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Business Mayor
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Mayor
A Spiky Jewelry "Box"—and More Unhinged Objects From North America's Largest Furniture Fair
Once again, it's time for ICFF, North America's largest furniture fair—a three-day extravaganza that packs a lot of chairs, rugs, lamps, and delight into the most undelightful location, the Javits Center near Manhattan's blustery West Side Highway. As is standard, one of the more exciting aspects of the event is Launchpad, a centerpiece for new and emerging talent from design schools around the country. I can say with certainty that I am rarely, if ever, disappointed here. Join me on my journey. Appartement2 French brand Appartement2 showed a modular storage system that comes in a variety of colors. Caroline Grondin and Guillaume Avraguez of Réunion Island, France, brought their stocky and charming Totemique collection and the purple iteration caught my eye immediately. Conceptualized as a modular storage system, the lacquered cubes can be stacked or arranged however you see fit. The chunky wooden legs and round stone handles are also customizable. When viewed up close, the pieces had a commanding presence, but in a fun way. A tower of storage opportunities! In a sea of chairs, Super Studio's elegant and simple (and shiny!) seat was a nice visual reprieve. Sebastian Martinez's lounge chair, Convergence, is simple in its construction, with a cherry wood seat and polished aluminum frame. Admittedly, it was the shiny bit that caught my eye first, but upon closer inspection, I was in thrall of its simplicity and its attention to detail—a mirrored bit of aluminum on the chair's underside reflects the wooden frame, creating an infinity-mirror effect that gives the furniture some visual heft. Portals Collection by Studio Bucky The mirror from Studio Bucky's Portals collection looks like a door and comes with a chunky, bespoke handle. And yes, there is a key for that lock. Alex Buckeridge of Studio Bucky, an architect and interior designer by trade, is making his foray into furniture with the Portals collection. What caught my attention about the mirror here was the illusion created by the thickness of the frame—when I viewed it from the side, it looked like just an empty doorframe, but as you approach, the mirror is a pleasant surprise. The piece is inspired by the portal tombs of Ireland—megalithic rock structures dotted around the countryside. Read More Apple Is Forced to Decontent Its Newest Smartwatches From afar, the door from the Portals collection seems to lead the viewer into another world—in this case, it's just the Javits Center from a different angle. Two lamps, made of aluminum, from Duskshaped. Cara Salvatore, the artist behind these two quiet but stunning lamps, told me that the pieces on display were some of what was left standing after a fire in her shared studio space. Each table lamp is made from aluminum and there's a fun, tactile quality to both. The tall lamp on the left is actually two pieces; you can move the front panel or remove it completely and turn it into a sconce. On the right, the cutest little table lamp I ever did see comes with a shade made of scrunched metal mesh. Ridezign These stackable table lamps from RIzdesign are 3D printed, which took me by surprise! Ridezign's Tesser lamps are modular, stackable, and, to my surprise, 3D printed. Their form is inspired by the glowing windows in New York City buildings and the little glimpses of life you get from walking down the street, peering in. Wang Yichu Wang Yichu's sense of humor is clear! Yes, that's a cat, and yes, it has a cane for a tail. I found myself enamored with Wang Yichu's work in 2023, and so it's no surprise that I found my way back to his work this year. Personally, if art doesn't have a sense of humor, then it is largely useless. Wang's work, seen here, scratches my itch for the faintly ridiculous. The big spiky boy on the left, 'Urchin,' is a jewelry box. Three of the many spikes pull out from the center to reveal a small spot to hide treasure—jewelry, a dollar bill, a joint or three. And the charming little fellow you see on the right is basically what it looks like—a cat carved out of poplar, with a cane from Amazon as its tail. If I could've walked out of the Javits Center with this cat by my side, I would have. My love for both objects knows no bounds! Pulling the spikes to reveal a rolled-up dollar bill did not get old and hefting the cat by its handle and parading it around for a minute or two was a treat. The cat is heavy enough to be a weapon, should you need it, or in repose, a nice place to hang your bag. Part of the fun of 'Urchin' is guessing which spike contains a secret spot for hidden treasure. Made of hand-polished stainless steel, Studio Nawa's chair is practically begging to be touched. There was no shortage of shiny things to look at but Studio Nawa's Surface was as if a puddle of liquid mercury gained sentience and formed itself into a cute little chair. Though it often feels incorrect to touch the art, I did, at the behest of designer Alina Nasmeeva, who was not nearly as distressed as I was about the handprint my sweaty palm left on its surface. Novisto A beautiful and stylish way to display flowers, courtesy of Novisto. Like a magpie, I flocked to Novisto's gorgeous sconce/scent diffuser, Fiore—a clever take on decorative lighting and a gorgeous way to display flowers. The larger unit has a light, a vase, and a fan to diffuse the scent of the florals, and the reflective surface of the stainless steel cone is mesmerizing. If left to my own devices, I would've stared at this floral arrangement all day. The stainless steel cone reflects and distorts the flowers it contains. Is it a cat tree? A plant stand? Trick question: it could be both! Is concrete sexy? After viewing Concrete Poetics' work, I think it certainly is. The hand-cast cement objects from the Ridgewood, Queens studio Concrete Poetics can be almost anything you want them to be—planters, stools, a base for a table, or just an imposing yet friendly plinth, plopped in your foyer, near the front door, for your mail or your keys. Their undulating shapes are created by individually casting each layer and then placing them on top of each other. Indo The beaded brass strings that dangle in front of this mirror from Indo are just as fun to touch as they are to look at. Indo's mirror and pendant lamps are inspired in part by the intricate brickwork seen in Indian palaces and also by veils. The strings of small brass beads that dangle in front of the mirror create a sheer effect that is mesmerizing up close and invites interaction, while also diffusing the reflection of the viewer. The pendant lamps are just as striking as the mirror. Here's a credenza shaped like a cloud and a clock made from, yes, stainless steel. I'm a sucker for good tile and Another World uses it well on the face of its maple-veneer credenza, Elsewhere. The goldfish depicted on the front are hand-painted, and the piece is a nice bit of whimsy and a moment of quiet in a show where so many other pieces are clamoring for attention. (Another World is also a part of Colony's 2025 Designer Residency program—a mark of excellence.) Juntos Project The wood here is hand colored, using very thin layers of dye to achieve a look that's saturated and almost glowing. There's a lot of wood and a lot of chairs at ICFF, but Juntos Project's quiet seat, pictured here in a stunning burgundy, was a standout. A chair should be, above all, comfortable. This iteration in leather and burgundy-tinted wood is big enough to have a strong presence, but its construction is spare—just a few slats of maple and some leather achieve something elegant that's also a nice place to sit. Contemplating which corner of my very narrow apartment could contain this chair. If you buried these chairs in your backyard and forgot about them for a few years, that's totally fine, because the'll just turn into soil. (The oranges were up for grabs, too.) Heller's latest innovation in plastics comes in the form of these chairs—and all of its products, save for a few—that are now made with 'worry-free plastic.' This sounds like a clever marketing term, created to assuage the fears of consumers concerned about the environmental damage that plastics can wreak, but the furniture brand is putting its money where its mouth is. All of Heller's pieces are now embedded with an enzyme that activates in deoxygenated environments and breaks down the plastic over time, turning it into nutrient rich soil. Virginia Sin Just a lovely lamp, courtesy of Virginia Sin. This squat little table lamp, the Gio, comes in a variety of different finishes and shades and is inspired by ancient monolithic objects. The parchment paper shade creates a lovely muted glow, and though the lamp itself is quiet, I could imagine that on the right shelf or a nice side table, it would pack an impressive visual punch. READ SOURCE businessmayor May 20, 2025
Business Times
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Times
War bunker-turned-art space: Why you should visit Fort Canning's Battlebox
[SINGAPORE] Hidden beneath the hillocks of Fort Canning, the Battlebox was once the British underground command centre where generals made the fateful call to surrender Singapore to the Japanese in 1942. Today, it's a museum of wax figures and wartime tableaus open to the public – but the bunker still feels thick with the air of colonial power and political intrigue. Now, thanks to a new exhibition titled Portals, curated by Jonathan Liu and Shireen Marican, it crackles with something else: sound art, projection mapping, artificial intelligence, and a kind of speculative electricity that only contemporary art can conjure. 'We wanted to explore the comfort and discomfort written into wartime architecture,' says Liu. 'This place was built for control. So what happens when we reclaim it and use it for reflection.' Zul Mahmod's sculpture picks up surrounding electromagnetic frequencies and turns them into sounds resembling wartime radio transmissions. PHOTO: FINBARR FALLON Seven Singapore-based artists were invited to respond to different parts of the Battlebox, with site-specific works that look like they've been beamed in from the future but are haunted by the past. Take sound artist Zul Mahmod's Electromagnetic Sound: The Hidden Echoes. Tucked into what was once the generator room, his sculpture picks up surrounding electromagnetic frequencies and spits them back out as static – a ghostly hiss that suggests the room still remembers every military order and Morse-coded SOS. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 2 pm Lifestyle Our picks of the latest dining, travel and leisure options to treat yourself. Sign Up Sign Up Victoria Hertel's darkmode, meanwhile, is pure sensory poetry. A series of hand-blown glass vessels dangle in the dark, lighting up and vibrating in response to your movement. 'She wanted to show how technology can sense presence even in total darkness,' says Shireen. 'There's something tender here, but also strange – like the space is alive and trying to communicate with you.' Anthony Chin's installation reflects on the opium trade's devastating legacy – tracing its entanglement with colonial power, addiction and exploitation. PHOTO: FINBARR FALLON Anthony Chin's piece is anything but tender. In BMA, a motorised hook tugs repeatedly at a stretched latex screen projecting colonial imagery: Lord Louis Mountbatten's limp arm, Chinese coolies, opium dens. The tension is literal – the screen strains with every pull, never quite breaking. 'It's about how colonial power never really lets go,' says Shireen. 'It's about profit, addiction, exploitation – all under the guise of liberation.' Then there's Jake Tan's In Flux, a piece straight out of a dystopian sci-fi film. Using robotics-grade depth cameras, the artwork tracks visitors and projects ghostly silhouettes across rooms, allowing you to spy on yourself and others in real time. Not only that, he adds a spectral dimension to the installation – suggesting that the soldiers that once manned this underground bunker have not quite left. Jake Tan's installation detects and projects human presence on the wall – but also adds a spectral dimension that suggests the dead are not quite dead. PHOTO: FINBARR FALLON On the other side of the wall, Chen Dongyan's artworks are quieter but no less eerie. She transforms the old bunker bar into a kind of Morse-code DJ booth. As you speak or move, projections dance across the walls, translating your presence into pulsing visuals. 'It listens to you,' says Shireen. 'Like a bartender who watches and remembers everything.' Before creating the works, the seven artists – who also include Ernest Wu and Lu Huijun – explored the site with a historian, picking up on fragments of forgotten narratives. For instance, when the Battlebox was first rediscovered in the 1980s, it was filled with rainwater and the bones of a dog trapped inside. 'There's this symbolic transfer of power that's happened,' says Liu. 'From the British to the Japanese, back to the British – and now, to the artists.' The show's underlying thesis is that technology – once the domain of war rooms and surveillance – can now be used to provoke introspection, and stir curiosity. The Battlebox has always been a place of secrets. Now, it glows with strange new truths and conversations. Curator-led tours, artist talks, and hands-on workshops are happening from now to June. Visit for more information.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
PS5 Players Concerned Over Tariffs Impacting Nintendo Switch 2 Preorders
Today, Nintendo announced preorders for the were delayed due to the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, which take effect April 5 at 12:01 a.m. ET. While this caused immediate concern among Nintendo fans, it has also provoked some worry from the wider gaming community, including players. The simple answer to whether tariffs will impact PS5 prices is yes. Trump's tariffs target many countries, some of which house video game hardware manufacturers. Speaking with Game File's Stephen Totilo, ESA senior vice president Aubrey Quinn said gaming hardware will 'likely' be subject to the announced tariffs, especially as many of these consoles are manufactured in countries like China and Vietnam, each hit with 54% and 46% tariffs, respectively. Quinn also says it will have a 'real and detrimental impact on the video game industry.' 'Any one product that a consumer would buy is likely to be subject to many of the tariffs announced, all compounded on top of one another,' Quinn said. Understandably, this has caused concern for PS5 players. Although the news today is about the Nintendo Switch 2, this will probably also impact the prices of PS5 consoles and games in the future. 'I fear we haven't seen anything yet,' says one Reddit user on the PS5 subreddit. 'Gaming is about to be expensive. Well, everything is.' 'It would probably be better to pick up a PS5 now,' says another Reddit user on the Games subreddit responding to another user about grabbing a PS5. 'They are also going to get hit by tariffs so PS5 prices are likely to rise.' 'You do realize this affects everything, PlayStation too. Like Portals, controllers, and headsets,' says another Reddit user on the PlayStation subreddit. 'Even the TV you might need to buy to play your PS5 on.' Sony announced in February how it would respond to Trump's tariffs. The company confirmed it would increase its supply chains and flexibility. Additionally, it began stockpiling PS5 inventory in the U.S. to ensure there would not be a shortage. So, for the time being, gamers interested in getting a PS5 should be fine in the short term. (Source: Game File via Eurogamer) The post PS5 Players Concerned Over Tariffs Impacting Nintendo Switch 2 Preorders appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
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Miami Herald
04-03-2025
- Miami Herald
Popular ‘Portal' art sculpture stripped of copper wires in act of thievery, PA cops say
Philadelphia's popular 'Portal' art installation was damaged after Pennsylvania police say a group of accused copper thieves ripped into it to steal wiring. The Philadelphia Police Department is searching for the suspects and shared pictures of the four people. They say one was caught on surveillance camera 'cutting a section of copper wire from the Portal Machine at Love Park,' the department said in a March 4 news release. The group stole the wiring at about 5:40 a.m. on Feb. 1, then left Love Park with a large green and yellow trash bin in tow, police said and photos show. At least one of the men appears to have boarded a train after vandalizing the art sculpture, police said. The Portal was unveiled in Philadelphia's Love Park in October and has been popular with locals and tourists. The sculpture is one of only five installed in cities across the globe, each one displaying a 24/7 livestream of whatever is happening on the other side — providing a small window into the lives of those thousands of miles away, and vice versa. Or as the project's website puts it: 'Portals are a bridge to cultures from around the world. Together, we co-own and expand this global artwork.' The Portal was first revealed in the U.S. in May in New York City and connected to Dublin, Ireland. But it was temporarily shut down soon after, as too many people were exposing their genitals and surprising unsuspecting passersby with pornography and images of the 9/11 terror attacks, outlets reported. The Portal was then relocated to the city of brotherly love. Philadelphia Parks and Recreation announced the Portal was 'down for repairs' on Jan. 30, just two days before it was struck by the accused copper thieves. It's unclear how much damage the group did to the sculpture, but officials had previously said it would be back up and running by early March, WCAU reported. Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of the alleged copper thieves is asked to contact investigators at 215-686-3093.
