What’s Happening: A new exhibition at the Denver Art Museum about biophilia proves there’s an abundance of ways to connect with the outdoors through art, design, and architecture.

The Download: The late biologist Edward O. Wilson theorized that as humans have evolved as a species, they’ve been intricately intertwined with nature. He argued this in his career-defining 1984 opus Biophilia, defining the titular term as “the urge to affiliate with other forms of life.” As technology has encroached upon every aspect of our lives and cities grow increasingly dense, naturalists have embraced Wilson’s hypothesis. For city dwellers averse to touching grass or embracing cottagecore, there are many ways to connect with nature through the lens of art, design, and architecture.

That forms the crux of “Biophilia: Nature Reimagined,” an exhibition opening this weekend at the Denver Art Museum that explores how the human spirit is interwoven with nature. Perhaps it becomes clear upon experiencing an adrenaline rush under Drift’s interactive Meadow, a kinetic fantasia of suspended flowers mimicking the biological behavior of nyctinasty—the rhythmic movement of certain plants that bloom in the daytime and close their petals at night. As visitors wander through, they act as sunlight proxies, triggering motion sensors that cause the petals to react and change color. A similar effect unfolds inside Nervous System’s Floraform Chandelier, a ruffled 3D-printed luminaire developed with generative algorithms that envelope watchers in a simulated environment of artificially grown plant forms.

Other pieces convey the calming effect of flora as a design muse—take Pelle’s tropical Nana Lure Chandelier, Andrés Reisinger’s petal-clad Hortensia Armchair, or Nacho Carbonell’s metal mesh Concrete Tree. They “aren’t meant as a substitute for nature-based experiences,” Darrin Alfred, the museum’s curator of architecture and design, tells Surface. Instead, they’re meant to prompt reflection on how the outdoors fosters spiritual wellbeing. The technical prowess on view might not be a walk in the park, but it may evoke the same emotional response as one.

In Their Own Words: “Denver’s natural landscape offers a poignant backdrop for this exhibition,” Alfred continues. “However, it also underscores the fragility of these connections in the face of climate change. By immersing ourselves in art and nature at the museum, we can ground ourselves in the present and nourish our well-being.”

Surface Says: If you make it out to Denver to get a dose of nature this summer, we recommend staying at Populus, a carbon-positive hotel designed by Studio Gang, which also stars in the show.

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Old Jewelry began as a humble yet in-demand operation, with designer Sarah Burns and her partner Adam Caillier hosting booked weekend appointments at their apartment in Ridgewood, Queens, where buyers and collectors marveled over their vast assortment of eclectic vintage and artisan-crafted wearables. As business grew, so too did their space needs, prompting the couple to relocate to a cozy kiosk in the same Chinatown mini-mall under the Manhattan Bridge occupied by Eckhaus Latta, James Veloria, and formerly Superhouse Vitrine. “Our first store housed an eclectic but unified selection that felt in line with the spirit of old and new,” Burns tells Surface, nodding to the maker’s hand felt throughout: milk-washed walls, a forged steel mirror, and a carved cedar room divider, all made by the couple.

Though the store helped cement the business as an even more sought-after jewelry destination for the downtown set, Burns and Caillier started outgrowing it and plotted another move, this time to a spacious new storefront around the corner in the same mall, which officially opens today. With double the footprint and triple the display space, it gives their in-house jewelry program more breathing room while dramatically expanding the scope and volume of their vintage inventory. Notably, it allows them to dedicate an entire case to a contemporary jeweler they admire. They’re kicking things off with the Paris-based talent Zoé Mohm, whose inaugural collection channels both comic books and ‘20s-inspired tassel motifs that will be available for purchase through the end of June.

As the designer of the 2024 Paris Olympic torch, Mathieu Lehanneur’s presence will be felt throughout the City of Light when the opening ceremony kicks off in late July. It turns out the Parisian designer has also crafted the best seats in the house. One lucky couple will be able to book a one-night-only stay at the Musée d’Orsay’s clock room that Lehanneur transformed into a bedroom with sweeping views of the city and River Seine. Housing a historic 125-year-old clock, the fifth-floor chamber of the former Gare d’Orsay railway station has never been offered for overnight stays.

Lehanneur overhauled the room to his liking, cladding it entirely in warm wood paneling, from the floor’s Versailles parquet to the vaulted ceiling. He also furnished it with a one-of-a-kind “floating” bed, swooping sofas, and rippling side tables, all of his design. Punching bags and dumbbells add a fittingly sporty touch.

“I’ve crafted a unique space that’s both romantic and contemporary, intimate yet sumptuous,” says Lehanneur, who likens the experience to a “daydream.” The stay, which is available to book starting May 21, is part of Airbnb’s newly introduced Icons series, which features 11 stays inspired by art, film, and sports that will be available throughout the year. They include a recreation of the cozy house from Pixar’s Up in New Mexico, a private “living room” performance by Doja Cat, and the Ferrari Museum in Maranello, Italy, which offers a blood-red bed inside a room tricked out with Ferraris and elite trophies.

Han Chiao’s ceramics are replete with contradictions—classical forms reimagined in surreal proportions, sophisticated lines tempered with unpolished textures and sharp protrusions. Each one is invested with a dose of drama and emotional depth, so it’s no surprise to learn the Taiwanese-born sculptor originally studied as a fashion photographer in Paris, where she now lives and works. For her newly opened show at Manhattan’s Guild Gallery, where she’s presenting some of her largest pieces to date, she honors coarse, earthly surfaces reflective of the lovable mess of life: unsymmetrical, complex, and unfailingly romantic.

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

“Monster” Behind North Carolina Toddler’s Wall Revealed to Be Hive of Over 50,000 Bees [NBC]

A Legal Pad Scrawled With the Words “Buy Bitcoin” Just Sold for $1 Million [Artnet News]

Is Walmart Really Selling $22,000 Birkin Bags and $49,000 Watches? [Highsnobiety]

How “Vampire Facials” at an Unlicensed Spa Left Three Women With HIV [Washington Post]

A Baltimore-Area Teacher Is Accused of Using AI to Make His Boss Appear Racist [NPR]

New Orleans Restaurant Puts Cicada Salad on the Menu [Houston Herald]

Dorsia and Blacklane kicked off Miami Grand Prix weekend at Haiku, a members-only Kaiseki restaurant where guests arrived in style thanks to Blacklane and its network of professional chauffeurs. Chef Albert Diaz presented a hyper-seasonal menu of Hokkaido scallops with yuzu truffle vinaigrette, A5 Wagyu, and white winter truffle. Each dish was paired with top-tier wines and sake from Fukui prefecture.

When was it? May 1

Where was it? Haiku, Miami

Who was there? Kobi Karp, Matthew Chevallard, Iman Hasan, Alvaro Nunez, Chelcie May, Jenny Lopez, Eva Garzon, Dina Qahwaji, and more.

Ross Gardam is a team of designers, engineers, and makers who work collaboratively from ideation to realization. The Ross Gardam studio focuses on producing contemporary furniture, lighting, and objects working across a variety of innovative mediums. Merging traditional craft with modern techniques is paramount to Gardam’s methodology and informs each design. All Ross Gardam products are designed and produced in Melbourne.

Surface Says: Ross Gardam’s eponymous design studio goes beyond the oft-touted virtues of materiality and craft, bringing a focus on inspiring joy and defying convention with creations that span lighting, furniture, and beyond.

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