DESIGN DISPATCH

Genesis Unveils the G80’s Nature-Inspired Design, and Other News

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

The 2021 Genesis G80’s dramatic silhouette at dusk.

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Genesis unveils the G80’s new design inspired by nature and Korean architecture.

Inspired by the Korean architecture philosophy of white space and the principles of nature, the newly unveiled redesign is a masterwork in dynamic lines. The new silhouette showcases wing-like LED quad lights, a sculptural crest grille flashing the brand’s signature crosshatch G-Matrix pattern mimicking the diffuse reflection of light from a diamond, and rear curvature that takes cues from classic 1960s coupe culture. From the front, the sloping parabolic anatomy gives it the figuration of a muscular apex predator stalking its prey. 

Google plans to open its first-ever physical retail outpost in New York this summer. 

In a move that observers say rivals Apple’s playbook, Alphabet Inc’s Google is opening a physical retail space in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood. The store will be located near the company’s campus and will reportedly sell its suite of products: Pixel smartphones, Pixelbooks and Fitbit fitness trackers along with Nest smart home devices. The new brick-and-mortar strategy will provide an in-person customer service offering similar to Apple, which has collected billions of dollars in revenue from its shops, now numbering 270 globally, since launching its first retail space in Virginia in 2001. 

Little Island by Thomas Heatherwick

The Thomas Heatherwick-designed floating park on the Hudson River opens in New York. 

After years of public and legal battles, the controversial $260 million Little Island project spearheaded by Barry Diller has officially opened on New York City’s west side. A decade in the making, the  2.4-acre floating park-within-a-park on the Hudson River replaces the dilapidated Pier 54. Heatherwick, a powerhouse architect whose viewing platform and sculpture, the Vessel at Hudson Yards, has been plagued by negative architectural reviews and problems such as public suicides, has conceived an undulating structure adorned with trees, flowers, grass, and a 687-seat amphitheater. 

TEFAF cancels its marquee fair in Maastricht due to “current global circumstances.”

The European Fine Art Fair (TEFAF) has canceled its marquee fair in Maastricht due to current global circumstances regarding the pandemic. The fair had previously been rescheduled from its original March dates to September. “TEFAF is focused on gathering our community of dealers, collectors, and vendors for our signature fair experience in a physical setting as soon as circumstances allow,” Hidde van seggelen, TEFAF chairman, said in a statement. The fair will instead present a virtual edition, online Sept. 9–13, that features up to three artworks from each participating gallery. It seems like the right move for TEFAF, which closed its Maastricht edition in 2020 after an exhibitor tested positive for the virus and other attendees soon reported symptoms. 

Banksy loses a second trademark case over using his world-famous monkey image.

Banksy first depicted a monkey with a sandwich board hung around its neck reading “Laugh now, but one day we’ll be in charge” in 2002 after a Brighton nightclub commissioned him. The image has since become a Banksy staple and has formed the basis for countless other artworks. Now, a recent ruling by the European Union Intellectual Property Office has stripped the anonymous artist of the trademark. It follows a similar decision this past September to also strip Banksy of the trademark of his Flower Thrower work. 

Gucci Garden in Roblox

Today’s attractive distractions:

Enter Gucci Garden, the label’s centenary exhibition in the online game Roblox.

This high-tech artwork that recreates the Big Bang is even making scientists cry

Obscure sculptor Nicholas Pope is having a moment with three concurrent shows.

Here’s how a New York restaurant can actually lose money on a $14 sandwich.

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