Two influential creatives pass away from coronavirus, HD announces the project and product winners at the 16th annual HD Awards, and Air New Zealand attempts to lure travelers with mystery program. All that and more in this week’s Five on Friday.
Rubin Museum to introduce new social learning lab
The Rubin Museum of Art in New York will soon undergo a major transformation with the addition of a 2,700-square-foot Mandala Lab, according to Time Out New York. Beginning November 10th, the museum’s third-floor galleries will close to the public and are currently set to reopen in fall 2021. The new floor, designed by Brooklyn-based firm Peterson Rich Office (PRO), will be split into four sections, each representing the cardinal directions and using color to symbolize the four elements of nature. The space will invite museumgoers to contemplate their emotional state as they take in commissioned works informed by the mandala’s teachings. “Our society is struggling right now. We are navigating a pandemic, we are grappling with a climate crisis, and we are confronting longstanding inequities and deep divisions in our society,” Jorrit Britschgi, the museum’s executive director, said in a press release. “With the Mandala Lab, our hope is to empower us to face these challenges: to widen our imagination, understand and manage our emotions, enrich our capacity for empathy, and connect with others.”
The creative community loses two more legends to COVID-19
Just one day after Italian artist and furniture designer Enzo Mari died from complications related to COVID-19, his wife—curator and art critic Lea Vergine—also succumbed to the virus. The couple, who married in 1977, had both been admitted to Milan’s San Raffaele Hospital before passing away hours apart on October 19th and 20th. Mari was 88 and Vergine was 82. Writer Alice Rawsthorn described Mari as “one of the most gifted, original and uncompromising designers and design activists of our time,” reports Dezeen. In 2016, Vergine published a memoir detailing her career.
UK’s hospitality industry threatens legal action
As the government gears up to introduce new restrictions for England, the local hospitality industry is pushing back, says the BBC. The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) argues there is no evidence that hospitality venues helped contribute to the spread of COVID-19, although they are now facing some of the strictest regulations. “These new measures will have a catastrophic impact on late night businesses and are exacerbated further by an insufficient financial support package presented by the chancellor in an attempt to sustain businesses through this period,” says Michael Kill, CEO of NTIA.
Airline chooses your destination with mystery vacation packages
In an effort to reinvigorate travelers, Air New Zealand has reintroduced its Mystery Breaks program, which offers tourists the chance to book an entire vacation package for a flat fee without knowing where they are off to until two days prior to departing, reports CNN. In addition to selecting specific travel dates, people can choose from three tiers—great, deluxe, or luxury—as well as note one place they do not wish to visit. Packages begin at $422 and guests are accommodated at an Accor Hotel and provided Avis rental cars.
Announcing the winners of the 16th annual HD Awards
Yesterday, online and in front of a small, socially distanced audience at NeueHouse’s Manhattan outpost, Hospitality Design editor in chief Stacy Shoemaker Rauen announced the winners of this year’s HD Awards in project and product categories. Additionally, Sister City in New York was named Best in Show in projects, while the Fred chair from Fritz Hansen took home Best in Show for products. Click here to see the full list of winners. And a special thank you to our sponsors—Coastal Shower Doors, Delta, Dometic, and Mandy Li Collection (Title Sponsors); Williams-Sonoma/West Elm (Student Competition); and Dupont-Tedlar Wallcoverings, Emser Tile, and Viso Lighting (Supporting Sponsors)—who helped make the interactive event possible.
