The Vessel Reopens With Suicide Prevention Measures, and Other News

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Thomas Heatherwick’s maligned Vessel will reopen with new suicide prevention measures.  

The maligned Thomas Heatherwick–designed Vessel is reopening to the public with new restrictions intended to prevent suicides after three young adults took their own lives there over the past year. One of the signature attractions of the massive Hudson Yards development, the Vessel closed off public access in January after a 21-year-old man wanted for questioning in a deadly stabbing in Texas jumped to his death from the structure, the third suicidal incident in 15 months. Hudson Yards has pledged to triple the staff and security, saying they will “install National Suicide Prevention Lifeline signage and messaging developed in partnership with Born This Way, an organization committed to supporting the wellness of young people, at the entrance to the attraction and on all Vessel tickets,” it said in a statement. 

New York unveils Open Boulevards, a pedestrian-friendly plan to open streets to the public.

Mayor de Blasio announced last month that he’d launch the Open Boulevards program, an initiative to temporarily block car traffic for a variety of boulevards in New York City. The initiative will blockade certain streets in Manhattan, which will make way for expanded opportunities for dining, cultural experiences and cultural activities for tourists and locals. “New Yorkers deserve more open space than ever this summer, and Open Boulevards will be a great resource for dining, cycling, and enjoying all the dynamic cultural events our city has to offer. As we bring back Open Streets: Restaurants and make Open Streets permanent, there will be more ways than ever to put our streets to work for people, not just vehicles,” says Deputy Mayor for Operations Laura Anglin.

The Museum of Tolerance in L.A. unveils the Social Lab, a permanent interactive exhibition.

Yazdani Studio has wrapped up work on a permanent exhibition, called the Claudia and Nelson Peltz Social Lab, at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles (MOTLA). The studio, a boutique branch of CannonDesign, transformed 10,000 square feet of the museum’s main level into an interactive gallery experience that continues the museum’s lessons on tolerance but presents them with a tech-forward approach. Translucent “veils” made out of metal coils, for example, are suspended from the ceiling to demarcate different areas within the exhibition, but they also serve as screens for film projections. “The content is heavy,” Yazdani says in reference to MOTLA’s mission to educate younger generations about racism, bigotry, and anti-Semitism. “But we’ve made sure the environment is vibrant, informative, and exciting.” 

Julie Mehretu will auction a painting to raise up to $4 million for mass incarceration reform.

The horrors of mass incarceration have galvanized a multitude of artists to take a stand against confinement. The latest is Julie Mehretu, who will donate the proceeds from the sale of Dissident Score (2019-21), a large-scale, multi-layered painting based on an abstracted photograph, which is expected to fetch up to $4 million to Agnes Gund’s Art for Justice Fund. “Mass incarceration, solitary confinement, youth imprisonment, and putting kids in prison for life without parole are sins of our society, slavery in another form,” the Ethiopian-American artist says. “It is way past time for a collective reimagining of crime and punishment as we know it.” The work will be available in a single-lot Artsy auction with an opening bit of $2.6 million.

In a shift toward higher-end luxury, Kering sells a $1 billion stake in athletic brand Puma.

Kering has sold a 5.9 percent stake—worth approximately $1 billion—in the athletic brand Puma. The sale, which follows one of a similar size completed in October, signals a wider shift within the conglomerate to focus on higher-end luxury instead of sportswear. Kering said the sale proceeds will be used for general corporate purposes and potentially more resources to make acquisitions. In a note to clients, analysts at Berenberg said the move shouldn’t come as a surprise and “provides meaningful firepower for potential M&A in the coming quarters.” The recent purchase of Tiffany by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton may also be adding pressure on Kering to bulk up its activities in the high-end sector.

Today’s attractive distractions:

Scientists are beginning to smell ocean radiation in order to prevent tsunamis.

Balenciaga and Givenchy both drop rubber slip-ons that look awfully similar.

Amazon introduces tiny, dystopian “ZenBooths” to soothe stressed-out staffers.

Here are the most memorable moments since the inception of the Internet.