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Paolo Roversi’s Inner Workings Come to Light in a New Film, and Other News

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

Paolo Roversi in “Paolo Roversi. Il Sentimento Della Luce”

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In a New Film, Paolo Roversi’s Inner Workings Come to Light 

For more than four decades, Paolo Roversi has pioneered a style of fashion photography that’s exquisite, ethereal, and fiercely modern. Though he’s collaborated with fashion A-listers like Rei Kawakubo, Vera Wang, and Giorgio Armani, the Italian photographer attributes his longevity to distance. “The fashion world is a big star system where [a lot] happens—it’s a rather complicated world,” Roversi says in Paolo Roversi. Il sentimento della luce, a new documentary that recently screened at Fondazione Sozzani. “I’ve lived through it for 50 years, and I managed to do so because I’ve always kept a certain distance from it.” 

The documentary, directed by Dario Migliardi, retraces Roversi’s career through some of his most formative images. Anecdotes from his many collaborators—Naomi Campbell, Monica Bellucci, Alberta Ferretti—offer an intimate look inside the man behind the lens, self-described in the film as “a simple Paolo, on the beach like a child.” His distinct misty style and use of light, which combines realism and illusion, stems from growing up around colorful Byzantine mosaics in Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region. “Paolo’s direction is minimal, but you feel the light on your face, it’s a sort of dance with lighting,” John Galliano, a frequent collaborator, says in the film. “When he starts taking pictures, you feel completely safe.”  —Ryan Waddoups

Nyhavna Utvikling, a new mixed-use neighborhod in Trondheim, Norway, by COBE Architects. Image courtesy of COBE Architects

COBE Architects will transform a waterfront neighborhood in Trondheim, Norway. 

COBE Architects has won a competition to design a new mixed-use neighborhood in Trondheim, Norway. The development will repurpose an industrial harbor into a waterfront neighborhood with housing and workplaces, reusing the existing warehouse footprint and foundations. The concept also includes a generous waterfront park with public spaces for various uses and seasonal changes, reflecting the city’s historical wooden buildings.

Kering is hiring a “brand safety” executive following Balenciaga’s campaign scandal.

Kering is creating a new role to oversee brand safety after a controversial Balenciaga ad campaign negatively impacted sales in late 2022. The French luxury group’s move comes as companies face increasing pressure to protect their brands following a string of public relations embarrassments. The new brand safety chief will review advertising campaigns, challenge them, and assess potential criticism. Kering will also enlist the help of an external agency to oversee marketing and advertising.

The Blanton Museum of Art in Austin receives 5,650 works of Latinx and Chicanx art.

The Blanton Museum of Art in Austin has received a significant gift of 5,650 works of Latinx and Chicanx art from Gilberto Cárdenas and Dolores Garcia. The donation is set to make the Blanton one of the country’s largest collections of Latinx art, and will be used to complement the museum’s expansion of its Latino art initiatives. The Blanton plans to hire an associate curator of Latinx art using funding from the Mellon Foundation and will unveil two galleries dedicated to the genre in March.

“40 Foot Stepped Skyscraper” (2011) by Chris Burden. Photography by Joshua White/Gagosian

Chris Burden brings a massive ziggurat-like structure to the tarmac at Frieze L.A.

Chris Burden, a sculptor known for creating massive structures that surpass the boundaries of art and architecture, had to obtain permission from the Federal Aviation Administration for his 40 Foot Stepped Skyscraper. The towering sculpture, made from more than 250,000 stainless steel Erector Set-style pieces, is on display at the Santa Monica Airport through Frieze Los Angeles. The installation’s proximity to the airport’s runway has turned the sculpture into a beacon that stands out among the surrounding cityscape, and even though the skyscraper is for sale, climbing the ziggurat-like structure is strictly prohibited for adventurous fair-goers.

The LVMH Prize selects 22 semi-finalists from a pool of more than 2,400 applicants.

The LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers has announced its 22 semi-finalists from a pool of more than 2,400 applicants, with entrants from countries as far-flung as Canada, Estonia, India, and Jamaica. The prize has long propelled careers, with winners such as Marine Serre and Grace Wales Bonner going on to notable success. The awards will include a 300,000-euro ($320,600) endowment and mentorship in sustainability, production, finance, legal, and communications for the overall winner, and the Karl Lagerfeld Prize winner will receive a 150,000-euro ($160,300) allocation plus a year of mentorship from LVMH.

David Chipperfield Architects will design Greece’s National Archaeological Museum.

David Chipperfield has won the competition to design the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. The proposal respects the original building’s neoclassical architecture while creating an additional 215,000 square feet of space with subterranean galleries and a rooftop park. Belgian landscape architects Wirtz International have designed the outdoor area to reference 19th-century parks and create a sheltered inner courtyard that connects the building’s old and new parts. Visitors walk through two floors of exhibition space leading to the existing building, where clear volumes, diagonal views, and rammed-earth walls contrast the historical spaces.

Bad Roman. Photography by Lanna Apisukh

Today’s attractive distractions:

We’re taking bets on what “transformation-flavored” Coca-Cola tastes like.

Here’s a “handy” guide on how men can tastefully stack their bracelets.

Is Bad Roman the most unhinged Italian restaurant we’ve ever seen?

Modern dating is tough, but this trusty glossary can help you scrape by.

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