What’s Happening: The Black Reconstruction Collective is reimagining possibilities around historic monuments by playing a year-long game of exquisite corpse in which a piece of construction detritus is progressively reimagined by Black architects across the country.

The Download: Over the past few years, the concept of monuments has come into question—their inherent myths of power and permanence are being challenged as we re-evaluate who deserves to be memorialized by history and whether they embody a collective experience. These ideas have been key for the Black Reconstruction Collective, a group of artists, architects, and scholars behind projects that aim to dismantle systemic whiteness in their fields. Its latest undertaking seeks to upend conventional ideas of what a monument can be. Fittingly titled Unmonument, the project sees artist Olalekan Jeyifous ascribe such significance to a banal piece of construction equipment—in this case, a repurposed maintenance lift coated in matte black paint—before handing it off to Black artists across the country in a year-long game of exquisite corpse.

Unmonument follows a pilot run by Amanda Williams and V. Mitch McEwen from last year’s Chicago Architecture Biennial. The collective hopes that, as opposed to existing as a static structure venerating singular (often disreputable) figures, the nomadic installation instead sparks celebration and interest in the communities it visits. The project kicks off today at Brooklyn’s Weeksville Heritage Center—the site of one of the country’s first free Black communities—with three days of activities like film screenings and sonic meditations, but it will soon travel upstate to Syracuse. There, Sekou Cooke will mark the site of a future monument he’s designing to honor minority veterans. Afterward, Unmonument will travel across the country in the hands of three architects: Pennsylvania with Felecia Davis; Los Angeles with J. Yolande Daniels; and Atlanta with Emanuel Admassu.

In Their Own Words:Unmonument is the fourth entry in Jeyifous’s visionary Protopian series, which explores how reclaiming detritus can harmonize with ecological stewardship through the lens of imagined Black fugitive communities. “In my sci-fi inspired retro-futurist ‘worlds,’ solutions and ‘technological advancements’ need not come from producing more and perpetuating the cycle of planned obsolescence that dominates scientific, medical, and technological innovation,” says Jeyifous, who has brought his work to MoMA, Pioneer Works, and Art Omi. “When we decided to source an old maintenance lift from somewhere like Facebook Marketplace or a local ad, it felt like we were heading in the right direction.”

Surface Says: Designers should play exquisite corpse with each other’s work more often; it may lead to unexpected greatness.

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An 19th-century women’s boarding house in Fishtown, Philly’s industrial neighborhood turned artist enclave, has once more opened its doors to guests. No longer the Penn Asylum for Indigent Widows and Single Women, it’s been reborn as the 50-key boutique Hôtel Anna & Bel. In keeping with its high summer opening, a Mediterranean sensibility runs through its landscaped courtyard, where guests can slip into the pool or, in the colder months, the adjacent wellness center’s infrared sauna.

Inside, an assortment of contemporary art from local talents was curated by Paradigm Art Advisory and bridges the 18th-century building with the neighborhood’s present. Bastia, a nascent daytime cafe and after-hours restaurant from chef-partner Tyler Akin, will proffer a seafood-forward menu inspired by Corsican and Sardinian fare. After a day spent out and about in the City of Brotherly Love, guests can savor Le Labo bath amenities and Frette linens, and take refuge in plush rooms designed by Foyer Project and B. March.

Trevor Cheney may have began his career as an industrial designer for the likes of Muji and Vitra, but over time he sparked an interest in 18th-century antiques and vintage furniture. That led him to a stint as creative director at Galerie Half in Los Angeles, working as an independent design advisor for clients like Jennifer Aniston, and launching Seventh House, a design gallery in the home of Frank Gehry’s understated Danziger Studio, where his meticulous curation of early 20th-century furniture and contemporary pieces by the likes of Giancarlo Valle and Green River Project engage in a rigorous dialogue with the architecture.

In response to the intrigue generated by Seventh House, Cheney was pushed to launch an even more daring venture. This summer, he debuted an eponymous gallery near his old stomping ground on Melrose Avenue that hosts a thoughtful selection of antique design marked by rich textures, pristine craftsmanship, and old-world materials. The tightly edited collection (his new storefront clocks in at a compact 800 square feet) comprises mostly vintage one-offs chosen specifically for their provenance and historical weight: a Madagascar opalescent glass chandelier by René Lalique, for example, neighbors a 1960s Okimono bronze crab sculpture from Japan. He aims to cement his adopted hometown as a sincere backdrop for experimental curation—and position the vintage design he loves in a hopeful light.

Noam Dvir and Daniel Rauchwerger first met in Israel when the former was a prolific architecture journalist and the latter was an architecture student who frequently read his work. After they both studied at Harvard GSD and briefly worked at OMA, they launched an architecture and interiors studio called BOND, short for the Bureau of Noam and Daniel, which has emerged as a favorite firm for New York’s queer and creative communities. Their journalism background and penchant for storytelling yields highly conceptual projects that eschew a singular style, from Le Pére’s sunny Lower East Side boutique and interiors for the nearby lesbian-forward Company Gallery to a slew of spacious homes on Fire Island.

Every spring, Wolf-Gordon unveils a conceptual collection of artist-driven wall coverings that respond to the pressing issues of our time. Chief creative officer Marybeth Shaw curates each collection, which is unveiled to the world at one of the design industry’s leading trade fairs (In 2023, the executive tackled the hot-button issue of AI “creativity.”) This year’s collection, El Muro, was a jubilant exploration of seven Latin American artists who are getting their due on the international design scene, and are addressing issues of heritage, identity, and belonging in the process.

Since founding Dinosaur Designs more than 30 years ago, Louise Olsen and Stephen Ormandy have created a mini-art movement synonymous with luxury. Creating jewelry and homewares from resin and precious metals, their unique pieces are characterized by a warmth and tactility only possible by making each piece by hand in their studio.

Surface Says: Dinosaur Designs has created a distinctly punchy and colorful point of view with its statement-making fashion and home accessories.

Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre’s Gin & Juice enlists the talents of Ini Archibong.

Arc’teryx and Skip are taking pre-orders for those $5,000 robot hiking pants.

Bettina Korek’s “Favorite Things” include a Barbara Kruger shopping bag.

An Auntie Anne’s pretzel perfume is launching next week, if that’s your thing.