DESIGN DISPATCH

Devon Turnbull’s Listening Room Hits the Right Notes in London, and Other News

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“HiFi Listening Room Dream No. 1” by Devon Turnbull. Image courtesy of Lisson Gallery

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Devon Turnbull’s Listening Room Hits the Right Notes in London

By eschewing nearly every trend in modern electronics, Devon Turnbull masterfully makes custom-built speakers that offer the most premium audio experience around. (Just ask repeat clients Supreme and Public Records.) The in-demand speaker sculptor’s latest outing lands at London’s Lisson Gallery, where he opened the immersive HiFi Listening Room Dream No. 1. The setting encourages visitors to “surrender to the act of listening”—easily done given the room’s imposing Neo-Brutalist speakers, meditation seats, and sound-absorptive carpet. Classic vinyl, analog tapes, jazz maestros, and live performances are all on the playlist, which will be on repeat until August 26. —Ryan Waddoups

“Of Thee We Sing” (2023) by vanessa german in Lincoln Memorial Plaza. Rendering courtesy of the artist and Monument Lab

The National Mall will soon host an exhibition of art addressing overlooked histories.

This summer, the National Mall in Washington, D.C., will showcase a series of new artworks in “Pulling Together,” an exhibition organized by Monument Lab, a Philadelphia nonprofit. These contemporary installations, created by artists like Wendy Red Star, vanessa german, and Derrick Adams, aim to address overlooked histories of the United States that are absent in the existing monuments. Running from Aug. 18, the show features works like Paul Ramírez Jonas’s Let Freedom Ring, an interactive bell tower, and a statue of Marian Anderson by vanessa german that commemorates the 1939 Easter concert on the Lincoln Memorial steps. 

CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalists will compete to sell their collection at Nordstrom.

As part of the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, Nordstrom will challenge the finalists to participate in “Secure the Space,” aiming to discover emerging talent for their Nordstrom Space boutique. Launched in 2015, Nordstrom Space offers a platform for advanced and emerging designers featuring a diverse selection of seasonal collections in-store and online. The challenge will take place on Tuesday, where finalists will present their collections to the Nordstrom team, with one winner earning the opportunity to have their collection shown in select Nordstrom stores for an upcoming season. Nordstrom has supported the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund since 2006, partnering to provide retail exposure at their flagship New York City store.

“Aftermath of Obliteratino of Eternity” (2009) by Yayoi Kusama. Photography by Daniel Mansur

Brazil’s Instituto Inhotim in Brumadinho unveils a gallery dedicated to Yayoi Kusama.

The Instituto Inhotim in Brumadinho, Brazil, has unveiled a permanent gallery dedicated to Yayoi Kusama, famous for her Infinity Mirror Rooms. The Galeria Yayoi Kusama houses two of her installations, including Aftermath of Obliteration of Eternity (2009). Another artwork, I’m Here, But Nothing (2000), featuring furniture arranged under black light to illuminate certain dots, will also be on display. The gallery’s opening aligns with the global surge of interest in Kusama’s art, with major exhibitions showcased in New York, Spain, and England.

In his latest Twitter shake-up, Elon Musk plans to replace the blue bird logo with an X. 

On Sunday, Elon Musk announced that Twitter’s new logo, an “X,” will replace the bird logo as part of a series of shake-ups to the platform under his ownership. Musk, who acquired Twitter in October for $44 billion, tweeted that the change will take place soon. The rebranding is part of his vision to create “X, the everything app,” resembling China’s WeChat, and will focus on audio, video, messaging, payments, and banking, transforming Twitter into a global marketplace for ideas and services.

Thieves steal some of the weird statues from Tim Burton’s stalled Beetlejuice 2 set.

A statue from the set of Tim Burton’s upcoming movie Beetlejuice 2 has been stolen, and Vermont police are seeking public assistance in locating it. The sculpture, resembling one of the menacing pieces from the original 1988 film, weighs 150 pounds. It’s uncertain if the piece is from the first movie or a recreation for the sequel. Alongside the statue, a lamp post with a distinctive pumpkin decoration was also stolen from the set. Filming for Beetlejuice 2 is currently on hold due to the SAG-AFTRA strike.

A Singapore passport. Photography by Roslan Rahman/AFP/Getty Images

Today’s attractive distractions:

A boom in drone photography is shedding new light on the habits of sharks.

Singapore replaces Japan as the country with the most powerful passport.

In China, new fossils reveal a dramatic battle with a badger-size mammal.

Everything is bigger in Texas—except a pint-sized Buc-ee’s on the highway.

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