Lifeguard booths become beach sculptures at Toronto winter resorts, and other news – SURFACE

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Lifeguard posts become quirky beach sculptures at Toronto winter resorts

The winners of Toronto’s annual design competition, which transforms beach watch stations into temporary structures during the winter, have been announced. Ranging from the abstract to the practical, the three winning designs were inspired by the theme of resilience. “Over the past year and a half, we have so clearly witnessed people’s immense capacity to resist and navigate difficult and unprecedented times,” said the organizers of Winter Stations. “In recognition and celebration of this courage, the theme chosen for the 2022 edition is resilience: the ability to withstand adversity and recover from difficulties.”

The Gessner offers the London rental market a lifestyle inspired by members’ clubs.

Property company Way of Life has partnered with Fettle Design to develop 164 fully furnished rental properties in the Tottenham area of ​​North London. Called The Gesnerthe project adopts a hospitality-focused members’ club format, with retro-inflected interiors and communal gathering spaces such as a café, kitchen and on-site gym designed to offer hotel-style amenities to residents.

Wealthy Russians spend a lot on luxury jewelry to preserve their savings.

Sanctions on Russia shut down the stock market and sent the rouble plummeting, so wealthy Russians spent on luxury fashion and jewelry to keep their savings from eroding. Italian jeweler Bulgari has announced an increase in sales in its Russian stores. “In the short term, it probably boosted activity,” CEO Jean-Christophe Babin said. Bloomberg. “It is difficult to say how long this will last, because indeed, with the SWIFT measures, fully implemented, it could be difficult, if not impossible, to export to Russia.” European luxury brands continued to operate in the country even as Apple and Nike pulled out. The commercial publication fashion companymeanwhile, urged retailers to close Russian stores and not ship products online in order to adopt a “strong moral stance”.

Badie Architects twists and bends an organically shaped stone house in Egypt.

Nicknamed the “Giza House‘, an idiosyncratic residence in Egypt is turning heads for its unusual exterior that resembles the shape of a rock. “Nature is our relief. It allows us to follow its flows, be flexible, adaptable and celebrate the spirit of youth,” says local studio Badie Architects. “By blending the boundary between human habitat and the natural world, and ridding it of past, present, or future ties, we create a sympathetic structure that is well-integrated with its surroundings to be part of a unified world.”

Yinka Shonibare opens an artist residency in Nigeria which will promote cultural exchanges.

After years of planning, the British-Nigerian artist has opened an art space and residency called Guest Artists Space (GAS) Foundation in Lagos and on a rural farm in Ijebu. The program will offer exhibitions and workspaces for artists from Africa and the Diaspora that will promote exchanges between artists from different cultures. Shonibare funded both sites himself, with residencies and programs supported by his foundation and through various partnerships. “The art world must evolve,” said Shonibare The nation. “There is a rich pipeline of talent, but we could lose it if the status quo of the last 30 years remains. We work with the local community, while opening doors for the next generation, equipping them to thrive, not just survive.

A heroic bronze sculpture by Kehinde Wiley is being directed to an HIV/AIDS nonprofit in St. Louis.

Sculpture by Kehinde Wiley Rumors of war (2019) may at first resemble typical heroic male statues found in the United States, but closer examination reveals a black protagonist wearing a hooded jacket and high-top sneakers. The bronze is currently heading to the new campus of Doorways, a non-profit organization located in the predominantly black neighborhood of Jeff-Vander-Lou, St. Louis, which provides affordable housing for people living with HIV/AIDS. “The Doorways campus is in a part of St. Louis that hasn’t often had public sculptures, and not of this monumental scale and significant content,” said Lisa Melandri, executive director of the Museum of Contemporary Art. of Saint Louis. Hyperallergic. “It’s really public art, really accessible, and it will allow a whole new audience to experience it.”

More than 6,500 Russian architects condemn the invasion of Ukraine in an open letter.

More than 6,500 architects, designers and urban planners in Russia have signed an open letter condemning the invasion of Ukraine and “demanding an immediate end to the violent war”. Published online by Project Russia, the letter declares “we, the architects and planners of Russia, consider unacceptable the invasion of Russian troops on the territory of Ukraine. Political problems must be solved exclusively by peaceful means! War cannot be an instrument of politics in the 21st century. The letter further notes that “war devalues ​​the very essence of the activity of an architect and an urban planner, regardless of the country in which he finds himself”.

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