Es Devlin’s Drawings of Endangered Species Light Up Tate Modern, and Other News

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Es Devlin lights up Tate Modern with her luminous drawings of endangered species.

“British designer Es Devlin has created Come Home Again, an illuminated dome illustrated with her own pencil drawings of the 243 flora and fauna species on London’s priority conservation list. Located outside of the Tate Modern gallery in London, the large-scale public installation is a cutout scale model of the domed St Paul’s Cathedral on the other side of the Thames river. Devlin created the Come Home Again installation out of recycled steel and her own pencil drawings of London’s endangered species, which have been arranged in illuminated decorative clusters. These include birds, beetles and moths as well as fungi, fish and wildflowers—all of which feature on London’s priority conservation list identified by the City of London Biodiversity Action Plan.” [H/T Dezeen]

A giant decommissioned gas platform is drawing interest and ire as an art installation.

“It looms high above the Grand Pier and makes the big wheel on the seafront look tiny. As it has taken shape on the beach at Weston-super-Mare, See Monster—a decommissioned North Sea gas platform converted into one of the UK’s biggest public art installations—has provoked a heady mix of head-scratching, interest, and ire. Finally, after delays caused by the vagaries of this summer’s extreme weather, visitors are being invited to clamber onboard. The installation is the ninth produced as part of the Unboxed: Creativity in the UK series which has attracted widespread criticism and ridicule, not least because of the cost of the project: a whopping $128 million to the taxpayers of the four UK nations.” [H/T The Guardian]

Tile specialist Mutina unveils its new headquarters designed by Patricia Urquiola. 

“Coinciding with Cersaie in Bologna, ceramic tile specialist Mutina is presenting its latest products inside its renovated headquarters in Fiorano, Modena. The new Spazio Mutina has been designed by Urquiola Studio in collaboration with Mutina Projects Division as a space to host the entire brand universe: Mutina Collections, Mutina Interiors, Mutina Editions. Within this robust renovation, the showroom will present installations celebrating the brand’s relationships with designers such as Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, Patricia Urquiola, Konstantin Grcic, Tokujin Yoshioka, Raw-Edges, Hella Jongerius, and Barber & Osgerby, among others. New products in the Mutina range include small tiles by Tokujin Yoshioka, along with a collection created by Vincent Van Duysen.” [H/T Wallpaper]

The Guggenheim Museum cancels the closely watched biennial Hugo Boss Prize. 

“New York’s Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is discontinuing its $100,000 Hugo Boss Prize. The institution gave no reason for the cancellation of the biennial prize, which was organized with the German luxury fashion company Hugo Boss in 1996 to reward innovation and influence in contemporary art. Modeled after the Turner Prize in Britain but unrestricted by nationality or age, the prize frequently included a solo exhibition at the museum and had become a mainstay of the international art world, bestowing emerging and established talents alike with international prestige.” [H/T Artforum]

In Houston, the country’s first multi-story 3D-printed building is slowly taking shape.

“Construction is underway in Houston on the first multi-story 3D printed building in the United States. Designed by two assistant professors of architecture at Cornell’s College of Architecture, Art and Planning (AAP), the two-story, single-family home merges 3D printed concrete with a traditional timber frame, creating what designers Leslie Lok and Sasa Zivkovic believe is a precedent for future 3D printed multifamily and mixed-use developments. When completed, the 4,000-square-foot home will contain three bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a two-car garage, while a 40-foot-high chimney will make the home one of the tallest 3D printed structures in the U.S.” [H/T Archinect]

Ken Fulk, MBH Architects, and Tyler Florence team up in a San Francisco steakhouse. 

“MBH Architects recently completed Miller & Lux, a new upscale steakhouse in San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood. MBH Architects was tapped to serve as Executive Architect with the task of implementing the overall restaurant design concept from Ken Fulk and celebrity chef and operator Tyler Florence. Across two floors, the 7,000-square-foot waterfront restaurant provides guests with the ceremonial experience of visiting a steakhouse. The team framed the restaurant’s interior with brass millwork and dark marble finishes featuring a caramel and gold color palette to create a feeling of elegance.” [H/T Dexigner]

Amanita gallery will open in famed club CBGB’s former building in the East Village.

“New York City mourned when famed rock club CBGB closed in 2006. The legendary home of rock and roll, punk, and dance, CBGB was where Johnny Rotten went to cope with the breakup of the Sex Pistols and where the Police and Patti Smith began their careers, often singing for a mostly empty club. When the space was taken over by men’s clothing brand John Varvatos two years later, many New Yorkers saw it as emblematic of the endless gentrification of the East Village. But rejoice! Art gallery Amanatia will soon open at 313 Bowery in a reinvention its founders hope will bring the famed venue to its roots. CBGB’s space was originally home to art gallery 313 Gallery. Amanita, which already has a space in Florence, is inaugurating the New York space with “Place Holder” featuring works by emerging Italian painter Leonardo Meoni opening on September 29.” [H/T ARTnews]

Today’s attractive distractions:

Kurt Steiner has dedicated his entire adult life to skipping stones.

This artist transforms discarded junk into a queer phantasmagoria.

Almost 900 CDs make up Boris Dennler’s new Compact Disc Chair.

Eccentricity remains a signature element with English interior design.