What’s Happening: MVRDV finishes transforming the Pyramid of Tirana—a maligned symbol of Albanian oppression under the dictatorship of the late Enver Hoxha—into a vibrant cultural hub teeming with activity, technology, and optimism for the future.

The Download: For decades, the Pyramid of Tirana had been casting a pall over Albania’s capital city. Built in 1988 as a museum dedicated to commemorating the Eastern European country’s late communist dictator Enver Hoxha in Pharaonic style, the hulking concrete structure eventually fell into disrepair. It served as everything from a NATO base during the War in Kosovo and a nightclub to an event space over the years. Then, Albanian youth seeking to reclaim the aging Brutalist monument repurposed it as a hangout spot and canvas for graffiti, often scaling it to slide down its slopes. Grand plans to transform the monument into a cultural center came and went, and for years it sat hermetically sealed and inaccessible to the public. Windows were broken, homeless people slept in its hall, syringes littered the floor, and it stunk of urine.

Demolishing the structure proved neither popular nor sustainable, so in 2017 the Albanian government announced plans to transform the concrete monolith into a vibrant cultural hub that would symbolize victory over Hoxha’s regime. They commissioned Dutch firm MVRDV to lead the renovation, which involved gutting the dank interior and building a multitude of stacked, colorful box-like structures inside and out that would house studios, classrooms, incubators, offices, and spaces for the nonprofit TUMO Tirana, which provides free after-school education in software, robotics, and animation for teenagers. Viewed from afar, the visual effect is akin to that of a festival—a desolate concrete behemoth burdened with the legacy of a despised dictator now teeming with activity and optimism.

For Winy Maas, the principal architect of MVRDV, figuring out how to repurpose structures imbued with painful political memories can prove thorny. Demolition, he says, especially at a time when Brutalist monuments around the world are under threat, is “rarely a good option.” Instead, the Dutch architect was inspired by Norman Foster’s approach to reconstructing Berlin’s Reichstag—a structure long associated with the Nazis—by transforming it into a light-filled beacon of the country’s newly espoused democratic values. Most evocative of that approach are the steps MVRDV added to the structure’s sloping facade, allowing Albanians to literally walk over Hoxha’s former showpiece. In doing so, they rise above and move ahead.

In Their Own Words: “Instead of being a blast from the past, it’ll be a blast into the future,” Tirana mayor Erion Veliaj told the New York Times. “Hoxha will be rolling in his grave to see his memorial turned into a celebration of capitalism, jobs, and the future.”

Surface Says: MVRDV’s intervention looks far better than, well, this.

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Before Colin King emerged as one of the interior design industry’s most sought-after stylists, the New Yorker was pursuing a lifelong interest in dance. That revelation might not surprise those familiar with his prolific talent for arraying quotidian objects and furniture in exquisite tableaux, which he imbues with a dancer’s understanding of empty space and stillness. Those elements coalesce in his latest collection, a series of furniture designed with The Future Perfect founder David Alhadeff to celebrate the collectible design gallery’s 20th anniversary.

Named Variations after a series of performances by dancer and choreographer Merce Cunningham, the collection aims to spark a spontaneous choreography with its surroundings. The Enveloppé Sofa and Chair gently riff on the traditional shelter-arm sofa, with subtle curves and outward-reaching arms that seem to pull the sitter in for a soft embrace. The curvilinear Développé Screen echoes that graceful rhythm, its mahogany build adding further dashes of warmth. They contrast the Position Plinths—a quartet of wooden plinths named after foot positions in ballet. “I’m a visual storyteller by nature,” King says, “and through this collection we’ve created simple, elegant, and functional pieces that invite interaction.”

Whether in Miami, New York, or, in this case, London, the occasion of art week inspires peacocking in many forms. Some prefer to party to get their names in the press, while others stay firmly inside their lane and let the headlines coalesce around them. The British fashion designer Craig Green chose to let his work speak for itself, expanding his eponymous label’s footprint at the London outpost of Dover Street Market with an attention-grabbing new accessory: ribbed wooden tools that look quite a bit like sex toys.

Created for the occasion of Dover Street Market London’s 20th anniversary, which coincided this year with Frieze London, interpreting the purpose of these accessories has been left as an exercise for the reader by Green himself. In launching the 11-piece, limited edition collection on his own Instagram, the designer simply referred to them as jumbo wooden tools.

Our weekly roundup of the internet’s most preposterous headlines, from the outrageous to the outright bizarre.

AI Girlfriend Encouraged Man to Attempt Crossbow Assassination of Queen [The Register]

Drink, Lechery, and Fellatio by Snake: Was the Renaissance a Sexually Subversive Love-In? [The Guardian]

Why Scientists Are Reanimating Spider Corpses for Research [NPR]

A Georgia Man Received a $1.4 Million Speeding Ticket As a “Placeholder” [Insider]

Pennsylvania Mummy “Stoneman Willie” to Receive Proper Burial After 128 Years [Reuters]

When: Oct. 20–June 2

Where: Design Museum, London

What: Tracing the evolution of skateboard design starting from ‘50s-era sidewalk surfing, this leftfield show features more than 100 one-of-a-kind skateboards along with objects, tapes, magazines, and memorabilia reflecting the sport’s technical progress and changing societal acceptance. The centerpiece is a 3.5-foot mini skate ramp that curator Jonathan Olivares tapped skatepark design and construction leaders Betongpark to complete in the gallery.

“While skateboarding history is the incalculable sum of the hours spent by individuals skating, skateboard history is finite, limited to the vast number of skateboards that have been made,” Olivares says. “This exhibition is centered around a single question: How did the skateboard get to be the way it is?” Stay tuned for an upcoming Phaidon book about skateboard design that also answers this question—and the sport’s inclusion in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

On September 29, the Architectural League of New York brought architects, designers, and friends of the League together for its 33rd annual Beaux Arts Ball benefit gala. True to form, the night featured an immersive installation by CO Adaptive, and visual design by Pentagram associate partners Michael Bierut and Britt Cobb. The evening’s theme of Sea Change invited attendees to meditate on the interdependence between the built environment and planetary ecosystems. After taking in the scene, as well as dinner and remarks, guests let loose to tunes by DJ Lina.

Cultus Artem features three collections: fragrance, skincare, and one-of-a-kind fine jewelry, all of which are made by hand in the company’s San Antonio atelier. Across its divisions, Cultus Artem explores traditional, labor-intensive techniques using precious materials rarely used in the beauty and jewelry spheres.

Surface Says: From premium packaging to the bespoke formulations within, a deep appreciation for beautifying rituals underscores Cultus Artem’s approach to skincare and fragrance. Their fine jewelry makes a fitting last step in any routine.

Pepper X is three times spicier than the world’s previous hottest pepper.

These rare daguerreotypes are the earliest surviving photographs of Iran.

Apple uses a secret screen cleaner to ensure its floor products are pristine.

Embark on a brief history of 47th Street, New York City’s diamond district.