Redevelopment jeopardizes a Keith Haring mural in Barcelona, Zaha Hadid Architects collaborates with Hyperloop Italia, and the finalists of the HD Awards are announced. All that and more in this week’s Five on Friday.
Queer farmers grow a revolution
Members of the queer community are at work tilling the soil of change for the agricultural industry across the U.S., according to a new feature from Eater. Activism for some and educational for others, rural and urban farming enterprises not only foster new bonds with nature, but also reflect a transition from “capitalist systems to land-based ecosystems” that can yield a greater “impact in dismantling racism in our food system.”
As a community accustomed to operating, and even flourishing, outside of existing binaries, queer farmers demonstrate a unique approach to a very white, heteronormative industry. They also emphasize issues of land and capital, seeking raise awareness of land ownership in the country’s ongoing social and racial discourse. Ultimately, new precedents from community-building to sharing resources are redefining farming as a natural extension of queer existence in America.
Keith Haring mural in Barcelona faces uncertain future
Haring painting the mural in Barcelona’s Ars Studio club; photo by César de Melero
A fixture of Barcelona nightlife, the Ars Studio club was shuttered and reborn as a pool hall in 1992. Even following its closure, the building remained an attraction for a special artwork Keith Haring created in the DJ cabin between 1989 and 1992. Still intact, the mural is currently in jeopardy as a result of redevelopment plans that aim to replace the building with senior living facilities. The building’s current owner, Gabriel Carral, claims he owns a right to the art on the walls of the venue per a clause in the rental agreement. Estimated to be worth $97,400, the artwork is being eyed by the Keith Haring Foundation, which may fund the safe removal of the artwork if Carral decides to sell Haring’s piece to them, the Guardian. A copy of the original mural is preserved at MACBA in Barcelona.
MoMA exhibit spotlights modern Chinese architecture
Studio Zhu Pei, Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Museum, Jingdezhen, Jiangxi, China, 2016–2020; © schranimage
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York has announced that its upcoming exhibition, Reuse, Renew, Recycle: Recent Architecture from China, will highlight a new generation of Chinese architects and their collective emphasis on social and environmental sustainability. Open to the public from September 18th to July 4th, 2022, the show will host examinations of eight projects across galleries on the ground floor. Ranging from the adaptive reuse of former industrial facilities to designs defined by recycled building materials and the reinterpretation of ancient construction techniques, the work will be showcased through models, photography, drawings, videos, and mockups.
Anchoring the exhibition will be work from Pritzker Prize-winning Amateur Architecture Studio, Aga Khan Award laureate ZAO/standardarchitecture, Archi-Union Architects, Atelier Deshaus, DnA_Design and Architecture, Studio Zhu Pei, and Vector Architects.
Zaha Hadid Architects enters the Hyperloop race
Zaha Hadid Architects joined the global hyperloop race via a collaboration with Hyperloop Italia. According to ArchDaily, the London-based firm will co-design the next phase of works, including transport vehicles, to capture a synthesis of architecture, engineering, and urban planning. Sleek, singular hyperloop vehicles will echo the firm’s vernacular, operated through magnetic levitation technology powered by renewable energy. Cargo capsules will travel across low-pressure tubes to reduce friction and maximize passenger comfort.
Finalists for the 17th annual HD Awards are revealed
The Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School, Jaisalmer, India; designed by Diana Kellogg Architects; a finalist in the Sustainable project category
HD has announced the finalists for the 17th annual HD Awards, which honors the best and most innovative achievements in both project and product design worldwide. The breadth of the industry was showcased in the more than 1,000 projects and products submissions across 40 combined categories.
The HD Project Awards finalists; see the full gallery
The HD Product Awards finalists; see the full gallery
Project and product winners—plus Best in Show and the Hotelier and Designer of the Year—will be announced at a ceremony on Tuesday, September 21st at Cipriani South Street in New York. Winners and finalists will also appear in HD’s September issue. Purchase tickets for the event here.
