Artist Michael Heizer’s megasculpture opens to the public, New York is getting a cannabis museum, and Aman Group cements expansion plans thanks to $900 million investment. All that and more in this week’s Five on Friday.
After 50 years, Michael Heizer’s City sculpture opens to the public
Photo by Mary Converse
In 1970, artist Michael Heizer started building a mysterious project on a desolate stretch of desert within Lincoln County, Nevada (population 5,177). Fifty years later, on September 2nd, his megasculpture, City, will open to the public for the first time. Sprawling a mile and a half in length and half a mile wide, City is one of the largest—if not the largest—pieces of artwork in existence. Comprising monuments in geometric shapes and manicured patches of gravel, there is “no encapsulating view, no map, no start, no finish,” writes The New York Times. To experience it, one must wander—and wonder. As Heizer says, it is “democratic art, art for the ages. I am not here to tell people what it all means. You can figure it out for yourself.”
Brad Pitt’s Make It Right Foundation settles over New Orleans homes
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After Hurricane Katrina, actor Brad Pitt founded the Make it Right Foundation to rebuild homes in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward neighborhood. The colorful houses were design-forward (notable architects including Frank Gehry and Shigeru Ban had input) and sold for less than the cost to build, at $150,000. However, they lacked structural components essential to withstand New Orleans’ subtropical climate such as rain gutters, waterproof paint, and overhangs, leading to a slew of issues including black mold, rotting wood, and termites. Some owners abandoned the unlivable properties and even sued the foundation. As Dezeen reports, a $20.5 million settlement has been reached. Perhaps things will finally be made right.
A cannabis museum is coming to New York
According to Curbed, the House of Cannabis NYC (or THCNYC), a 30,000-square-foot museum dedicated to the history of weed, is coming to New York’s Soho neighborhood this fall. Former Las Vegas nightclub owner turned museum proprietor Robert Frey, who just signed the lease at 427 Broadway, says the space will include exhibits, weed-inspired art, and LED light shows to create an “immersive cannabis experience.”
Aman Group gets $900 million investment
Aman Beverly Hills, shown in a rendering, is slated for a 2026 opening
Aman Group—which recently opened its first hotel in New York, marking the hospitality brand’s 34th location worldwide—has a slew of additional locations in the works in Beverly Hills, Miami Beach, Tokyo, and Bangkok. According to Travel Weekly, U.K. investment group Cain International, along with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, are investing $900 million to support the expansion. “My longterm strategic vision has been to continue to grow the Aman brand in key markets, all with Aman branded residences, as well as creating an ultra-luxury ecosystem, which offers the complete Aman lifestyle,” says Aman Group CEO Vlad Doronin.
4 wellness-focused concepts from around the world
In celebration of August being National Wellness Month, Hospitality Design’s sister publication, DesignWell, spotlighted four diverse hospitality properties around the world that encompass wellness from interiors to programming. Consider Germany’s minimalist Haigus Sports Studio, with interior spaces stripped down to raw materials, such as burlap, steel, and wood, and warmed with biodynamic lighting to create tranquility. Or the Aeon Wellness Hotel in Italy from noa*. The new-age wellness getaway is wrapped in blue and includes amenities like an infinity pool and Finnish sauna and steam bath.
