DESIGN DISPATCH

Venice Finally Bans Cruise Ships, and Other News

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

Venice, Italy

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In a win for conservationists, Venice bans large container vessels and cruise ships. 

In a move being hailed by proponents of sustainable tourism, the City of Canals will no longer permit container vessels and cruise ships to dock near the city center. The ruling by the Italian government comes after years of deadly collisions and numerous protests against the large ocean liners, which bring pollution into the area and erode the city’s historic foundation—two contributing factors to the perpetual flooding issues.

Pyramid Club, New York’s beloved “safe haven for freaks,” closes after 41 years.

The East Village haunt, frequented by the likes of Andy Warhol, Madonna, Debbie Harry, Keith Haring, RuPaul, and others, is the latest storied hospitality venue to fall victim to the harsh economic conditions caused by COVID-19. Nirvana and the Red Hot Chili Peppers played their first New York concerts at the club, which became a sanctuary for early queer and punk culture. 

Spring Street Salt Shed by Michael Friedlander, Dattner Architects, and WXY

Michael Friedlander, architect of New York’s Spring Street Salt Shed, dies at 63.

Motivated to transform civic architecture from humdrum to a thing of beauty, Michael Friedlander first worked on prosaic assignments for the City of New York such as drafting blueprints to renovate locker rooms for sanitation workers. Over the course of four decades, he’d complete a series of game-changing buildings that single-handedly changed the face of civic architecture in New York. Perhaps none exemplifies his vision better than the Spring Street Salt Shed, a glacially blue crystalline structure in TriBeCa that pens a love letter to the 5,000 tons of salt stored inside. Friedlander died at 63 in a Manhattan hospital after complications from an infection.

Centre Pompidou will continue to show its permanent collection during its renovation. 

The Centre Pompidou in Paris will be closed for a three-year-long, $235 million restoration project starting in 2023. Along the way, the institution plans to keep showing the 120,000 works in its permanent collection through partnerships with other French art institutions. The Centre Pompidou-Metz, an annex in the French region of Lorraine, will be among the museums hosting presentations, and the museum plans to open an outpost in the Parisian suburb of Massy in 2025.

Satan Shoes by MSCHF and Lil Nas X

MSCHF cancels a giveaway of Lil Nas X’s viral “Satan Shoes” amid a lawsuit from Nike. 

To promote the video for his latest song, called “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” Lil Nas X teamed up with the offbeat Brooklyn brand MSCHF to drop Satan-themed Nike shoes that contained one drop of human blood in a limited run of 666. Nike immediately sued MSCHF for trademark infringement, causing the brand to cancel the giveaway for the 666th Satan Shoe. “We’re honestly surprised by the action Nike has taken,” the brand wrote in a statement, “and immediately after Nike’s counsel sent us notice we reached out but received no response.”

As sole shareholder, Brookfield is taking its property business back in a $6.5 billion buyout. 

Mall titan Brookfield Property Partners is taking its property business back under its wing. The deal was first announced in early January at $5.9 billion and is currently being facilitated by Ontario court. Investors holding stakes in the property group can elect to take $18.17 in cash per unit, Brookfield stock, or a combination of the two. The case is expected to close in the third quarter.

Still from “Think Bigger” by Pyer Moss

Today’s attractive distractions:

Pyer Moss drops a new inspirational short film about securing your dreams.

The inventors of NFTs share how “tech-world opportunism” ruined the fun.

It turns out that communing with art is much easier in deserted museums.

Louis Vuitton’s latest perfume is composed primarily of natural oud essence.

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