacts,” reads the statement by AIA president Thomas Vonier.
[The Architect’s Newspaper]

(Photo: Flickr)

Snap Judgement

When Snap Inc. goes public next month, Los Angeles will see a wave of newly minted millionaires. Tech I.P.O.s have previously created booms for high-end businesses in Silicon Valley and elsewhere, but this will be the first such windfall in L.A.
[The New York Times]

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