What’s Happening: The art patron and philanthropist Dasha Zhukova is launching a residential real estate venture called Ray that centers art and culture experiences.

The Download: Shortly after Dasha Zhukova co-founded Moscow’s Garage Museum of Contemporary Art and enlisted OMA’s Rem Koolhaas to convert an abandoned Soviet-era restaurant into the institution’s new venue, she observed that visitors were “staying and hanging out” because they simply wanted to be surrounded by art and culture. Fast forward a decade, and the art patron and philanthropist is applying that logic to the multi-unit residential market by launching Ray, a new venture that aims to bring art, culture, and thoughtful design to real estate.

Ray’s inaugural project, a conversion of Harlem’s historic National Black Theatre into a 21-story building by Mexican architect Frida Escobedo, will feature a roster of perks such as master classes, events, and workshops from local artists and institutions; each of the 222 units will be at or below market rate. That’ll be followed by a new 110-unit building by Leong Leong in Philadelphia’s rising Fishtown neighborhood, which will be outfitted with street-level artist studios and maker spaces. A third building is underway in Miami, and Zhukova is eyeing cities such as Austin, Nashville, Denver, and Portland for even further expansion.

In Their Own Words: “We’re looking for creative solutions,” the design gallerist Suzanne Demisch, who joined Ray with Becca Goldstein and Will Kluczkowski, tells WSJ. “We’re asking why. There’s not a package for all the touchpoints of the experience—it’s about the aesthetic and the culture of each location.”

Surface Says: We could use more community-minded developments like Ray, which go way beyond haphazardly plopping blue-chip art and calling it a day.

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Deeply inspired by her Ghanaian heritage, Chrissa Amuah infuses the wisdom of Adinkra symbols and traditional proverbs into the handmade textiles and prints she creates for her London-based studio AMWA Designs. Her latest collection, called Duality for Bernhardt Textiles, channels Ghanaian symbology into a vibrant new collection of upholstery fabrics whose colors, textures, and patterns coalesce to empower on multiple levels.

When: Until June 25

Where: Objective Gallery, Shanghai

What: Unbound by convention or expectations, Brecht Wright Gander ascribes unexpected, emotionally charged identities onto everyday objects such as Victorian lamps by transforming them with appendages made from materials like latex and ceramic. The rising star describes his latest batch of objects as “furniture with its own priorities,” from a chair that appears to be slowly crawling away to a bed that’s pulsing with its own dreams.

Despite having invested roughly $2.5 billion into Bitcoin, Tesla quickly suspended vehicle purchases using the volatile cryptocurrency due to its staggering environmental toll. “We’re concerned about the rapidly increasing use of fossil fuels for Bitcoin mining and transactions, especially coal, which has the worst emissions of any fuel,” CEO Elon Musk wrote on Twitter. “Cryptocurrency is a good idea on many levels and we believe it has a promising future, but this can’t come at great cost to the environment.” Tesla plans to resume its use as soon as Bitcoin mining (the impact of which is covered in great detail here) transitions to more sustainable energy.

Though public pulpits and stages are frequent sights in many cities, it’s not easy setting one up in New York. They’ve become somewhat more common during the pandemic, however, when locals took to the streets and other public spaces for open-air events that adhered to social distancing. The most memorable were demonstrations against systemic racism and police brutality that transformed streets, parks, and plazas into sites of protest.

Now, New Yorkers will receive an official platform at Astor Place—a historic site of public action in Lower Manhattan—thanks to a new public art commission from Creative Time. The agency enlisted artist Rashid Johnson to create Red Stage, a 30-foot-wide steel structure that will stage artist performances, musical events, and anyone who steps up to use their voice.

Much like its name suggests, the stage will be coated in bright red paint not unlike the shade Johnson uses in his Untitled Anxious Red Drawings. According to associate curator Diya Vij, Creative Time has so far secured performances from nightlife collective Papi Juice, performance artist Morgan Bassichis, and theatre director Charlotte Brathwaite, but will only be programmed half the time to encourage public participation. The stage will be open from June 5 to July 4.

New to Kyiv is Istetyka (a combination of two Ukrainian words for eating and aesthetics), whose owners were looking to enhance the typical casual dining experience through elevated design. They turned to studio Yakusha Design, who used a mix of raw concrete, polished stone, natural woods, and dimpled clay alongside geometric patterns to create a space that’s far more zen than your average fast-food joint. Yakusha sourced many of the eatery’s objects and decor, including macrame lamps and clay vases, from local artisans.

Studio Munge brings spaces to life for storied heritage brands and top-tier global developers. The firm’s tactile, layered, and immersive interiors have earned a reputation for masterful storytelling through design and enable its projects to stand the test of time.

Surface Says: Studio Munge places a high priority on drama in each design, often with a striking centerpiece or expertly framed vista. The firm’s entryways often greet visitors with a bold statement (perhaps a procession of archways or ornate chandelier) that suggests more surprises as one ventures further.

A new genre of computer-generated “renderporn” is taking Instagram by storm.

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The photographer Alison Pollack captures miniature fungi in a grandiose way.