As part of our Surface Summer School lecture series, the M.D. Internal Medicine at Critical Care Medicine and the co-principals of Intemperie Studio spoke to the students at the University of Pennsylvania’s Stuart Weitzman School of Design. “As designers, we have to think what we can give back to the city; join them in the planning for a future crisis,” Alvear Gilbert said. “[Coronavirus] made us question what our role is as architects in these types of crisis.” Reflecting on the COVID-19 peak in Ecuador’s epicenter, Guayaquil, Alvear Gilbert and Colon Amador stressed the importance of mobility and flexibility of space in flattening the curve, particularly the impact mobile testing units.

Dr. Boloña Gilbert echoed that sentiment, explaining to students the emergency measures his hospital took to absorb the sudden influx of patients such as preparing the parking lot as a triage center and converting standard inpatient rooms into the ICU. “I’ve never felt this way before, this was a different beast,” Boloña Gilbert said. Watch the lecture.

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Mark Grattan was never certain where life would take him. Not too long after the fledgling furniture designer settled down at a shop in Brooklyn’s Industry City to carve out the inaugural collection for VIDIVIXI, his newly launched studio, he relocated to Mexico City. The move has afforded him the precious space—mentally, physically, and financially—to crystallize VIDIVIXI’s footing in the design industry as an ascendant purveyor of seductive and highly sophisticated furniture infused with sumptuous materiality and global craft.

Grattan, who is black and queer, serves as VIDIVIXI’s leading creative force. He prefers to distance his own narrative from the brand, rarely divulging personal details and instead remaining steadfast in his philosophy that VIDIVIXI’s work speaks for itself. In other words, Grattan exists on his own terms—much like the furniture he masterfully creates.

Lately, Grattan has been ruminating on how his queer black identity fits into the design industry, which skews overwhelmingly white. It’s an intimate—and often harrowing—inner monologue that he experiences in an evocative new photo series, in which he faces himself in VIDIVIXI’s Split Mirror, a standout from the brand’s Spring 2020 collection. Not only do the images reflect the strength and resolve of somebody still finding his footing in an industry that doesn’t look like him, but it marks one of the first times that Grattan has directly ascribed his identity into his studio’s work. In an interview, Grattan reflects on his experiences with racism, how the design industry can achieve equity, and why the media should stop putting black talent in a box.

Co-founded by accessories designer Gina Love, and her partner, Steven Feldman, Auvere celebrates the art of hand-crafted gold jewelry in its purest forms: 22k and 24k gold. The allure of Auvere’s jewelry lies not only in the lustrous hue of the high-karat gold, but also in bold design and exceptional craftsmanship.

Surface Says: Auvere prides itself on crafting desirable and beautifully designed jewelry that accrues value over time. Auvere marks designer Gina Love’s second creative enterprise; fellow List brand Peryton served as her initial foray into the commercial sector. Auvere and Peryton share a foundation that values fine materials and craftsmanship.

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Here’s where to shop the recently closed label Sies Marjan for the last time.