DESIGN DISPATCH

Shirin Neshat Speaks Out About the Iran Protests, and Other News

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Shirin Neshat’s “Woman Life Freedom” commission at London’s Piccadilly Circus. Image courtesy of Circa and the artist

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Shirin Neshat unveils digital art in London and L.A. about the ongoing protests in Iran.

“The New York-based Iranian artist Shirin Neshat has unveiled a digital art piece in London’s Piccadilly Circus and at Pendry West Hollywood in Los Angeles highlighting the deteriorating human rights situation in Iran sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini. California is home to one of the largest communities of Iranians outside Iran, with many settling in the state after the 1979 Islamic revolution. Neshat’s initiative, known as Woman Life Freedom, was organized by the digital art platform Circa. A time-limited print by the artist is also available via Circa with 50 percent of proceeds donated to Human Rights Watch.” [H/T The Art Newspaper]

Phyllis Lambert, Arem Duplessis, and Mickalene Thomas are named Pratt Legends honorees.

“Brooklyn’s Pratt Institute has named Phyllis Lambert, Arem Duplessis, and Mickalene Thomas as its three next Legends honorees in recognition of their work’s ability to resonate with the pillars of ‘creativity, innovation, and leadership’ that have guided the school’s educational mission since first being founded in 1887. The program is also a vehicle by which Pratt raises funds for the student body, of which the institution says 80 percent receive some form of financial aid. Past winners of the now 23-year-old award include architects David Adjaye, David Rockwell, and the late Helmut Jahn.” [H/T Archinect]

Jacob & Co. N.E.R.D. Brain Pendant Chain once owned by Pharrell. Image courtesy of Joopiter

Pharrell is auctioning clothes and jewelry on his new e-commerce platform Joopiter.

“Joopiter, an online auction house founded by the musician Pharrell Williams, announced on its e-commerce platform this week the sale of 52 rare items belonging to the famed rapper himself. The items span Pharrell’s early career, starting with his rise to fame in 2003, when he and bandmates Chad Hugo and Shay Haley formed the hip-hop group N.E.R.D. Williams used N.E.R.D as a springboard for a wider career in pop music that would include collaborations with industry stars like Justin Timberlake and Madonna. The Joopiter sale includes some of Pharrell’s earliest bling, including several pieces from the American jeweler Jacob, which the artist wore in his early years, around 2003 to 2004.” [H/T Artnet News]

Scientists create an ultra-thin white paint that can deflect heat from cars and planes.

“In 2021, a team of engineers from Purdue University in Indiana, the US, developed the world’s whitest paint that could curb climate change by cooling cool down buildings and therefore reducing the need for air conditioning. Now, the researchers have made some changes to the formula, producing a thinner and lighter version that is ideal for casting heat away from cars, trains, and airplanes.” [H/T Designboom]

Goodwill launches an e-commerce platform exclusively for rare and high-end finds.

“Goodwill is making its first big push online with GoodwillFinds, a curated marketplace of donated goods that seeks to compete with Poshmark and The RealReal, secondhand sites where resale has become sport to shoppers hunting luxury brands to flip for profit. Launching with more than 100,000 items that typically fill the racks and shelves of brick-and-mortar Goodwill stores including clothes, toys and housewares, the site is also chock full of unique high-end finds like a retro red patent leather Gucci bag selling for $499.99, black suede Prada shoes priced at $220.00 and a Burberry sapphire crystal Swiss watch up for grabs at $230.85. The charity, founded over a century ago, made more than $5.4 billion in donated goods retail revenue across the US and Canada last year.” [H/T Business of Fashion]

Piatti by Ivy Studio. Photography by Alex Lesage

Ivy Studio restores an Italian restaurant in Montreal previously damaged by a fire. 

“Dark green marble, glossy black tiles and sculptural lighting contrast the rough stone walls of this Montreal restaurant that has been resurrected by local Ivy Studio. Located in Rosemère, on Montreal’s north bank, Piatti opened 15 years ago in an old stone building that was previously extended to accommodate a larger commercial space. After a fire ripped through the Italian restaurant over a year ago, damaging the roof and the interior, the owners chose to renovate and update the space. Upstairs are the dining areas, each with a distinct atmosphere. When entering past courses of glossy black tiles, customers are met by a “monumental” pizza oven wrapped in green Saint-Denis marble.” [H/T Dezeen]

Dan Wieden, the advertising legend behind agency Wieden + Kennedy, dies at 93.

“Dan Wieden, the advertising legend behind award-winning ads for many iconic brands, died on Friday at age 77. Wieden co-founded ad agency Wieden and Kennedy, based in Portland, Oregon, with late partner David Kennedy in 1982. The agency went on to famous advertising campaigns for companies like McDonalds, Bud Light, and Old Spice. But the agency is best known for helping a certain sneaker company become one of the most recognizable brands on earth. Nike’s “Just Do It” was famously dreamed up by Wieden and first appeared in a TV commercial for the brand in 1988.” [H/T Business Insider]

META FLORIST by Makoto Azuma

Today’s attractive distractions:

Young residents of Tokyo are increasingly opting for 95-square-foot apartments.

Is Elon Musk’s humanoid robot a “fundamental transformation of civilization?”

Makoto Azuma is launching an NFT shop that sells digital flower bouquets

A Vanity Fair editor is penning an unauthorized biography of Larry Gagosian.

All Stories