Despite a fall cultural calendar replete with postponements and cancellations due to the coronavirus, the London Design Festival plans to proceed with its physical edition as scheduled. The fair’s organizers noted an “overwhelming consensus” among event partners, designers, and locals to move forward with the event, which will take place September 12–20 across the city. “It’s important that the design community stands together in these challenging times,” said the co-founders John Sorrell and Ben Evans in a statement. “We want to put the spotlight on the brilliance of London’s design scene at a time when it needs to be promoted more than ever.”

Though many brands are still figuring out how they’ll participate, Sorrell and Evans anticipate a locally driven program with a strengthened virtual presence. “London now has the biggest creative economy of any city in the world and our design reputation is renowned,” said Sorrell and Evans. “Showcasing is a key part of the sector and the platform the festival offers is an opportunity to say something.” On that note, the event also unveils a refreshed visual identity, by Pentagram, that metaphorically fills space with design.

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2×4’s Michael Rock, the Senior Critic at the Yale School of Art and Professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, took part in the Surface Summer School lecture series. He spoke to the students at UPenn’s Stuart Weitzman School of Design about the role of the social imaginary in mobilizing audiences, creating meaningful experiences, and shaping the world.

“Over time, a story becomes increasingly codified and ultimately systematic,” Rock said. “The more graphic it becomes, the more designed it becomes, the more real it becomes.” Rock, who has created brand identity and user experience for Nike, Apple, and Prada, showed the students how things that start out as routines slowly evolve until they are institutionalized. The coherence becomes entrenched, from the 12-hour clock to systematic racism to the drawing of borders on a map.

“Maps create empires and claim ownership. The way we say this is ours is to draw a line around,” he said. The false necessity, he said, is that you can’t get out of the system. “Maybe it seems trivial if the fort name is changed or the statue is taken down, but those are the things that start to make change,” he said of the current movement to remove confederate statues and rename military bases named after slave owners. “When it falls, it falls really quickly.”

The History of Home, the second installment of CuriosityStream’s “The History of…” anthology, offers a timely deep dive into the backstory of where, how, and why we make our homes. Embarking on a global journey to uncover the history behind every room in the house, the tripartite series offers rare peeks inside the world’s most spectacular residences, from Downton Abbey’s famed Highclere Castle to the Kirkjubøargarður, one of the oldest still-inhabited wooden houses.

Along the way, such world-renowned architects and designers as Yves Behar and Brigette Romanek share insights into where “home” might be headed in the future. “Now more than ever, where we live, where we shelter and where we seek sanctuary is an integral part of each of our lives,” says Rob Burk, head of content for CuriosityStream. “We wanted to deconstruct the concept of home to expose the surprising origins of the structures and rituals that surround us every day.”

Founded in 1865 in Le Locle by visionary watchmaker Georges Favre-Jacot, Zenith quickly became renowned for the precision of its chronometers. Zenith has created more than 600 movements in its history, none more celebrated than the legendary El Primero, the high-frequency chronograph calibre that beats at 36,000 vph.

Surface Says: To watch lovers, the name Zenith is synonymous with the storied El Primero, the first automatic chronograph, which remains one of watchmaking’s best.

New York’s next skyscraper may resemble a Brancusi-inspired yacht.

Kanye West files a trademark for a Yeezy cosmetics and wellness line.

Fumie Shibata designs a paper alternative to plastic takeout cup lids.

The FDA approves EndeavorRX, its first medical prescription video game.