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Nov 17 2022
Surface
Design Dispatch
Inside City Harvest’s state-of-the-art new campus, remembering Fernando Campana, and an espresso martini bag.
FIRST THIS
“Illustration is an art form that is able to speak to everyone in a universal way.”
HERE’S THE LATEST

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With a Giant New Brooklyn Campus, City Harvest Looks Ahead

What’s Happening: Food rescue nonprofit City Harvest is toasting 40 years by unveiling a giant campus in Brooklyn that more than doubles its capacity to feed hungry New Yorkers.

The Download: City Harvest’s story begins with a potato. In 1982, Helen verDuin Palit was eating potato skins at a New York restaurant near the soup kitchen where she volunteered, but learned the chef discarded all the unused insides. When she asked the restaurant to donate them to the soup kitchen, which was struggling to feed everyone who came in, the idea for City Harvest—and the food rescue movement—was born.

In the four decades since its humble origins in an employee’s station wagon, the city’s largest food rescue organization has gathered more than a billion pounds of excess food and fresh produce going to waste from nearly 2,000 restaurants and grocery stores, delivering them to mobile vendors and farmers’ markets serving New Yorkers struggling to put meals on the table. Operating a fleet of 23 refrigerated trucks seven days a week, the nonprofit retrieves more than 200,000 pounds of food per day—and more than 75 million per year. Its mission has taken on newfound significance as visits to pantries increased 69 percent compared to pre-pandemic times, coupled with record-high inflation and the harrowing notion that up to 40 percent of all food in the U.S. goes to waste each year.


As the nonprofit gears up for its most crucial holiday season yet, it’s also unveiling a sprawling new campus, where corporate offices, storage warehouses, distribution centers, and community facilities all operate side by side. Called the Cohen Community Food Rescue Center, named after philanthropists Steven and Alexandra Cohen, the 150,000-square-foot complex repurposes a 19th-century train repair depot in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park neighborhood into a state-of-the-art hub.

The LEED Gold transformation, overseen by Ennead Architects and Ware Malcomb, more than doubles City Harvest’s food storage and loading capacity. Hundreds of staffers can now gather inside a vast light-filled hall, which was brought to life by reopening clerestory windows and commissioning original artworks from local talents Key Adams, Hektad, and Jessica Dalrymple. A colorful array of Sui Park’s amoeba-like sculptures, made using zip-ties, dangle above open-plan workspaces and bring flashes of whimsy. The office sits near more multi-purpose spaces that City Harvest will program with mobile markets to serve Sunset Park locals, who have long struggled with food insecurity.


With food at City Harvest’s core, its new headquarters required a top-notch event and dining hall appointed with a state-of-the-art expo kitchen. The nonprofit looked no further than Rockwell Group, the local firm renowned for theatrical hospitality projects and, more recently, nimble outdoor dining sheds to help business owners affected by pandemic closures. David Rockwell’s masterful touch—parquet wood flooring reclaimed from Upstate New York barns, brass kitchen fittings, and terra cotta tiles—elevates the spacious pop-up event hall into somewhat of a fine dining destination. The adjoining terrace, meanwhile, sports Loll deck chairs made of recycled milk jugs facing the picturesque Manhattan skyline.

In Their Own Words: “We have room to grow,” Jilly Stephens, CEO of City Harvest, told AD. “One hopes over time we’ll see the need for food subside, and then we can use this space for whatever the community needs, but right now New York needs a food pantry.”

Surface Says: City Harvest wouldn’t be able to feed hungry New Yorkers without volunteers, so we recommend getting involved and giving back to the community if you’re looking for a holiday activity.

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What Else Is Happening?

Check-Circle_2x Studio Sofield unveils interiors for New York’s Steinway Tower, the world’s skinniest skyscraper.
Check-Circle_2x Meta’s layoffs appear to have gutted Open Arts, the company’s art partnerships division.
Check-Circle_2x Hilma af Klint’s relatives condemn recent NFTs of the late Swedish artist’s paintings.
Check-Circle_2x In fashion’s largest deal this year, Estée Lauder will buy Tom Ford’s label for $2.8 billion.
Check-Circle_2x Louis Vuitton will transform its Paris office into a major complex anchored by a hotel.
Check-Circle_2x The Canadian architect Alain Fournier will receive this year’s Ernest-Cormier Prize.
Check-Circle_2x Part-time faculty at the New School walk out to protest pay and working conditions.


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SURFACE APPROVED

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The Surface x Polygon Bungalow at Miami Art Week

At Miami Art Week, Surface is partnering with Polygon—a web3 platform building technology to create opportunity for generational impact—on a multi-day experiential activation at the W South Beach. The Surface x Polygon Bungalow will serve as an immersive hub for creative discovery with installations by MokiBaby, OffLimits, Spatial Labs, LNQ, and Prism Collective, allowing guests to experience the fusion of design, lifestyle, and tech within both digital and physical realms.

The Bungalow will also be home to a series of salon-style panels focused on the power of web3 in fashion, communities, and sustainability, with innovators such as Iddris Sandu, GRL +, Neil Hamamoto, Tam Gryn, and more.

IN MEMORIAM

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Fernando Campana, 1961–2022

Fernando Campana, who helmed an influential design practice with his brother Humberto that became one of Brazil’s leading studios, has died at 61.

First developing an inclination for design after seeing Oscar Niemeyer’s otherworldly government buildings in Brasilia, Fernando recalled childhood inclinations “to build planes and spaceships with scraps of wood and the junk I found lying around.” After studying architecture at the São Paulo School of Fine Arts, the self-taught designer joined his brother to form Estudio Campana in 1983. They scored early breakthroughs with Favela (1991), a chair nailed together with wood fragments, and the Vermelha (1998), a seat of interlaced rope, which both garnered international recognition and were put into production by Italian furniture maker Edra.

Now a global phenomenon, the Campana Brothers soon scaled their practice to encompass interiors and architecture. But their biggest influence remains in the realm of product design, where they mastered an improvisatory approach that often included found items and pushed the boundaries of how everyday objects should look and feel. (A recent example: crafting a Companion Chair upholstered in pink plush toys with artist KAWS.) Their work has been exhibited widely in major collections—the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, and London’s Design Museum among them—and been produced by such leading brands as Alessi, Cappellini, and FontanaArte.

“At no point could one have predicted what the brothers would make next, yet it has always seemed totally right,” the design gallery Friedman Benda wrote on Instagram. “With Fernando’s passing, we can only reflect on how much he has given to those around him, to Brazil, and to the whole world of design.”

OPENING SHOT

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The Roost’s New Opening Reflects Tampa’s Creative Vitality

Opening Shot is a column that peeks inside new hotels, restaurants, bars, and shops with dreamy interiors.

Name: Roost Tampa

Location: Tampa, Florida

Designer: Method Co. and Morris Adjmi Architects

On Offer: Gracing the lower levels of Asher’s pristine new residential tower in the live-work-play Water Street Tampa district is the latest outpost of extended-stay brand Roost, the high-design concept from Method Co. whose distinct mix of apartment-style living and boutique hotel ambiance has proved successful in Philadelphia and Cleveland. (Locations in Baltimore, Charleston, and Detroit are forthcoming.) The formula works equally well on the Gulf Coast, albeit with more sun and high-octane neighbors such as the new Edition Hotel.

A warm atmosphere prevails in the lobby and other communal spaces thanks to walnut accents, regional foliage, and ambient glazed roku lighting crafted by FurnitureWorks, the studio helmed by designers Morris Adjmi and Aaron Poritz. They also envisioned standout furnishings throughout, from the 1970s-inspired leather banquette snaking through the lobby to custom pieces inspired by Clara Poset, Luis Barragán, Pierre Chapo, and Roger Capron.

CULTURE CLUB

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At Faena Art’s Annual Gala, Mismatched Patterns and Cultural Exchange

Faena Art held its annual gala at Faena Forum Miami Beach to celebrate the winner of this year’s Faena Prize for the Arts. Paula de Solminihac received the prestigious honor, which comes with a $100,000 prize and an exhibition during Miami Art Week. In tune with the gala’s theme “Patterns of Paradise,” guests donned mismatched patterns as an ode to the interconnectivity of cultures and collective consciousness.

When was it? Nov. 10

Where was it? Faena Forum, Miami Beach.

Who was there? Alan Faena, Dan Gelber, Ximena Caminos, Adriana Lima, Don and Mera Rubell, Scott Greenstein.

ART

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Fvckrender Brings NFTs and Sculptures to Avant Arte

Self-taught artist Fvckrender has taken the crypto and auction-house worlds by storm: his futuristic landscapes and 3-D sculptures are among the highest-grossing works available on the blockchain, netting over 171 ETH and cracking six figures at Sotheby’s New York. The artist recently teamed up with Avant Arte, an online art marketplace for the next generation of artists and collectors alike, to launch two new, limited-edition resin sculptures accompanied by an NFT exclusive to collectors of the physical works. In characteristic fashion, one of the artist’s two eerie and otherworldly sculptures has already sold out since the launch.

DESIGN DOSE

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NTWRK x Audible Origins Trading Cards

NTWRK and Audible teamed up with artist and illustrator Naturel to create a limited-edition pack of collectible cards to celebrate the launch of the audio platform’s new series, Origins, where eight chart-topping musicians were tasked with interpreting the question “Where are you from?” through spoken narrative, immersive sound design, and original music performances.

Known for his colorful illustrations that blend Pop Art and Cubist elements, Naturel dreamed up nine designs inspired by the diverse backgrounds and experiences of the music industry’s next-wave talents. “It’s been a pleasure to work with both Audible and NTWRK to envision what I see from these origin stories,” says Naturel, whose Surrealist work has touched global brands ranging from Puma and Fiat to the NBA. “I hope every listener will be as inspired as I am by these great artists.”

TECHNOLOGY

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ICYMI: The Complicated Legacy of Twitter’s Blue Checkmark

Ever since Elon Musk acquired Twitter for an astonishing $44 billion, every single move of the Tesla and SpaceX founder has generated a flurry of headlines. In a few short weeks, the tech entrepreneur ordered immediate layoffs of half the company, fired executives by email, instituted overnight product deadlines, and instructed employees to be “more hardcore” in an all-hands. He also announced his new vision for Twitter Blue, a paid monthly subscription that allows any account to receive the coveted blue checkmark and offers early access to select new features he plans to roll out in the coming months.

Almost immediately, Twitter Blue triggered mass confusion and chaos. A deluge of accounts with blue checkmarks quickly began impersonating celebrities, corporations, and politicians on the platform with tweets posted under the guise of authenticity, some hilarious and others not so much. Twitter quickly halted the service while scrambling for a workaround, debuting a gray “official” badge meant to differentiate authentic accounts from impersonators. Those, too, were paused while Musk worked out the kinks. The chaos begs the question: where did the blue check come from, and why is it such a status symbol?

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THE LIST

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Member Spotlight: Worthless Studios

Worthless Studios provides space, materials, technical assistance, and resources for aspiring artists of all backgrounds to realize their creative visions. The studio dreams up and executes public art programs with staff, community partners, and resident artists under the belief that public art must go beyond simply installing artwork in public spaces.

Surface Says: Worthless Studios aims to democratize access to resources and studio space within the competitive art market by offering their Brooklyn facility to early-career sculptors who otherwise wouldn’t have access. Their mission is exactly what the industry needs after these past couple years of economic turmoil.

AND FINALLY

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Today’s Attractive Distractions

In a bear market, the ever-changing NFT scene has started embracing goblins.

Fashion’s current drink of choice? Nik Bentel’s Absolut espresso martini bag.

The new second issue of “anti-beauty” magazine Circus is endearingly absurd.

Scientists discover wondrous new deep-sea animals near the Cocos Islands.

               


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